As the working-from-home trend accelerates, so too does the need for salespeople to adjust how they connect with and engage prospects - and how they close deals.
The most successful salespeople today are embracing virtual selling via email and video to do just that. And they are getting exceptional results.
5 Tips to Sending Sales Emails that Stand Out
The key to success in a digital environment is to not forget the true goal -- to build a relationship. How do you do that using email? Start with these pro tips:
1) Invest in personalized, personable videos for emails and landing pages.
Video, video, video! You know how important video is, but do you know why? According to David Meerman Scott, author of Fanocracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans, we feel most connected to those we have engaged within close proximity.
But when you can’t be in the same room as a potential business contact, how do you nurture this same sense of personal connection? For best results, Scott recommends ensuring that when you tape a video, you remain within about 2-3 feet of your online camera, which stands in as a proxy for your audience.
Maintain “eye contact” with your camera lens, and use minimal facial and hand expressions. Too many, and it may be a distraction, too few, and you may come across like a robot!
Most importantly, be human. Your video isn’t going to be perfect, and that’s a good thing. This is what makes you likable and relatable. And we all love doing business with people we like!
🕵️Related Read: The Secrets of Virtual Selling
2) Craft personalized subject lines (really).
Here’s a tale of two “personalized” subject lines. Let’s say you have a prospect called Susan Burke who works in HR. After an initial exploratory call, you know she’s having trouble attracting top-quality candidates and feels she is spending too much of her time going through resumes from unqualified applicants.
Version one: Hi Sue, I’m just following up
This is technically a “personalized” subject line. After all, you used her name in it, right? This may have been enough 10 years ago, but today, we’re all too familiar with how {first name} and {last name} fields are used in impersonalized emails to make them seem personal.
So, how can you stand out?
Version two: Sue, helpful article on attracting top talent
In this second version, you are making the connection between Sue and one of her very specific challenges or pain points.
3) Use in-line links and scannable, relevant content.
We’re all busy and distracted these days, which means we skim headlines, flick quickly through social media threads, and scan our emails.
To make your email stand out, keep it short, simple, valuable, and easily digestible. Make good use of :
- Bold text
- Bullet points
- Section headers
- Video
- Images
This will help break up the text so that your prospect can browse through your message quickly.
4) Create offers that add value - not offers that “sell stuff.”
We’ve all used offers or “calls to action” in our emails and follow-up calls that “sell stuff” instead of “add value” (guilty!).
You know the ones:
- Get a quote
- Schedule a demo
- Contact me!
- Free consult
We know what these “offers” really mean (and so do our prospects): you want to sell them stuff. Instead of the hard sell, focus on the prospect and the value that you and your solutions can provide them. Instead of an “audit” what if you offered to help them find ways to cut taxes, improve project management efficiency, get an impactful marketing campaign on a budget - all in just a 30-minute call? They give you the time, and you give them actionable, valuable tips and strategies that can improve the way they do business.
It’s all about positioning yourself as a problem-solver, not a salesperson.
5) Always indicate when you’ll follow up next.
When was the last time you put a meeting on your calendar after someone said, “See you soon?” Me either! Whether you are leaving a voicemail or sending an email, be specific about when you’ll follow up.
Consider the difference between ending an email in each of these ways;
- “I’ll follow up soon.”
- “When is a good time to follow up?”
- “Let’s connect on Friday afternoon. Is there a time between 1 and 4 p.m. that works for you?”
The first is vague and easy for both your prospect and you to kick down the road to some unspecified time.
The second gives all of the responsibility for following up to your prospect, which sounds like a lot of work!
In the third option, you pick the day and a time period. All they need to do is confirm a time. The easier you make it for a prospect to follow up, the better! This also makes it easier to add to your calendar to make note of potential meeting times.
BONUS: Quick and Dirty Video Tips
While there are five tips here, the truth is that without doing number one - creating personalized videos (and doing it well!), the rest aren’t going to be as impactful.
What are the key components of a great video? If you’re uncomfortable in front of the camera, or simply not used to it, here are a few quick tips to help you create the most professional and impactful videos - with the least amount of effort!
- Ensure you are using a quality laptop or desktop computer with a high-resolution camera. This ensures your image doesn’t look grainy or out of focus.
- Invest in a good external microphone or a headset. No one realizes just how important audio quality is until it’s really poor. Then everyone notices. If you cannot be understood, you cannot form a relationship. Related: always be sure to test your sound prior to starting your recording. There’s nothing worse than finishing a 5-minute video and discovering you recorded it without sound.
- Be aware of and minimize home noises. Send your dog to daycare for a couple of hours. Get your kids outside, or turn on Frozen for them for the millionth time. And don’t forget to turn off your phone and computer notifications prior to filming.
- Create a professional background. Your video background should be professional and distraction-free. Many recording programs allow you to add virtual backgrounds. Barring that, choose a room in your home or office with a wall free of too much clutter or loud patterns. Remember: you want to be the center of attention, not those Bob Ross-style paintings from Aunt Edna.
- Ensure you look the part! Your attire should match the impression that you want to give your prospect. As you choose what you’re going to wear, try to avoid contrasting colors, which can be distracting. And, again: clean and declutter your area.
- Have a cheat sheet or outline of what you want to say during the video. The best way to sound personable and spontaneous is to invest in a little bit of prep - but not too much. Know what you want to say before you start to say it. This can prevent a lot of editing or re-shooting.
👉Discover more about how to supercharge your sales process with Virtual Selling!
