* Are you sending e-mails to prospects instead of calling them?
* Is e-mail your selling medium of choice because it lets you
avoid the rejection that you dread when you make real cold
calls?
* Do you wait and wait for return e-mails from prospects that
will give you the green light to move the sales process
forward?
Sad but true, these days most people who sell for a living
spend 80% of their time trying to communicate with prospects
via e-mail instead of actually picking up the phone and
speaking with them. Are you one of those people? If so, you
aren't alone...but do you understand why you've turned to
e-mail instead of personal contact? I think there are 2 core
reasons that underlie this unfortunate trend:
* Fear of rejection. The sheer negative force of anticipating
rejection makes people turn to e-mail to generate new prospect
relationships because it hurts less to not get a reply than
to hear that verbal "no."
* Getting blocked by gatekeepers and voicemail. When salespeople
don't know how to break through the barriers of gatekeepers
and voicemail, they start thinking, "Forget it -- it's not
worth the aggravation, and it takes too much energy. I'll
just e-mail instead."
However, when you try to use e-mail to offer your product or
service to someone who doesn't know you, you can't possibly
establish the natural dialogue between two people that allows
the trust level to reach the level necessary for a healthy,
long-term relationship.
We all know how much everyone hates e-mail spam, but even so,
many salespeople are still sending introductory e-mails to
decisionmakers. They feel that, because they're from a credible
organization, they won't be associated with the negative image
of a spam solicitor.
However, these introductory e-mails typically contain the
traditional three-part sales pitch -- the introduction, a
mini-presentation about the products and services being offered,
and a call to action -- and this traditional selling approach
instantly tells the recipient of the e-mail that your only goal
is to sell your product or service so you can attain your goals,
and not theirs.
If you're still using email to sell, watch out for these 7
pitfalls:
1. Avoid sales pitches. If you feel you must use e-mail to
start a new relationship, make your message about issues
and problems that you believe your prospects are having,
but don't say anything to indicate that you're assuming
that both of you are a match.
2. Stop thinking that e-mail is the best way to get to
decisionmakers. Traditional selling has become so ineffective
that salespeople have run out of options for creating
conversation, both over the phone and in person. However,
it's best to view e-mail as a backup option only, not as a
way to create new relationships. Try to use it primarily for
sending information and documents after you've developed a
relationship with a prospect.
3. Remove your company name from the subject line. Whenever
you put your company and solution first, you create the
impression that you can't wait to give a presentation about
your product and services. Your subject line should be a
humble reference to issues that you may be able to help
prospects solve.
4. Stop conditioning your prospects to hide behind e-mail. When
you e-mail prospects, it's easy for them to avoid you by not
responding. Also, they get used to never picking up the phone
and having a conversation with you -- and they may want to
avoid you because they're afraid that, if they show interest
in what you have to offer, you'll try to close them. This
creates sales pressure -- the root of all selling woes. This
avoidance becomes a vicious circle. If you learn to create
pressure-free conversations, you'll find that you'll start
getting phone calls from prospects who aren't afraid to call
you.
5. Avoid using e-mail as a crutch for handling sticky sales
situations. Are prospects not calling you back? Many
salespeople who call me for coaching ask how they can get
themselves out of sticky situations with prospects -- but
the e-mails they've sent have already triggered those
prospects to retreat. It's tricky to come up with the
correct softening language in an e-mail that will re-open
a conversation with a prospect who has decided to close off
communication --direct, person-to-person phone calls or
meetings are much easier and more human.
6. Avoid using "I" and "we." When you start an introductory
e-mail with "I" or "we," you immediately give the impression
that you care only about selling your solution, rather than
being open to a conversation that may or may not lead to a
mutually beneficial match between what you have to offer
and the issues your prospect may be trying to solve. If you
can change your sales language to a natural conversation,
your prospect will be less likely to stereotype your message
as a spam solicitation.
Finally...
7. If you can, stop using e-mail selling altogether. There is
a way to renew your confidence and eliminate your reluctance
to picking up the phone and have pleasant conversations with
potential prospects. Learn a completely new way of working
with gatekeepers that will get you past voicemail and to your
decisionmakers without the rejection and frustration that are
inevitable with traditional selling approaches.
For all these reasons, you should think of e-mail as your last
resort. If you can learn to pick up the phone without fear,
start a trusting conversation with a gatekeeper, learn how to
go beyond voice mail and find your decisionmakers, you'll join
the thousands of people who have made the Unlock The Game™
breakthrough the most natural and efficient way of generating
sales opportunities.
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