Are Your Emails Getting Deleted By Your Prospects and Customers? Five Things You Can Do to Increase the Success of Your Email Campaigns. Prospecting Email Strategies – Part Two
Oct 7, 2010 Business Tools, cold calling, Cold Calling Tips, customer service, Marketing, Sales Coaching, sales tools, Sales Training, Technology and Software
Developing an email template compelling enough to elicit a response from a prospect is hard enough. Unfortunately, this is only part of the challenge. What compounds this challenge are spam filters, firewalls and a slew of other devices that channel our innocent solicitation into the prospect’s spam folder or worse, the trash; never to find its way to the inbox of our targeted prospect.
In my last blog post, I shared some very practical and specific strategies you can use to increase the success of your emails and the odds that your email will actually be opened by your prospects by making sure you’re leading with the most effective subject line in your emails. Some of these strategies are straight out of my cold calling book. Below you’ll find five additional things you can do, and what not to do, to increase the success of your email campaigns and avoid them being deleted in the first place.
1: Don’t Send Attachments in Your First Email. One cardinal email sin when emailing to new prospects is to send out your first unsolicited email with an attachment. Whether you are sending out collateral materials or other attached information, never, ever do this. It has spam written all over it and in many cases, it will be blocked by a firewall or wind up in the recipient’s spam box. For those of you who are compelled to want to disseminate so much information, this may challenge your current way of doing things. However, that’s the point. The less information you provide, the more they will need to contact you to get the additional information. And that is the objective; for them to contact you.
You’ll have time to send them your precious collateral materials, after you’ve made first contact and most important, have determined what materials they are interested in seeing and what information is a priority for them (not you) which would then move your sales process forward.
2: Hyperlinks. I know how difficult it can be to avoid placing links in emails. However, the more links you include, the greater the odds that your email will not make its way into the prospect’s inbox due to the virtual gatekeepers of email: firewalls and spam filters. If you’re going to include a link, try to limit it to one at the most. Multiple links in your email are what your spam filters are trained to sniff out and more links will increase the chance that your email will be flagged as spam.
3: Email Etiquette – Bulk Emailing and Blind Copy. If you’re sending out emails in bulk from your CRM to multiple prospects at once, this can also cause a problem. Bulk email has been known to be more readily labeled as spam or junk mail rather than sending out individual emails to each recipient. However, if you’re still compelled to do so because of the number of emails you need to send out, please, blind copy (BCC). If you are using a list management company that enables you to create newsletters or emails and sends out the email campaigns for you, or a program where only the recipients’ email shows up in the “To” line and not the entire database you’re emailing to, this isn’t as much of an issue, as the blind copy is often automatic.
But keep in mind, you have other issues to contend with, such as whether or not the solution provider you’re using to send out your emails is actually blacklisted and the company or prospect you’re sending the email to does not accept emails from that provider/IP address. Yes, something else that prevents your emails from getting through. You can check to see if the solution provider or list management company is, in fact, blacklisted via some online resources, such as spamcop.net (a Cisco service).
In certain CRM solutions such as Outlook, where have to manually put the recipients in your “To” line yourself when sending an email, consider another roadblock that your email may encounter. While you still may experience the issues I mentioned when bulk emailing through a list management company, you need to consciously use the blind copy field in your email application so that all the recipients don’t see who your email is going to. This is a matter of sound email etiquette and common courtesy which I find even to this day, is not very common when it comes to emailing multiple recipients, especially prospects who don’t know you and who you don’t even know.
Now, if you know the person who you are sending the email to, unless you’ve established the expectations, boundaries and parameters where it’s acceptable and important that everyone sees who is on that email string, that is a different situation altogether. For example, internal company communications, communicating back and forth with clients and those who need to be involved in the conversation, even communicating with friends and family, general email copying that exposes all of the recipients to each other is fine. However, when it comes to a cold email campaign or an email where it’s a general announcement that you are sending to a group of people who you may even know but they may not know all the recipients included, no one is contacting you and saying, “Hey! Thanks for sharing my email with the world and to a group of people I may not even know! I really hope it helps generate more spam for me!” Okay, this is just one of my biggest pet peeves.
