A Great Way To Get Your Emails Opened

When we do buyers’ surveys, it is interesting to note how many people tell us that they are overwhelmed at work. The amount of work they have to do has increased exponentially and you’ve seen and read those articles saying how many people take work home with them and are basically unable to switch off, even when they are at home.

This means that the ability of the salesperson to gain the attention of these crazy-busy people is less and less each day. Just think how many emails they must be getting each day! They have to filter, sift, reorganise and delete so many, simply to keep their head above water. So when your well-crafted, long-developed, interesting-as-ever email hits their in-box, chances are it won’t be opened first, devoured and dealt-with.

In fact, it may well be one of the first to go to that great email dump in the sky.

So, how do you stand out from the crowd?

How do you make your message different and at least get the decision-maker’s attention?

Many decision-makers say they actually don’t mind opening their mail in the mornings. The main reasons are:

1) It breaks up the day

2) It’s something different

3) There’s always something slightly more exciting about cutting open an envelope than pressing a button to open an email. (Only ‘slightly’, that is! There’s no fun in opening 30 bills!)

This means that, if you had a compelling message to send to your chosen decision-makers, you may well get them to open a personalised envelope with your offer in more often than that personalised email.

Yes, it means it’s more expensive, but would you rather get 10 people opening and reading your email, or 90 people opening and reading your mailshot?

What can you send?

Don’t just send marketing and advertising stuff.  That will get on their nerves. Instead, cut out and photocopy an article in the trade press that interests your prospect. Handwrite the envelope, and put a message inside that reads ‘Hi, I saw this and thought you’d be interested’. Sign your name, and it will have a bigger effect on your client than just a quick email.

Other things you can do that stand out:

• Send a hand-written thank-you note after a meeting. Wow, that will be different from all those competitors who simply churn out a 20-second email!
• Send a note thanking them for their business
• Send a note thanking them for their continued business. How many times have you done that?!
• Send a short note following up an action plan
• Cut out something you found about his competition, especially if it’s in the trade press.
• Identify a seminar or webinar that might be of interest to him and forward it on in an envelope

The 50p/75cent letter is far more effective than a common email that is scrambling for their attention among hundreds of others. It builds goodwill, builds loyalty, makes you different from the competition, builds long-term relationships and creates talking points for you to follow-up on.

If it’s handwritten, all the better, because the customer will appreciate the time you spent formulating and sending it through. It also shows you value the personal relationship that you could have with them, and that’s far more valuable than the small amount of marketing budget spent on the posting.

Happy selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director

MTD Sales Training | Image courtesy of Dollarphotoclub