Written by Lee McKnight Jr.
When it comes to sales prospecting, it’s more important than
ever that you write concise, effective communication.
On average, we send and receive 121 emails every day,
according to DMR Business Statistics (click here for more surprising prospecting stats).
I imagine this number climbs higher as a person gains more authority and
responsibility in an organization. So, the communication you send needs to be
clear, to-the-point, and relevant. It's not easy to get noticed in someone's
email inbox.
Here
are several examples that can inspire your own prospecting techniques.
A couple caveats:
1.
These
are generalized to a greater degree than emails we would typically send to
apply to all types of companies and all types of categories. (I’ve given you
some examples of different language you can use as a guide.)
2.
You
can certainly get more creative than the email examples below, but be careful.
That can backfire if you get too cutesy or familiar.
The
bottom line is your prospects don’t have time to read long, fluffy emails
filled with the buzzwords of the day. Make sure your emails don’t scream "Sales!"
Be personable, direct, and always put yourself in your prospect’s place.
No one wants to read a sales
email. They want help with their challenges.
4 Email Templates to Help You
Connect With Prospects
Landing
the First Meeting: Introduction Email to Potential Clients
This email would be used as an
initial introduction to your company. The key is immediately establishing your
expertise, as well as asking for the meeting fairly early.
Hi [Prospect],
[Your name] with [your
company]. We’re a Y company that specializes in [choose either your primary
vertical or a vertical you have experience in] to [insert a typical challenge
you help clients face].
I’m wondering if you might be
open to an initial conversation to gauge a fit?
We’ve worked with companies
like [insert 2-3 clients here relative to the vertical] to [insert a typical
client goal].
If you have a minute or two to
learn more about us, you can visit us here at [site]. If I don’t hear from you,
I will reach out to you via phone later in the week.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Landing
the First Meeting: Follow-Up Email
This would be used as a follow
up to the above email (either the next day or the following week), and I would
recommend the subject line: "Sorry I Missed You." We often see 30% to
40% open rates with this email. You’ll also want to introduce a case study at
this point.
Hi [Prospect],
Quickly following up on my
email from yesterday. I tried to call you, but was unable to connect. Hoping to
set up a call to introduce my company, [company name]. Do you have 30 minutes
anytime early next week that would work?
While I have you, I thought you
might find some interest in our work with [client]. We helped them [achieve
goal] resulting in [ideally you have a % to use here, but any meaningful result
will suffice]. You can read the whole story here: [Provide case study link.]
As a reminder, we’re a Y
company, expert (or specializing) in the X category. We’ve worked with [name
2-3 clients], and many others to [achieve goal].
Best,
[Your Name]
Post-Proposal
Send: Follow-Up Email
This one should be used
sparingly and only if your prospect has gone dark. This email typically gets a
response as it gently points out to your prospect that they’ve gone
dark, but you’ve stuck with them. It's simple but effective, and it continues
to provide the prospect with opportunities to learn about your company, read
your thought leadership, and be reminded of your expertise.
Typically the prospect's
response is apologetic and appreciative. And even if you don’t get the business
at this point, at least you’ll know if you can move on or keep this prospect on
your radar.
You’ll typically want to use
the subject line, “[Company Name] -- Still Interested?"
Hi [Prospect],
Hope you had a good weekend
(been well, etc.*).
Not sure if you’ve been really
slammed or you’ve decided to hold off for now, but I wanted to see if you might
have any feedback on our proposal?
Certainly no rush on our end --
I don’t want to become a pest if you’d prefer I hold off on contact.
I also thought you might have
some interest in a recent post on [a post specific to the prospect’s category,
or if you don’t have one, a category-specific third party article]. You can
read it here: [link].
Look forward to hearing from
you.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
*I would never lead with “Hope
you’ve been well/had a good weekend” unless you’ve actually spoken with the
person.
Last-Try
Send: Follow-Up Email
It's important to follow up
with prospects more than once -- but it's equally important to know when to
throw in the towel. At a certain point, you're wasting their time and
detracting from your time spend on prospects who are actually ready to close.
This email should only be used
when you can't spend any more time chasing a prospect and need to either push
them to action or close the books on them -- for now.
Hi [Prospect],
I've tried to reach out a few
times now without a reply. Usually when this happens, it means my offer is not
a priority right now. Is it safe for me to assume that's the case here?
If it is, I won't bother you
any more. If you'd rather I follow up in a month or two when you have more
bandwidth, I'm happy to do that as well.
Thanks for your time.
Regards,
[Your Name]
These
email templates help me connect with uber-busy buyers.
I hope they'll do the same for you. Introduce them into your email cadence and
see what kind of a difference they make.
https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-email-templates-to-get-and-keep-buyers-attention?utm_campaign=Sales%20Blog%20-%20Weekly%20Manual%20Emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65943039
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