4: Words Spam Filters Love. Be mindful of certain words that will easily be flagged as spam. You can have the greatest email message ever crafted but it won’t even reach the eyes of your prospect if it winds up in their spam folder. Unfortunately, when this happens, in many cases, salespeople feel their email didn’t work, when in fact, it was never opened up in the first place. To counteract this, there are several technology solutions to this that could help, which confirms receipt of your emails, starting with the most basic solution in Outlook, which is requesting a delivery/read receipt.
In an effort to try and reduce the number of self imposed limitations that can restrict our most valiant of email attempts, watch out for the following words that can easily be tagged as spam and as such, send your email into the endless void of cyberspace. Here are some words to avoid:
Words to Avoid That Can Be Flagged as Spam
• Marketing
• Market
• Free
• Bonus
• Plan
• Click
• Click here
• Advertising
• Ads
• Sales
• Selling
• Shop
• Shopping
• Package
• Save
• Save money
• Savings
• Insurance
• Discount
5: Take Your Email For A Test Drive. Here’s a final tip from your coach. If you’re not sure whether your email will safely arrive in your prospect’s inbox, then send a few test emails to either yourself, someone you know or to another computer. As long as you have your virus software and security updated and running on your computer, if it clears this test, you’ve at least increased the chance of your emails getting through to your prospects.
Tags: blacklist, blacklisting, cold call, cold calling, emailing, emails, firewall, list management, prospecting, Sales Coaching, Sales Training, spam
Learn How Enterprise Engagement is Changing Your Business
May 28, 2010 customer service, How to Manage Your Team, HR issues, Live Events, training for managers, Videos, webinar
June 3-4, Doral Arrowwood, Rye Brook, N.Y. (just 10 minutes from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y.)
I’m pleased to offer you the opportunity to have a complimentary registration to the upcoming Enterprise Engagement Expo and Conference, June 3-4, 2010 which I am speaking at. Simply go to eeaexpo.org, and use the code PF2010 to register to get complimentary conference and exhibit area access. I’ll be speaking on the role of sales leaders in relation to fostering a deeper level of engagement with their people and meeting with clients and potential clients in a “conversation center” at the event where we’d be happy to meet with you as well! (I’ll be there on June 3 only.)
Understanding how to engage key customers, channel partners, employees and vendors provides a competitive edge for your business and a maybe even a potential boost to your career.
The Enterprise Engagement Alliance Networking Expo and Conference, June 3-4 at the Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook, N.Y (near Westchester County Airport) offers a unique introduction to a proven path to business success critical to professionals seeking to improve the performance of their organizations and themselves.
The program is designed to help you learn from experts, peers, and leading suppliers about the emerging new of enterprise engagement and how you can profit from it.
• Translate theory into results from experts, colleagues, and top suppliers of engagement services in educational, roundtable, and one-on-one meetings.
• Get answers to questions and solutions to challenges—every education session is followed by a round-table discussion with the speakers and others with mutual interests, so bring your questions and challenges and a willingness to share answers.
• Learn about an emerging new field that crosses traditional lines between sales, marketing, human resources, and financial management;
• Gain new insights into the role of leadership training, polls and surveys, communications (social networking, promotional products, face-to-face); measurement; rewards and recognition, customer loyalty, and more;
• Make yourself more effective as a leader by understanding the emerging field of enterprise engagement;
• Make contacts with people and resources who can help make it happen for your organizations.
Discover the emerging business of engagement on us.
Click here for a complete program agenda and to register. Be sure to use code PF2010 to take advantage of this complimentary offer.
Tags: event, executive training, HR, leadership, live event, seminar
Your Customers Have No Idea What You’re Taking About. Effective Communication and Presentation Skills.
Sep 22, 2008 accountability, Cold Calling Tips, Communication, customer service, Sales Coaching, sales tips, Sales Training
Here we are, in the third week of Hoover’s Customer Appreciation Month. This week’s focus: Presentation Skills and Closing the Sale.
So, I thought this story was apropos. My wife and I attended open school night last week. It was the first time we had an opportunity to sit down and listen to the plan that my daughter’s third grade teacher had for her students.
As an illustration of the importance of reading comprehension, she asked us to do the following exercise. “Read the following excerpt of this book and tell me what you think the story is all about,” she directed. She also informed us that 85% of the words would remain in the story and only 15% of the works in this excerpt would be removed.
After reading the story, she made her point. As parents, we may think that an 85% comprehension of a story would be fine for our children when reading a story, right? I mean, it’s practically 100%. However, the fact is, the omission of just 15% of a story greatly affects someone’s comprehension of that story. I’ve included the story below for your to read and judge for yourself.
