These Prospecting Sales Emails Don’t Work

by | May 22, 2019 | Blog

Prospecting email

Many sellers are sitting, and even hiding, behind their laptop sending out emails hoping for a response to secure meetings and sales.

The biggest challenge with email prospecting is that emails are way too generic and not a personalized email. This approach is as effective as cold calling – they are frigid emails…and neither work very effectively anymore.

People receive millions of emails on a daily basis. It’s much easier for a prospective buyer to scan your subject line and the first 10-15 words of your email and hit “delete” rather than open your email, let alone respond to it.

If you want to generate leads through email prospecting you must personalize your email and make it about them to get their attention.

Here are two examples of what NOT to do in email prospecting. (These are actual emails that I have received in my inbox recently.) I have changed their names to protect these sellers (who definitely need sales training help!) 

Example #1: It’s all about the salesperson and their company. Who cares?

Hi Lisa,

My name is Samuel, Vice President at a rapidly growing custom software development company.

 

We provide a wide range of custom web and software programming services such as web applications, mobile applications, system integrations, cloud applications and customize CRM solutions. We are serving our clients for more than 10 years now and it would be a pleasure to collaborate with you as well.

 

Customer satisfaction is our forte. Our aim is to provide our customers with quality and innovative software development solutions and pocket friendly rates.

 

Let me know if you are interested. I’d love to have a 15 minute call with you to talk more about how we can best assist your company.

If you want to generate leads through email prospecting you must personalize your email and make it about them to get their attention. Share on X

Example #2: Don’t ask me if you are talking to the right person or put you in touch with the right person to talk to.

Dear Sirs, (my name is Lisa)

 

Good day:)

 

I’ll keep this short and sweet to make the 24 seconds it takes to read this worth your time (yes, I timed it.)

 

As a salesman at ABC Company, I get to contact with people like you about both paper packaging products & paper printing products. Your company is on my radar because we’ve helped a lot of similar companies in this area. (Specify my company and industry segment.)

 

If not you, can you please put me in touch with the right person? (This is the kiss of death! Don’t ask me as you can quickly find this out on a website.)

 

If you’d like to set up a time to talk about whether ABC Company makes sense for your business.

 

In advance, thank you for your help.

Do you see the mistakes they are making when it comes to selling via email? 

 

Here are 5 simple strategies to improve your prospecting email response:

  1. Do your research. Identify the right person to prospect and send a personalized email to get their attention and secure a meeting.
  2. Most emails are read on mobile devices. That means the first 10-15 words of your sales prospecting email needs to be customized to them so that a potential buyer/customer will open and read more instead of hitting delete.
  3. Create a call to action to make it easy for your prospect to respond to you with a date option to schedule a call and/or meeting.
  4. Referencing a referral name is the most effective way to get their attention. You can even mention the referral in your subject line.
  5. Create a trigger event by inviting them to an event, tradeshow, webinar or demo of your products and how it will benefit them.