Anytime you are introducing yourself to a new person, or you are at a function it is going to be a little bit nerve-wracking. But you never stroll up to a group of people and make an introduction without having a noticeably clear plan of what you are going to say to the group. That is especially important because you are going to make an impression in a tenth of a second or less, and that can make or break a relationship.
Although you may always be very diligent about introducing yourself face to face, if you are creating a marketing email, you may not be as diligent. You need to look at many of the messages that you have sent out and realize that you may have made some common mistakes.
Here are seven of the worst reach-out techniques that cause people to delete your emails. Here is what you can do now to increase your readability as well as your sales.
“My name is…”
Names are one of the things that people do not remember. So, when you lead with this, you are going to lose the attention of the reader within the first second. If your reader is trying to find a way to reach out to you, they will be able to find your contact information in your email signature.
You can really clean it up by ensuring that your name is in the second sentence of your email and then you will be off to the races. You want to get to the point of your email as quickly as you can and respect the time of your reader.
“I work for…”
When you lead with who you are working for it is even more boring than your name. It is a clue right away to the reader that you are looking to sell them something and that is a big issue. In addition to that, you will see that as you continue to right, the company that you are working with is something that will be naturally revealed because it will help you to show you are an expert in the field and also what your connection is to the person you are reaching out to!
“Did you know?”
This is another way to put your prospect to sleep. Many reps will begin with sharing statistic or a rhetorical question. The thing is that they will not get the attention of the potential customer, they are going to run for the hills as they are trying to avoid a sales pitch that might feel like it is coming off an infomercial.
You need to ensure that you are going to share a fact or a figure that is going to entice the reader and ensure that you are appealing to their position in the market. Have facts that are innovative and that are market and niche specific to share with the audience and you will get the attention of the reader.
“Congrats on…”
When there is a trigger event, that usually seems that you have a reason to reach out to that contact. However, it shows that you are going to have a lazy sale and you are creating a form letter to the reader.
“I’ve been thinking.”
This is something you would want to share with family and friends and not with your business prospects. The reason for this is that when you come out this way you come out as if you are self-interested. The key to implementing this approach is to invert the technique.
You would want to share the news of their acquisition of a new asset or a major business announcement to show that you are interested in their needs and solution sell. You should never begin an email by talking about yourself, you should always be drafting an email about your prospect to ensure that you have the right perspective.
“I hope you are doing well…”
The reach out seems like a warm sentiment. However, when you are reaching out to a new prospect for the first time, one thing that is clear is that you cannot be bland. When you are bland, this will be the kiss of death.
You will lose the prospect in your first sentence. You want to dive into your message right away and ensure that you catch their attention.
Take a risk in your message and write something that will catch their attention like, “I am concerned about your company’s implementation of X since they acquired Y, “then share a similar story if you have one from your sales history. This is a fantastic way to get the attention of the prospect and to establish yourself as an expert.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
Sometimes there are reach outs that happen when there was a lead that came from a piece of content that was downloaded or a video that was watched or a page that was visited. One thing that is important to be aware of is that this is a fun time to reach out to the buyer. In that moment, they are ready to be talked to by sales.
However, at the same time, asking them if they found what they are looking for is very vague. You need to ensure that you know what the pain point is that you would be able to solve for the customer. Here are some suggestions:
“Do you have all the pricing information you need?”
“Can I answer any questions for you about the product?”
Take your time and wordsmith your emails to your prospects. Look at some of the best reach outs that you have gotten as well in sales and see what sets apart solution selling from someone sending you a form email.
Form emails feel cold and get deleted as quickly as they show up in someone’s inbox. Tailor your message to the person you are reaching out to and you will drive new profits with happy clients.