Now, consider how this ties into the importance of a successful presentation. Think about how critical it is for you to not only develop and refine your compelling message and Most Valuable Proposition but to position and communicate it to your customer in a way that they truly hear and understand it. There’s a big difference between being heard and being understood. It’s your job to ensure you are communicating to your customers and prospects in the way they communicate and process information, then confirm that the message you sent was the message that was received.
The most effective presentations are going to be evaluated by the result, not the vast amount of information you can disseminate to a prospect. Keep your PowerPoint at bay until you’ve determined exactly what it is your prospects wants to hear and needs to learn. And remember, if you want to increase the impact of your communication and presentations, it’s your responsibility to make sure that 100% of your message is truly understood by every person you speak with.
2-5 Advanced Section 24
Pickle Puss by Pat Reilly Giff (Guided Reading M) (85% accuracy: 58 errors)
Emily XXXX jumped down the XXXX. She XXXX across the XXXX. “Wait for me,” her little XXXX, Stacy, yelled. Emily looked back.
“Stacy XXXX the XXXX door. She was XXXX a XXXX on her head. She had her mother’s high XXXX on her feet.
“You can’t go like that,” Emily said.
“I’ll take off my XXXX,” Stacy said. She dropped the XXXX. It XXXX on the grass. Emily closed her eyes. “XXXX.”
Stacy clicked down the XXXX. “Mrs. Baker will love my red XXXX.” Emily started XXXX the street. “Walk XXXX,” Stacy said. “It’s hard to XXXX up.”
Emily took Stacy’s hand. “Try. We’re XXXX XXXX.” At the next corner they saw Richard XXXX. He was XXX X under a bush.
“XXXX, Beast,” Emily called. “Where are you going?” he yelled.
“To the XXXX,” Emily said. “Today’s the day Fish for a Good XXXX starts. We can do it all XXXX.”
“Not me,” Beast said. “I XXXX enough in summer XXXX. Too much.” He sat back. “Besides, it’s XXXX. XXXX starts soon.”
“Emily’s going to fish,” Stacy said. “Right Emily?” Emily XXXX. “I’m going to get a pile of them.”
“So is Dawn,” said Beast. “And Jill, and Timothy XXXX.” He shook his head. “Too bad Matthew moved away. He’d like to fish too.”
“Did you hear from him?” Emily asked.
Beast held up one XXXX. “I got a XXXX. A skinny little XXXX. Matthew’s a terrible XXXX. I couldn’t XXXX it.”
“Come on, Emily,” Stacy said. “It’s too hot to XXXX XXXX.” Emily and Stacy went down the street. They turned in at the XXXX.
“XXXX,” said Stacy. “Lots of kids are here today.” Emily waved at Jill and Dawn. Then she looked up. There was a new XXXX on the wall. It was a picture of a boy fishing. He was fishing in blue XXXX water. Red and blue and tan XXXX fish swam in the water. Up on top said FISH FOR A GOOD XXXX.
“I’m going to get lots of fish,” Stacy said.
Emily shook her head. “You don’t have a XXXX.” “Mrs. XXXX will give me one,” Stacy said.
“No,” said Emily. “Not until you can XXXX your name. That’s the XXXX.”
Stacy stuck her lip out. She looked as if she were going to cry. “How can I learn to XXXX? Nobody will let me go to XXXX.”
Emily XXXX her XXXX (397 words).
When Technology Disconnects Us – How Sales 2.0/Web 2.0 Is Diluting The Power of Interpersonal Communication
Aug 12, 2008 accountability, All About Selling, Business Coaching, Career Advice, Communication, customer service, Executive Coaching, How to Manage Your Team, How To Sell and Sales Tips, management tips, Sales Coaching, sales tips, training for managers
Sales 2.0; the conversion of technology and sales and the symbiotic relationship between the two; how they can be integrated together and co-exist in harmony. Yet, with all the technology that is going to change how salespeople sell and manage themselves, we need to be keenly sensitive about removing the human side of interaction and communication from our daily lives and processes; the deeper level of connection we foster between each other, especially with our customers.
Sure, technology will automate and streamline many of the functions and tasks salespeople and management are currently responsible for. More specifically, how they manage their sales pipeline and the stages of their selling cycle, how they qualify and mine for new prospects, how they network with other business professionals, how they maintain their contact database as well as how they communicate with their prospects and customers. And the trend for companies to transition from what was once a face to face sale to a virtual, off site sale will continue to dominate more sales cultures.
