It’s never been more important for sales teams to stand out from the competition, and one way to do this is through the personalisation of their sales emails.
Personalised emails are more likely to be opened, read, and responded to than generic emails. This shows that the sender has taken the time to learn about the recipient, to understand their needs, challenges and what will benefit them.
There are a wide variety of ways to write an email for sales outreach that can increase open rates as well as response rates. We’ll cover the basics in this blog.
The bare minimum
- Do your research. Ensure that you are 1, emailing the right person, and 2, that what you’re offering is of value to your prospect.
- Use the recipient's name. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to personalise an email.
- Use relevant language. Tailor your language to the recipient's industry, geography and level of understanding.
- Ask questions. This shows that you're interested in getting to know the recipient and their needs. This will help build trust and the foundations for a long-term relationship.
- Be specific. Don't just send a generic email that could be sent to anyone. Make sure your email is specific to the recipient and their situation.
Subject lines
Use a clear and concise subject line. The subject line is the first thing the recipient will see, so it's important to make it count. Use a clear and concise subject line that will grab the recipient's attention and make them want to open your email.
Pro tip: A/B testing your subject lines is highly recommended. This means splitting your prospective list into 2 groups and sending each the same content (still personalised of course) but with different subject lines to test which one sees higher open rates.
Introduction
Start with a strong and impactful introduction. This is your chance to make a good first impression. Start with a strong introduction that will grab the recipient's attention and make them want to read more.
This is a perfect time to use your research to find a connection.
- I saw your post about…
- Congratulations on your new role….
- We have a mutual contact at…
- I read this interesting article…
Body
This is where you will shine.
Connecting your research with your understanding of the recipient will be key here. What are their pain points? What is happening in the industry? And how will connecting with you help them (not you)?
Remember: Keep it short and sweet. We are all busy. Keep your emails short and sweet so the recipient can read them quickly and easily.
Call-to-action
End with a call to action. Tell the recipient what you want them to do next. Do you want them to answer a question? Visit your website? Schedule a call? Download a white paper? Make sure your call to action is clear, concise and easy to action.
And finally, it’s important to remember that you are dealing with a real person on the other end of each sales email. Be creative, be genuine, be trustworthy, add value for them and you’ll start to see results.
