Sales Training: Why too many people suck at email prospecting

Articles

Email is a powerful tool that can be used for prospecting, but unfortunately, like the telephone, it is often used in a poor way. Many salespeople send emails that have little to no value for their prospects to respond to, resulting in their emails being deleted without being read. To achieve better results through email prospecting, you need to upgrade the quality of what you are writing in your emails. In this sales training article, we discuss important aspects of email prospecting that you should keep in mind to get your emails read and responded to.

The subject line

Your subject line is the first impression that your email makes and is the key factor that determines whether your email will be opened or not. Therefore, you need to make your subject line compelling enough to grab the attention of your prospects. Avoid using subject lines that contain your company name, product offering, request for a meeting, or overview of your services. Instead, try to write a subject line that conveys the value or benefit that your prospect will receive by reading your email.

Attachments

Many salespeople attach marketing materials to their cold prospecting emails, assuming that their prospects will be interested in reading them. However, attachments can be the reason why your email is not being received by your prospects or is being marked as spam. Besides, most marketing materials focus on promoting your company and its offerings rather than addressing the problems or challenges that your prospects are facing. It is best to leave attachments out of your cold prospecting emails and only include them if your prospects show interest in receiving them.

Keep your email brief

People are time-strapped so keep your email brief and to the point. It should highlight the key challenges you help resolve/ improve to capture your prospect’s attention easily. Adding lengthy introductions and filling your email with useless details only makes it less likely that your prospect will read further.

Address their pain points

Make sure you are highlighting the areas of frustration your prospects may be experiencing that you have identified through research. This will demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and are knowledgeable about their business. By providing solutions to a problem that already exists, you are positioning yourself as an expert who can provide valuable advice.

Personalisation

Personalisation is a delicate balance. It’s necessary to the extent that it makes your prospect feel seen and understood without crossing the line into intrusiveness. Personalise your email to the person’s role, company, and industry, but avoid adding details about their personal life that you’ve sourced from LinkedIn or other sources as this can come across as creepy. Focus on personalising your prospect’s pain points and situational context.

Make your email actionable

Provide a clear request to your prospect at the end of your email: “Are you available for a brief phone call next week?” or “Would you be open to a meeting next month?” By providing a clear call to action, it’s easier for your prospect to respond to your email.

In conclusion, email prospecting is all about sending the right message to the right person at the right time. By following the tips mentioned in this sales training article, you can increase the chances of your email being read and responded to by your prospects, leading to more successful sales conversations and ultimately more business. Keep these tips in mind and start writing emails that get results!

Looking for more sales training to fill your prospecting pipeline? Get in touch with our superstar training team with decades of real-world proven sales training and sales management experience.

Related news
Has sales management gotten harder?

Has sales management gotten harder?

Sales have changed a lot in the last couple of years, and so has the difficulty when it comes to sales management. Historically, a salesperson could find success because of the unique product they were selling. However, with access to ...
The beneficial attitude: Advice from sales coaches

The beneficial attitude: Advice from sales coaches

“Fake it ‘til you make it” is an approach that may work in many fields, but even the most experienced sales coaches know that it just doesn’t work in sales.  There isn’t a time when you’re not interacting with people in sales, so ...
Sales Courses: Why we all need it

Sales Courses: Why we all need it

Do you wince at the thought of cold calling? You’re not alone. Many salespeople dread the idea of having to make a call. What’s the deal? It could be that cold calling is one of those things that people inherently dislike doing, ...
Coaching for sales: Breaking the mould

Coaching for sales: Breaking the mould

For too long have salespeople been portrayed as the bad guy in consumers’ lives. But there’s a big difference between a good salesperson and a bad one. The good salesperson undergoes coaching for sales which aims to satisfy the ...