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Extreme Marketing |
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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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lori Redfield, R.O.I. <lori@outsourcingideas.com> Wed, Dec 15, 2004
at 7:16PM
To: adswise
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...Is there any way to stop them from
pigeonholing me?"
Michael is hitting what I call the "wall of defensiveness" that
almost all decisionmakers these days use to protect themselves
against sales calls. It tears me apart that he, like so many other
salespeople, have to endure this type of personal rejection as he
tries to make a living.
And none of the sales training or motivational programs he's been
through had helped him to solve this frustrating and debilitating
situation.
In our one-on-one sessions, Michael and I discussed 7 key strategies
that can break down that wall, and he's been finding that they work
for him...maybe they'll work for you, too...here they are...
1. Curb your enthusiasm. This idea always comes as a shock to anyone
who's been exposed to the old "sales gurus" who insist, "The more
enthusiastic you are about what you are selling, the more people
will be attracted to your solution"--but, boy, are they wrong! When
you come across as overly enthusiastic, especially when you're on a
first call to a new prospect, you immediately trigger sales pressure
that tells your prospect, "I'm excited because I just know that you
need what I have to offer!" But in any new situation, that's exactly
what you don't know--so try cutting out your enthusiasm on initial
calls. Otherwise, you're likely to hit the wall.
2. Avoid assuming that you and your prospect are a fit. You may have
the "perfect prospect"--someone with the exact criteria and profile
of your ideal customer. However, if your words or tone of voice say,
"I know you'll benefit from our service because you fit the exact
profile of our customer base," you'll inadvertently will set off
alarms that will let your prospect associate you with the negative
"salesperson" stereotype. Instead, learn to be humble, and avoid
making assumptions until after your prospects trust you enough to
share their true issues with you. Then the two of you can decide, in
a natural evolutionary way, whether you're a match or not.
3. Don't think that you have to have all the answers or you'll
"lose" the sale. So many of us work ourselves into a frenzy before
we actually pick up the phone to call someone. Why? We're afraid
that if we make a mistake or don't deliver our pitch perfectly,
we'll be rejected. But it's okay not to have all the answers. Ever
see the TV show "Columbo"? Was he perfect? No. He was human, humble,
and unassuming, and people trusted him. It's okay not to have all
the answers. Needing to have all the answers is a control trip, and
when you're with a prospect, you're not in control--the two of you
are in a relationship. The more you internalize that realization,
the more comfortable and less frenzied you'll feel. And you'll be
surprised when your prospect appreciates you for being a just
another human being.
4. Don't try to overcome objections. Overcoming objections doesn't
build trust. Instead, it only associates you with the negative
stereotype of a salesperson who has been trained to move the sales
process forward at the prospect's expense. When you hear an
objection, diffuse it and re-engage the conversation on your
prospect's terms.
5. Learn to diffuse sales pressure. Hidden sales pressure is the
root of all sales woes. Diffuse it at the beginning of the
relationship, and you'll never have to deal with it again. Shift
your mindset and change your language so it reflects you being your
most natural self. The most sophisticated sales strategies in the
world won't make any difference if you don't know how to diffuse the
sales pressure that prospects are only too quick to sense--and back
away from--in any buyer-seller relationship.
6. View prospects as potential friends, not as sources of
commissions. If you see dollar signs instead of human beings when
you're with prospects, they'll sense your attitude and see those
dollar signs in your eyes. Keep your conversations human by always
viewing your prospects as people who have potential problems that
you can solve.
7. Acknowledging the sales game diffuses the pressure. If you find
yourself in a sales situation that puts your relationship with your
prospect at risk--for example, a prospect promises to call you back
but doesn't--call the "game." Call your prospect and say simply and
gently that you really don't want the relationship to degenerate
into the stereotypical cat-and-mouse sales game. Your message should
always be, "Our relationship, not my commission, is my priority."
The bottom line of all this is: You can no longer rely on what you
are selling to distinguish yourself, because there's just too much
competition out there. Instead, you must focus on how you're
selling. That's the only thing that will make you different from
everyone else.
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