Communicating with sales targets via email was probably not an option for your parents’ generation of workers. Yet email is a crucial tool for today’s salesperson. But these days, as we know too well, it’s impossible to read all incoming emails. So only “smart” emails will make it through your prospects’ filter.
Here are a few tips on how to craft and send emails that actually get read:
Best time to send: According to Mailchimp, most emails are opened at the end of the workday, between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. So, send emails in the afternoon to be first in line. A study by Experian shows that the most emails are read on Tuesdays. Why? Maybe because the Monday rush has passed. Maybe people are moving toward a four-day work week, whether their companies approve or not. Whatever is happening, send your most important sales emails on Tuesdays if possible.
Choose subject lines carefully: Studies also show that the subject line makes or breaks an email: 35 percent of people decide whether to open an email based on the subject line. So a “cold call” email has got to have a short, interest-catching subject line. Email open rates drop by 60% when the subject line is more than three words, so keep it short and concise.
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- There are also certain words in a subject line that increase the likelihood of it being opened. It may seem unoriginal, but words such as “alert,” “new,” and “free delivery” in the subject line (not only those words, of course) seem to pique recipients’ interest. Of course, the subject line should match the email content. Interestingly, words like “report” and “learn” in the subject line are likely to get your email escorted to the trash bin – perhaps because they allude to committing time that people just don’t have!
Content that inspires action: Now we come to the content inside the email. The message should be friendly, concise, and action-triggering. It should have helpful information: why your product or service is better, what you want the recipient to know, what you want them to do next. People are busy; if it isn’t relevant to the receiver at the time, it’s clutter, no matter how fabulous you are. Give them a reason to reply!
So, send sales emails – but send smart sales emails. And think before you send each one. The last thing you want to do is flood someone’s inbox until your name equals “Junk Mail” in their mind.