As a business owner trying to grow their business, you probably know the importance of writing a proper sales email. You know the type: strategic words that grab the reader virtually by the hand and lead them to take action.
That’s the ideal, and it takes a lot of work and practice to get to that point. A lot of the time, you would be happy to craft an email that doesn’t lead the reader to click the unsubscribe button in anger so they never hear from your business again. YIKES!
Fortunately, you can start doing the necessary work today to get to that golden point where your sales emails make you money on autopilot. And we outline 10 tips to help you write better sales emails.
However, before we outline our tips, it would be proper to discuss mistakes you should absolutely avoid when writing your sales email.
Mistake #1: Small talk. Someone took time off their busy schedule to read what you have to say. If you want them to open the next email then you better value their time and get to the point. No small talk, no sign-off, no exclamation marks. Cut off any fluffy greetings like “How’s it going”. A simple Hi would do.
Mistake #2: Making apologies for “bothering”. If you have so little to offer that you have to make apologies like this then you really shouldn’t be emailing.
Mistake #3: Asking for too much too soon. Don’t give your reader a second job. You know those “Hop on a 15 minute call” requests? That’s a second job. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
10 Tips to Write Better Sales Emails
1. Do Your Research: This is the easiest way to ensure you come up with an email that is tailored to the reader and actually talks to them. At the very least, take 10 minutes to do simple research on your prospect like checking out their website, social handles, company website’s and so on.
2. Pay Adequate Attention to Crafting a Strong Subject Line: The better your subject line is, the more your emails will get opened. The reality is that most emails never get opened, so you want to take this point seriously. Subject lines should be specific and targeted, preferably carrying the name or company name of the prospect.
3. Stick to One Subject: While your business probably does a lot of things, not all of them are relevant to your reader. Stick to the most crucial features of your product or service to avoid confusing and ultimately losing your prospect.
4. A Strong Call-to-Action Is Crucial: But this does not always have to do with buying something. Getting them to take a specific action is sometimes enough. SO having a clear, simple CTA is of the highest importance when it comes to writing sales emails. Skip this and you will never get a response or see any action taken.
5. Tailor Your CTA to Each Reader: Do not make the mistake of using one call-to-action for all your sales emails. For example, instead of asking for 30 minutes on their calendar, you may want to ask the CEO of a mid-sized business for a referral to the right person to talk to at the company.
6. Show Why You’re the Best Solution: You don’t want to make your readers do mental gymnastics to understand why they received an email from you. Within the first few lines the following should be clear to your reader: “Why you?” and “Why now?”
7. Be Helpful: Ideally, your email should be a short expose on how your product or service solves a problem for your reader and why they should trust you. Be helpful, rather than sales-y and pushy.
8. Email Signatures Do More than Look Cool: Many people treat email signatures like an afterthought, but that’s because they don’t know the opportunities which exist. Along with the basics like work number, role, and website/social media link, an email signature can be used to link to events, content, calendars (so they can book meetings with you; use tools like Assistant.to for this), and so on. Wow your reader!
9. Read Over Your Work: This is a classic for anything you write, but it is even more important for sales emails. Nothing is sadder than losing sales over simple typos or broken links.
10. Be Human: You want your email to be detail-oriented, thoughtful, focused, helpful, and also HUMAN. Let your personality shine through. Speak to the reader like you would with a friend and build the necessary emotional connections as a result.
