Personalized Sales Emails: 5 Tricks That Might Just Solve Your Sales Email Woes

Writing a sales email is
tricky. A single word in the subject line can make or break the fate of that
email. Sadly, the right way to email still eludes even the most experienced
sales reps.

One of the most common
reasons for any sales email to fail would be irrelevant content. ‘We are so-and-so. We have done A, B and C.
We can do this for you.’

Imagine opening the
email that starts like this.

It’s like going on a
date with a presumptuous person who only talks about him-or-herself. Emails
along similar lines are as annoying, if not more so, which is exactly why your
message has to be about the prospect. Make it about their challenges, and how the integration of your product with their process will yield them the desired results. It’s always
about the prospect and what you can bring to their table! A one-size-fits-all approach does not work here.
Despite knowing this, sales professionals continue to waste leads by sending
cookie-cutter emails with little to no personalization.

Email recipients are no longer happy with a
customary greeting. Even putting the first name instead of ‘to whom it may
concern’ is losing its luster as a “personalization upgrade.” Prospects are
seeking acknowledgment and understanding of challenges specific to them, and it
takes more than adding their names at the top of emails. They want to be heard.
They need to know you are there to listen.

Email personalization at this level for every
prospect in the lead list may seem daunting. But how else would you stand out
among the cutthroat competition?

Here is how.

Any communication mode is a two-way street;
emails too. Face it; prospects are sick of receiving blind pitches, tone-deaf
to their challenges. It’s shocking how little research on the recipient and his
or her company goes into the emails. Have you considered embedding a short poll
on specific pain points or possible solutions in the email itself? It may not
be a common practice, but it can certainly give the decision-makers you’re
emailing a voice and ensure some engagement.

A poll within your cold sales emails may generate interest and get some prospect insight that can accelerate the next phase in the sales process. You can use a poll maker to embed questions into your emails. This is just one method that can be combined with sales prospecting tools and techniques.

Remember the craze around customized Buzzfeed
quizzes? Why were so many people addicted to them, and still are? The quiz results
told stories about the reader.

“Oh my,
this is so me,” they exclaimed. The rest, as they say, is history.

Every brand strives to be excellent
storytellers – but tend to focus on their own story. They forget the central
character is the prospect/customer.

Consider how Adidas launched its ‘Originals line’ last year through its #ORIGINALis campaign. They succeeded in making their target audience come forward with ‘original’ stories, redefining the meaning of originality. While establishing itself as a firm fashion icon, it also encouraged people to embrace their true selves. This campaign used storytelling to boost their engagement, and it worked.

To understand your customers better you can also integrate into your email marketing strategy, interactive elements like surveys, personality type tests, and polls to allow individuals to connect with your brand on a more personal level.

A deep understanding of the customer persona is crucial for campaigns like these. You can apply the sales personalization strategy to your emails too.

Reaching out to a prospect via email is
only a foundation to your final goal: you want them to register on your site,
request a demo, subscribe, share or buy your product or service. The
call-to-action is the most significant aspect of your email. An email with a
feeble one is only a touch better, and the one with the wrong CTA can ruin your
brand image. Your CTA must hit the right note. By clicking, it should take the
prospect to a blog or video or product demo that they need.

Setting a telephone appointment too can be a
CTA but it needs to be specific. For instance, ‘Looking forward to hearing from
you soon’ is as good as not putting any CTA. Instead, something like ‘Would you
be available for a short call on [Date & Time] so we can discuss a bit more
about [Product]’ might work. Even better, you may give them two or three
options in the same week.

Templates, indeed, are huge life-savers for salespeople who send tons of similar emails regularly. Having a few sales email templates ready for various prospect types (common inquiries and responses) can be handy. However, a template should only form the basic outline to save you time and effort to think up the lines, core message, and format every time. You would still need to edit and make it ‘meatier’ to make the email reflect your relationship with the prospect or customer. Nobody wants to read an obviously automated and soulless email.

In fact, you can even add a CTA in your
email signature, complete with clickable social media icons at the end. It is
subtle and offers enough scope for your email to stand out.   

A few years ago, receiving ‘Happy birthday’
emails was a big deal. However, nothing holds a candle to a real acknowledgment
of a customer’s loyalty.  It could be in
the form of a special discounted package or even a free trial for a certain
period. When a customer receives such an email, he or she immediately knows
it’s not some bulk email. These types of emails are a privilege to receive; it
is a reward. If you’ve included the right subject line with the offer, then
your open rate should be great.

It’s easy to set this up using the existing customer data – keep a few original copies of congratulatory messages and glass achievement awards handy. Even a loyalty certificate would do.

When writing sales emails, personalization
makes emails remarkably relevant and recipient-oriented, adding value to the
relationship-building process. Focus more on building a one-on-one feeling,
just as you do in face-to-face meetings. You have the demographic data, know
the prospect’s history of engaging with your brand, and possess enough insights
to use them in real-time email automation. Why hesitate to use this information
when it can increase quality engagements that can lead to increased revenue?
These five tactics might solve most of your sales email woes.

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