How to Write a Great Sales Email: A 5-Step Plan to Greater Success

Category: Language Training | 2017-04-13

When was the last time you wrote a sales email and felt confident that you had done a great job? If you are like a lot of people, this was never. Or, at the very least, a long time ago?

If you are worried that your sales emails aren’t creating the responses you are looking for, keep reading. I have outlined a 5-step plan to writing a great sales email that is effective and easy.

Follow these steps and you can start writing great emails today. Let’s get started!

5 Steps to a Great Sales Email

1.Do some research

You wouldn’t try to swim the English Channel without a little practice first. Of course not, you might save yourself a little time but the results will be terrible. The same goes for writing a sales email. Don’t jump in before you know which way the tide is running!

Do yourself a favour and spend 5 or 10 minutes researching your prospect. Find out what interests they have and what is important to their business. You can check google, social media profiles and be sure to check out their company website. These should give you a good picture of how you can connect with them.

A little research goes a long way

You will need a good reason to contact them. Long gone are the days of the cold call email where we shove our sales pitch on some stranger. People receive too many emails to read each and every one of them. We are getting much more selective with our inbox and our tactics have to change with the times. Did they recently visit your website or trade booth? Do you have any mutual acquaintances?

Knowing what will interest your prospect will significantly increase the odds that they will respond to your email.

2.Write a Personalized Subject Line

This is the first thing anyone will look at and because of that, it’s the most important place to start. If you can’t get people to open your email, how can you expect to turn them into a lead? Short answer, you can’t!

So, let’s make a great subject line that is effective and worth opening. What do we need? If you want to be successful in getting your email opened, tell your prospects what value you can offer them. Convince the reader that you can offer them insights, intelligence or resources and you will get them to open your email.

Here are some examples of effective subject lines:

1. (Mutual Contact) suggested I get in touch with you
2. Recently read your post on (blog name)
3. X strategies to reach (prospect’s goal)
4. (Prospect name), a quick question for you re: (relevant topic)

As I mentioned, people are becoming more selective when reading emails. There are a lot of words that we have learned to avoid through years of spam mail.

Here is a list of words you should NOT put in your subject lines:

1. Free
2. Final
3. State-of-the-art
4. Help
5. Discount
6. Sale
7. Limited

Most people are able to see through these clichéd words to the hollow sales attempt behind them. Make your subject line personal, relevant and interesting. Your open rates will improve immediately.

3.Direct the Opening Line at the Prospect

How many times have you started your email with the word “I”? Too many! It probably looked something like this:

I am writing to you today regarding blah blah blah.

And that is exactly what the reader thought as they scrolled up to delete your mail. The first sentence has to entice the reader to keep going. This is where you need to make good on your value offer from the subject line.

An excellent way to make your sales email stand out is to show them that you’ve done your homework. Comment on a recent achievement their company has celebrated. Maybe a big new merger or deal. Ask a question about their blog post and show that you are interested in their opinion as much as giving your own. This is also a great time to drop the name of a mutual contact. As the old saying goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.

Grab the prospect’s attention and add value to your proposition by showing them you care. It doesn’t take much and you will quickly stand out from the competition. Do this and your response rate will get better overnight.

Improve Your Emails

With

Business English Training

4.Ask a Relevant Question

If you want to get the prospect to respond to your email, you need to give them a reason. The best way to get someone to answer you is to ask a question. The trick is to make the question interesting and relevant.

Here is where doing your research will really improve your sales emails. If you know what is important to the reader, you can ask questions that speak directly to them. Here are a few examples of strong sales questions:

1. Are you interested in finding out how (new legislation) will affect your business?
2. How do you plan to deal with (new industry trend)?
3. Was (Project X) your idea?
4. Considering (fact), what is your strategy for (business area)?

5.Create a Proper Signature

As sad as it is, most emails end with an awful signature that either loads badly or is just plain ugly. If this is going to be the final impression you make on your prospect, make it a good one. The signature in your sales email is a chance for you to improve your credibility and promote your latest content. It is also the spot where you can offer the reader links to find out more about you. But this only works if you do it well!

Most important of all, make sure your signature is tasteful and not an eye-sore. There are a few simple guidelines to follow when crafting your signature:

1. Keep it simple – Don’t make it fancy, use simple colours (preferably from your brand) and use standard fonts. Nobody wants to strain their eyes to read your signature.
2. Keep it short – This is an add-on to your email, not the body. If your reader has to scroll to see the entire thing, it’s too long!
3. Keep it sharp – Your signature should include your contact information and links to social profiles or relevant content. It can also include a short testimonial or company award if you have can make it fit. Be sure to keep it up to date!

Get Started Writing Your Next Sales Email

Be sure to do your research before you send your next sales email. Make your subject line personal and include a value offer. Stop writing about yourself and direct it at the needs of your prospect. Leave them with a question that they want to answer. Sign off with a professional signature. Do these things and you will be well on your way to writing great sales emails!

What problems do you face when you write a sales email? Do you struggle with business writing in English? Leave a comment below or join our monthly newsletter for tips, articles and exclusive deals.

Cheers!

Tags:

About the Author

Keith MacPherson

As the owner and founder of The MacPherson Language Institute, Keith is engaged in all aspects of language learning. A teacher, blogger, translator and consultant, he offers expert training and guidance for private students and businesses competing in the global market. Leave a comment, join the mailing list or follow him on Twitter @MLISolutions.