3 Ways To Improve Your Sales Follow-Up Emails

The truth is most emails (even mine!) get deleted before they’re ever read. I think it’s safe to say the excitement of hearing “you’ve got mail” is gone.

Today, you’ve got to do a lot to stand out and command attention. And that’s especially true of your follow-up emails!

Here’s a recap of everything in this episode of 5 Minute Sales Training:

I answer emails with one finger hovering over the delete button. To me, the delete button is like a tiny little detonator. I can’t wait to blow up that new message.

Now look, I know that sounds harsh. Maybe even irresponsible, but your customers are doing this same thing.

They are making snap judgements on whether to delete a new message. Don’t believe me? Check out the stats.

There are almost 54 billion legitimate, that is non spam, emails that get sent around the world each day.

How do you possibly keep up with your share? But not only that, spam email is about six times that amount. Over 300 billion spam emails sent every day.

Now I’m guessing that that statistic doesn’t particularly surprise you based on what you see in your own inbox. But the fact of the matter is only 15% of email is legit. The rest is just garbage.

Your customer receives over 100 emails a day and like me, they love their delete button.

So, stop writing boring emails.

Here’s how NOT to write a follow-up email:

The subject line: Circling back

“Hi Jeff. I know how easily things can get lost, but I wanted to get back on your radar. When can I get a few minutes on your calendar to talk? Thanks, Jeff.”

I have no idea who this person is. I can only tell you it’s a boring email, and he’s making salespeople look bad.

Go back and look at all the sales related emails that you have received in the past week.

In my new book, Follow Up and Close the Sale, I offer you entire scripts on how to write an email worth opening.

Here are the highlights of how to write an effective follow-up email:

1. Make it personal.

The more generic your email is, the less likely it is that they’re going to even open it in the first place, let alone read it.

But when you can prove that it is personal, you’ll only accelerate the chances that they will open it at all.

If you have that opportunity to somehow work their name right into the subject line.

That’s going to give you a significant advantage.

2. Make the opening line about them personally.

See, most email servers will show you the subject line and then a little preview of the email.

We want to make sure that there’s not some generic text, like “Just checking in,” or, “How’s your day going?”

What we want to do is let them know that this is just for you.

So if you can make that opening line personal, then they’ll know you took the time to do this just for them.

3. Get to the point.

What value are you going to offer? Email is not the time for chit chat. It’s not the time for generic stuff.

This is specific value just for your customer.

Look, emails don’t have to be boring. It’s not a legal requirement. In fact, if you are truly adding value, they will be most welcome.

It’s time to stop writing boring emails.

It’s time to start valuing and honoring your customer by serving them with the very things that they need in order to make that decision to move forward.

Until next time, learn more to earn more.


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About the Author: Jeff Shore

Jeff Shore is the Founder and CEO of Shore Consulting, Inc. a company specializing in psychology-based sales training programs. Using these modern, game-changing techniques, Jeff Shore’s clients delivered over 145,000 new homes generating $54 billion in revenue last year.