Are You Hiding Behind Email?

Email is a wonderful convenience for salespeople today - but it could be costing you sales if you're using it as your sole means of communication. Branch out and get a little more personal - pick up the phone! Read on for more from sales trainer Mark Hunter.

If you have a doubt about something (an order, a customer need, etc.) and you need clarification, pick up the phone and call. Don't hide behind an email.

Why is it so hard to pick up the phone and call? We're in sales and yet for some reason, too many salespeople have come to believe that using a telephone to talk to someone is not necessary to be successful. What concerns me the most is when salespeople believe there's a problem of some sort with the customer or they might be a little difficult to handle on the phone, so instead of calling, they send an email.

Don't hide behind an email. Make the phone call. I prefer this for a couple of reasons. First, it shows initiative and that you're willing to be pro-active. Second, if you do reach the person on the phone, you may just find out some very important information that will help you a lot. Finally, even if you do reach their voice mail, you can leave them a message that you tried to reach out to them. Again, this shows initiative.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is pick up the phone and call. The more you use this technique appropriately, the more you will gain the confidence of your customers.

Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

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Email Strategies That Reach Your Prospect

Have you been firing off emails left and right, with no real response to your efforts? You may be making one of these mistakes sales expert Wendy Weiss warns against. Read on to make sure you're not including any of these in your e-correspondence.

1. Create an attention-grabbing subject line. If your prospect does not open your email or worse still, deletes your email you are nowhere. Make sure that you have an attention-grabbing subject line. Go to the newsstand and look at magazine headlines. Use magazine headlines as a model. You are looking for a formula to follow. The topic is, of course, different.

2. Subject lines that use the prospects name and/or subject lines that ask questions frequently work well. If you have a referral put that referral's name in the subject line, "Jane Jones recommended that I contact you."

3. Keep your email short and to the point. No more than one screen in length. Remember that your prospect may be reading on their desktop or they may be reading on their Blackberry.

4. Just like a voice mail message, make sure that your email focuses on a benefit or result that you/your company/your product or service achieves for customers.

5. Make sure that your message includes a call to action. What action do you want your prospect to take? If you want a phone call you must say, "Please call me." Don't expect that your prospect will guess. It's your job to ask.

6. No attachments. Remember that your prospect may be reading on their desktop or they may be reading on their Blackberry. In addition, attachments will frequently get caught in spam filters, which means that your email will not be delivered at all.

7. No HTML or fancy graphics. Remember that your prospect may be reading on their desktop or they may be reading on their Blackberry. In addition, some graphics can get caught in spam filters, which means that your email will not be delivered at all.

Wendy Weiss is known as "The Queen of Cold Calling." She's written a bestselling e-book called "101 Cold Calling Tips for Developing New Business in a Downturn." Find out how it can help you sell more by phone here.

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Getting Past the Emailed Quote

Sales trainer Joe Guertin often answers salespeople's questions on his blog, and I thought his most recent answer was very appropriate and advice we could all use. A recent reader asked "My customers are busy and can't take time to meet face-to-face. They want prices e-mailed. But then...NOTHING HAPPENS! Help! What can I do?"

"I get asked that a lot," says Guertin. "And it's a chronic problem. Busy buyers just want quotes, and then make their decisions on their own criteria (which, for the most part, include who they feel the most comfortable buying from)."

I don't like e-mailed quotes. Unless it's going to a current customer with whom you have an on-going relationship, e-mailed quotes take the selling out of sales.

But, in those cases where you absolutely have no choice, add these two steps and you'll see those all-important 'connections' grow (and get a better closing ratio):

Call Ahead
"I'm about to send that quote and just wanted to confirm one thing."
Ask a question about one of the specifications, about their timetable, etc. Thank them again for the opportunity, tell them you'll "follow up shortly," and let 'er rip.

Follow Up
Did they say it'll take a week or two to get an answer? Did they say they'd let you know? Did I say stop there? Especially if this is a new customer, FOLLOW-UP. The key is to have a specific reason for following up...as you don't want to sound like a lap dog who says "didja getit...didja getit...didja getit?" (Of course they got it.)

Make a strategic call that includes these elements:

"I know it'll be a week before you make a decision" (set aside THAT debate)
"but I just wanted to make sure we've got everything covered."

This could elicit responses from "I haven't looked yet" to "looks good."

Now, reconfirm their next step, thank them for the opportunity. Be sure to fire out a brief thank you letter, too.

P.S...Personal visits should be proportionate to dollar amounts. Larger, more detailed quotations have "I need face time" written all over them!

Joe Guertin is an advertising sales trainer, speaker and coach. His programs have informed and entertained sales professionals nationwide. Visit his Sales Resource Center at www.StreetFighterSelling.com

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How to Write an Introductory E-mail That Doesn't Get Deleted

Sales trainer Steve Martinez recently relayed a story of bad introductory emails and gave some advice to make sure you don't commit the same offense. Read on to make sure your email is read, and not sent directly to the trashcan!

"Today I received an introductory email from a company that wanted to tell me how great they are and why they want to do business with me. There were about 232 words in the message. I know, because I counted them. Plus, I had to read the message four times to get the gist of what the author wanted me to know."

We are all busy and when you write a business letter or an email, here are a few tips:

--Make the letter personal and use first and last names instead of being formal like you are talking to my father. I don't really like being referred to as Mr. Martinez. When you do this, it makes me feel old and puts me off right away.

--Remember, if you want someone's attention, we are a society that is "ME" centered. This means that it isn't about you - we don't care how great you or your company is. Tell us how your service will impact us and maybe we will take a shine to what you offer.

--Close with an incentive or a call to action that gets us excited to consider doing business with you. If you want us to do something, spell it out clearly and if there is a time frame for action, make that clear too.

--Add a picture and logo to your message to help us remember you. We are only human and it really helps to put a name to a face because we will remember a face or a logo better than the words you write.

When writing a letter or an email, try to write it as a friend to a friend. Keeping your message simple and short is also important.

Steve Martinez is a leading authority on automating and systemizing the selling process. His company, Selling Magic, LLC teaches businesses how to simplify, balance and automate the complex selling process. Learn more at www.sellingmagic.com

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