Updated on February 16, 2021
Being dedicated to the sales process, especially while you are generating leads for your company – can be a challenge nowadays. More so when your main goal is to increase the email response rate and sell the product.
Аt a time where changes have been made in how companies conduct the sales on a global level, as a consequence of the current situation with COVID-19, the most important mission for salespeople is to attract the attention of users. Decision-makers receive hundreds of emails every day from companies that want to offer their products and services but barely respond to a few of them. 📝
That’s why I want to share with you some tips on how to increase your email response rate. And also how to make the drip campaigns fun in a way that you will enjoy the process. So, let’s jump into the fun part. 🤻
Remember that you are addressing humans, not email inboxes
In order to begin the whole process, the most important thing that you need to know is that decision-makers are also human like you. So, when writing them an email, think of what you would want to receive as a message if you were in their position. The reality is that buyers are busy and distracted.
We have more people involved in buying decisions because the internet opened up access to competitors globally and sales cycles are taking longer to close. The harsh reality is far too many salespeople today cannot articulate the value their company provides. B2B buyers don’t want to be sold, they want to be helped. They simply want input and guidance through the sales process.
Different buyers just want human guidance at different times. Sellers have to adapt and move away from general lines of questioning or product pitches. When reps speak to a prospect, they need to be a consultant who can uncover their needs and deliver a specific solution to solve their unique problems. Human beings are highly social creatures, and given that a qualified prospect is guaranteed to be human, you are more likely to achieve your goal if you start a friendly conversation with your prospect.
For example, if you were a Sales Manager, think of what is the content that would spark your interest the most when somebody offers their product? Would you want somebody to just jump out of nowhere and tell you to buy some product or would you prefer a nice conversation that will eventually lead you to buy their product? 🤔
A word on the subject line
Emails are not text messages. They should have a subject line that orients the reader before opening the email. Then concise body text that gets the point across effectively and efficiently. The subject line often determines whether an email is opened and how the recipient responds. Using questions is a common strategy to get people to open emails.
A typical inbox reveals about 60 characters of an email’s subject line. Therefore, you don’t want to waste it with unnecessary words like “hello,” “nice to meet you,” and “thanks,”. They can easily be included in the email’s body. It’s very important for you to get right to the point in about six to eight words and include a question in the subject line regarding their company.
Make sure to include keywords related to the topic of the email and use the prospect name. Just keep in mind that the structure of the question should follow the normal way you’d ask that question in conversation. Write like you’re addressing another (real) person on the other end of the computer. Strive to quickly capture their interest in a way that’s fully delivered in the rest of your sales email. This is how you’ll be well on your way to a winning campaign.
This way you will increase your click rates, and consequently, the email response rate will increase as well. Salespeople will be interested in what you have to offer to them. Example: Is ((X company)) expanding? ((First name)), Ready for ((X company)) improvement? Interested in ((X company)) growth?
Use hyper-personalization and watch your email response rate increase
Always use hyper-personalization. Especially when you are sending automated messages. You always want to include the recipient’s name because people are glad to see their name on the screen. It gives them the impression that you have done your homework about them. Besides, we all know that person’s name is his favorite word they want to hear. I warmly recommend you to read the book, “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. And you’ll get the point.
This way you will show them that you had the time to do a little research about them. Include their name as much as you can, as long as it doesn’t look too intrusive. You can also include the company name and logo, as shown in the example 👇
Cold outreach seems not to be the most interesting part for salespeople, as they tend to avoid it, and prospects on the receiving end are always looking for a way to end the conversation. This first interaction with a prospect often determines the rest of your relationship.
For breaking the ice, visit their LinkedIn profile and extract one activity that you will include in the email. It’s more likely that somebody will feel the urge to reply to your email if they saw that you had the time to look more closely at what are the posts, blogs, courses, books they like sharing. This way you won’t be seen as an “annoying” salesperson, but as one who cares about the interests of others 🤗
Always use a different call to action in your drip campaigns
Be sure that you have a clear call to action in your email. Tell your prospect precisely what action you want them to take next, and make it as easy as possible for them to do so. Keep in mind that part of having a clear CTA is having only one CTA. Always use a different call to action in your drip campaigns.
For example, if you used in the first email a blog post they should read as a call to action, don’t repeat that in the second email. The second time you can share a webinar for them to attend. Maybe some handbook that they will find useful, or ask them to give you advice about some sales related question. The idea is to appeal to different stimuli that might lead to a positive response. 💡
Don’t forget about the time gap
Use a time gap when sending the emails. The last thing that you want to happen is to overwhelm someone with your emails and lose their interest right away. Make sure to always include a time gap when sending the emails. Example: First email, then 3 days gap, second email, 6 days gap, third email. You could also include different times of the day, different days. Would you send out an email on Sunday evening? ⏲️
Make it about them, not you
Make the email about them, not you. Try to exclude sentences that begin with the words “me, myself, I” so that the prospect doesn’t get the impression that you wrote to them just for a selfish reason. If you cannot avoid I – make use of inclusive language: we use/ we did research, etc. After you have conducted research and figured out the pain points or challenges that your prospect is facing, offer your product or service as the solution.
Sometimes your prospect doesn’t know they have a problem, because they just haven’t discovered it yet. It will take the most time to get these prospects to open up because they have to discover their problem before they can discuss it with you. Your role as the sales rep in this scenario is to serve as an educational resource for this prospect. If they’re open to a discussion, try to educate them about the problems your product solves. This might trigger some investigation on their part. If your prospect isn’t open to discussion, it’s best to nurture them with educational resources and content.
Never pitch in the first few emails
And of course the last one, never pitch in the first or second email. If you do that it’s most likely that you just won’t get a reply. People want to connect with you on a deeper level, to share their opinions, discuss ideas, maybe even share their worldview and going straight forward for what you have to offer, it does not give them the impression of someone who wants to have a nice conversation with them. ❌
Final words
Overall, make sure to add value to your emails so someone would want to reply to them. Be specific about what you want to communicate with them and don’t go too broadly in explaining yourself. The best advice is to talk to clients like your friends because only that way you can foster understanding, honest relationships, and of course your goal: business cooperation.
Now that you know the tips and tricks, go and do your magic! ✨
