| Current Category is: Sales | Select Another Category | |
|
|
| Home | Search | Categories | Links | About Us | Contact Us |
|
|
 |
7 Pitfalls of Using Email to Sell
* 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 andvoicemail. 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, andnot theirs. If you're still using email to sell, watch out for these 7 pitfalls: 1. Avoidsales 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 d on'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 developeda 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 shouldbe a humble reference to issues that you may be able to help prospects solve. 4. Stop conditioning your prospects to hide behinde-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 afraidto 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 andmore 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 andthe 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 breakthrough to the most natural and efficient way of generating sales opportunities. With a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and over a decade of experience creating breakthrough sales strategies for global companies such as UPS and QUALCOMM, Ari Galper discovered the missing link that people who sell have been seeking for years. His profound discovery of shifting one's mindset to a place of complete integrity, based on new words and phrases grounded in sincerity, has earned him distinction as the world's leading authority on how to build trust in the world of selling. Leading companies such as Gateway, Clear Channel Communications, Brother International and Fidelity National Mortgage have called on Ari to keep them on the leading edge of sales performance. Visit http://www.unlockthegame.com to get his free sales training lessons.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Planning to Realize Your Goals Recently, I wrote about about creating specific, compelling goals that pull you towards what you want in your business, career and life. It is important to have a goal written down, and it is equally as important to the write down the reasons why you want that specific goal. How Can Fundraising Consulting Help Us Raise Money? If you need to hold a fundraiser and don't know where to begin there is help out there for you. It is time for you to seek fundraising consulting advice especially if your fundraising event is going to be on a larger scale. Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 1 Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that doesn't work? Have your announcements and news releases been ignored? Have you been too quiet about getting the word out how your product or service will help solve people's problems? Most of us are passionate about our work. We put a lot into coaching training; we know that we want to help others to create a better life or business. Understanding The Corporate Buyer Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The contracts are larger than with small businesses and individuals, and often longer-term. How To Get Rich Giving Away Something Free The best of all worlds is to have a product you can give away free and still make money. That world exists. Sales People have an advantage as entrepreneurs Zig Ziglar use to say in seminars and on tapes that nothing happens until someone sells something. I had never really understood how absolutely true that was until I got into franchising and saw how one franchise sale could add jobs to the economy, provide great service to a community and change the quality of life for the franchisee and their family. Losing the Big-One: Salvaging Lost Accounts After careful consideration, we have chosen our vendor, and it's not you."Hard words to hear. Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule I always start with is The Rule of 7.I learned about The Rule of 7 from one of my good friends who once ran for political office. Consumer Effort And The Purchase Decision It is a basic tenet of behavioral psychology that people engage in behavior that takes the least effort and provide the highest payoff. If someone see's a product as being very valuable but the effort to purchase that product is large it will decrease the value of the product and they will probably not engage in the behavior required to acquire the product. The Importance of Good Sales Leads An important part of your business plan should be to generate a steady stream of qualified leads. Making sure that leads flow into your "pipeline" will be one of the most vital aspects of your overall business. How To Profit From Initial Consultations "I'd love to work with you, but?"How many times have you heard these words? As a professional service provider looking to grow your business, isn't it sometimes frustrating to hold an initial session with someone who you'd love to work with but the potential client has a whole list of reasons why s/he would love to work with you, but??As in, "I'd love to, but.. Referrals: Getting Good Business By Doing Good Business Whether you're a conventional sales person, a professional - such as a dentist or lawyer or doctor - or a business owner, you've got to have clients to stay in business. There are several ways to do this: either continue to find new customers, keep all of the customers you've ever had, get old clients to return, or get customers to send in referrals. Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up The above quote, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." is from Woody Allen. 101 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Response 1. Mail to your customers more often. Sales Training from the Ghostbusters Picture this scene from the 1984 smash comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, Ghostbusters: Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, aka? the Ghostbusters, are involved in a heated meeting with the Mayor and the Head of the local environmental agency. The city is in shambles because a legion of evil spirits has invaded and is currently wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the land. Sorry, But Im Not Buying From You! Former General Electric CEO and legendary manager, Jack Welch, nailed the problem recently when he said there's just too much beating around the bush and indirectness in corporate communications. People are more interested in not hurting each others' feelings than in improving productivity, and we simply need more frankness, says Welch. Your Best Friend - The Phone We all know that you can't earn your commission until you make the sale. Furthermore, you can't make the sale without the order, and you can't write the order until you have a product presentation scheduled. The Wall of Defensiveness: 7 Ways to Tear It Down Have you ever gotten frustrated when you realize that your prospects keep stereotyping you as a "salesperson"? And because of that, they don't give you the trust and openness that you deserve, and that are essential if you're going to help them solve their problems?That's what's been happening to Michael, who calls companies to set appointments with decisionmakers. "I have a great product that I'm passionate about," he told me, "but when I call prospects, they immediately start treating me as just another salesperson who's trying to sell them the same type of product that others have tried to sell to them in the past. 8 Part Strategy For Constructing Your Advertising Message Strategies to help produce your brochure, advertisment or direct mail. And make it achieve more sales. Why Cold Calling Is Dead Our world of selling is closed off from other areas of business that continue to adopt and embrace new, efficient ideas. I was reminded of this recently while re-reading Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing.
|
| Home
| Sitemap
| Disclaimer
| Privacy
| Contact
Us © COPYRIGHT 2011 BRAINBELLY.COM |
