Telemarketing Software Featured Article

Email is one of the most common ways to reach prospects, and should be a core part of any telemarketing strategy. Yet all too often, sales representatives don’t put the necessary time and energy into email composition, resulting in a swift delete on the recipient end. And just like that, the prospect goes cold and the connection is severed.

This problem can certainly be avoided, with proper planning and strategy. Jill Konrath, a thought leader and speaker about the most important issues dominating the sales landscape, recently discussed some of the common mistakes sales representatives make in their prospecting emails. While reps often have the best of intentions, they can easily turn off a prospective customer by taking the wrong approach.

The first common mistake is not doing the proper homework. A quick look at a company website can determine who the key decision makers are, what the company’s core mission is and the main channels through which they conduct business. Asking those questions in a prospecting email basically tells the recipient the sales rep didn’t bother to research anything about the company or person they are contacting. And that’s not a good way to initiate a business conversation.

Another common email error is to put too much information in the initial correspondence. The first email should clearly and concisely outline what your business is about and how your particular product or service might be useful to the recipient and his or her company. Adding extraneous information about events, newsletters or other engagement opportunities on top of this can create confusion and overwhelm the recipient – a complete turn off.

Finally, sales reps should provide clear and concise information for the recipient, with an obvious path to engagement. Providing multiple channels and ways to engage right off the bat can be confusing and overwhelming, whereas a simple website link or request for an email response gives the recipient a quick and clear cut way to engage.

The bottom line is that too much information can be the death knell for email prospecting. A clear and concise message that shows the sales rep has a working knowledge of the recipient and their business and offers a simple path to engagement with the prospect is the most effective way to approach email prospecting.