The prospect spoke with the inbound rep for less than four minutes.  They discussed PCs and servers.  The teleseller suggested that the prospect might wish to surf his company’s website.  He said, “I’ll send you an e-mail.  Then, let’s talk again.”  He wrote:

Subject:  Reccommendations

Hi,

Based on the brief conversation we had I would think that the best place top start gathering information would be for you to go to our website @ xxxxxxx.  From there please research under the categories and I would direct you to the desktop models xxxxxxx and server models xxxxxxxx.   I find that these are a good place to start and usually meet most of the needs of businesses of your type and size.  Keep in mind that these units will meet your needs today and offer you the expandability to also meet your future needs in years to come.

When you have a little more time please give me a call and I would be happy to discuss this further as well as generate a quote to be sure we also meet your budget.

Thank You,

Bob

How would you feel about doing business with this guy?  His company?  Especially with a misspelled word in the subject line?  With the salutation, “Hi?”  With a syntax error in the first sentence?  With a non-existent close?

E-mail selling has rocketed in the last five years.  Unfortunately, many of its’ authors are still in the caves.  Clueless.  Sending messages that would make their kid’s fifth grade teacher blanche.

Are your e-mails killing sales?  Costing you money?  Turning off prospects? 

My company has been training sales pros for 20 years and I’ve been in the sales training business for nearly double that.  We sales professionals are unique hybrids.  We are truly “riddles wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”  (Churchill said that about Russia, but it’s apropos.)  We…

• Are always in a big, big hurry
• Think “administrivia” is a waste of time
• Know that all of the world should be on commission 
• Prefer root canals to writing down most anything

We now pepper our selling seminars with as much as 20% of the time being devoted to e-mail and/or voicemail training.  Surprised?  Shouldn’t be.  Our research indicates field sales reps spend approximately 25% of their total selling time using e-mail.  For inside telesellers, it’s closer to 40%.  Here’s how these numbers break down:

Field Sales Reps E-Mail Usage

• Servicing existing clients 27%
• New business development 12%
• Internal communication 61%

Inside Telesellers E-Mail Usage

• Servicing existing clients 43%
• New business development 29%
• Internal communication 28%

The Electronic Messaging Association puts the total worldwide “value” of e-mail to business users at $12.65 billion-the figure largely based on time savings and the escalating cost of surface mail.  Therefore, it’s likely that e-mail will only continue to grow in the future.

OK, so you’re a big hitter and writing e-mails (or just writing in general) goes against your grain.  I’d wager your problem is that you live in a state of continuous partial attention–CPA.  That is, you view e-mail as low priority–that’s why you answer e-mail while talking on your cell and wolfing down a pop tart-all in one swift motion.  You’re guilty of maintaining a continuous flow of interactions to the exclusion of doing any one thing really well.  This makes you mediocre–a Jack-of-all-Selling tools and master of none.

In lieu of the pleasure of your company in one of our workshops, here are some suggestions for how you can increase sales via e-mail:

Never send e-mail to someone you haven’t met with or spoken with-e-mail is a follow up tool, not an introductory tool.  Remember SPAM stands for “Spraying Prospects with Awful Messages.”

Begin with a great “Subject” line-your e-mail won’t even get read if you don’t.  (Hey, I had to write a good headline or you wouldn’t be reading this story!)

Titillate when constructing the “Subject” line-remember that less is more.  Try, “Important info for you,” “Quick question,” “Need your advice,” or “Help required on this one.”

Write net-use simple, clear words with economy.  Newspapers are calibrated at a 6^th grade level.  Use 12-14 word sentences.  Keep them short and to-the-point.

Use lots of “white“-eliminate long paragraphs. 

Use “bullets” or numbers when listing key points-it’s “eye candy” and much easier to comprehend and remember.

Know that each word will be taken at face value-there is no “music” with a written message.

Don’t try to be funny-not here, not now, not never (oops).

Restrict use of bold, CAPS, color, underline and the exclamation point!!! Enough already.  Be careful, a little goes a long way.

Open and close with a bang-you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.  Your close should indicate the next action item or business purpose, generally, one that YOU will initiate.

Mark McCormick wrote in What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard, about the importance of producing great work for clients on a consistent basis.  He was a stickler for each letter he wrote.  It had to be perfect.  The premise being, prospects are making constant judgments regarding our expertise with each encounter, regardless of the venue or method.  Sloppy letters convey a clear message:  “Do business with me and you’ll get sloppy work.  I pay  little, if any, attention to detail.  I’m too busy to do things right.”

With a writer, like a surgeon, you have to get the feeling that you are in good hands-someone from whom you can accept the anesthetic with confidence.

Often times the margin for getting a sale is razor thin.  Especially in tough selling times like these.  Your products or services may look similar to your prospects.  There may not be clear differentiators.  The sale may come down to the “little things.”  Don’t let a poorly written e-mail cost you a sale.

Think before you write.  Write net.  Sell smart.