Yet, with any change, certain imminent challenges are sure to follow in its wake. Sales 2.0 and Web 2.0 have certainly had an impact on how we communicate. I have already seen the negative impact that some of these great advancements are having on sales teams across the globe as it relates to how salespeople are interacting with their prospects, customers, even their managers. Sure, these technological breakthroughs allow us to communicate and connect on many different platforms, yet it’s diluting our ability to connect powerfully on a deeper level, the level that long term relationships are fostered. Many managers have reported spending far too much time reviewing a thread of email conversations between their salespeople and prospects when attempting to uncover where a communication breakdown occurred or when trying to identify how a great selling opportunity was lost. Misinterpreted and poorly worded emails between management and their staff are the cause of more costly problems and upsets which deteriorate relations than any additional time-savings they supposedly create. As such rather than connect – we’re getting more disconnected with every communication breakdown that ensues.
Moreover, there’s the ever-widening communication gap that some of these new technologies promote between the younger generations and that of their boss, especially as more and more sales teams are built on a virtual platform where there’s little, if any face to face weekly interaction with their manager. Rather than develop their core leadership and coaching competencies and skills, managers are relying far too heavily on these solutions to solve many of the managerial challenges they are up against when building and managing their sales team.
Salespeople are expecting their webinars, proposals, websites, online marketing campaigns and collateral materials to do the selling and prospecting for them. And what’s worse, there are those salespeople who attempt to close a prospect or overcome objections via email rather than simply picking up the phone to facilitate a direct, one to one conversation that would appease the person’s concerns. Here’s just one example of a perfectly good opportunity and a valid reason to reach out to a prospect over the phone that salespeople need to take full advantage of, yet fail to do so.
The introduction of these new technologies into our sales culture will continue to proliferate, for change is truly the only constant. After all, there will always be a need to make the selling process easier and more efficient for the salesperson, for your company and for your customers.
While more applications such as the ones I’ve mentioned are infused throughout each stage of the sale, the technology of maximizing human potential is far from tapped. And as more technology emerges to simplify the selling process, there will be an even greater demand for the elite salesperson who can manage and leverage technology as well as effectively communicate their message to their targeted audience.
The technology of interpersonal, result oriented communication; the language and true art of selling will still reign supreme in the selling profession. Sure, these new tools we have at our disposal will improve efficiency, cut down on travel as well as timely administrative tasks, and reduce prospecting time and the time it takes to convert prospects into customers, now that there is less of a need to meet face to face with prospects in order to sell your product or service to them. However, it will be the sales leader who is the rainmaker, the fearless and persistent prospector, the conduit to building and maintaining strong relationships and the master of communication, who will continue to dominate this era of technological change.
How to Secure Your Spot on the Customer Service Hall of Shame
Jun 5, 2008 accountability, Communication, customer service, Insights in Business
Here’s an article long over due, pointing the finger to the companies who can hold their heads high as the worst at customer service.
To me, it all comes down to corporate accountability, and in most cases, there is none. And all roads go back to management! So if management isn’t being accountable, how can we expect their customer support to be?
How Companies Can Secure Their Spot on the Customer Service Hall of Shame
1. Skirt Accountability: Continue to give concepts like, ‘coaching,’ ‘integrity,’ and especially ‘personal accountability’ lip service rather than actually weaving it into the culture and mindset of each employee. It all comes down to corporate accountability, and in most cases, there is none. The fact is, there are long distance customers of companies such as AT&T that are still paying astronomical fees whether it’s local calls or long distance. And do you think these companies would reach out to their customers and let them know they’re overpaying and can be enrolled in some more cost effective monthly phone services? Of course not. Instead, they keep pocketing the millions and millions of dollars from overcharging and gouging, responding with the highly effective customer service strategy, “Woops! sorry about that” to those customers, and in many cases the elderly population, who actually catch these charges.
2. Become Hyper-Hypocritical: Due to the lack of monitoring and flagrant irresponsible leniency that has resulted in a major setback in our economy as well as for banks and lending institutions, the mortgage business is in the toilet. But wait, do you hear, “It’s 100% our fault. What were we thinking giving loans out to these people who could never afford them in the first place? Our greed got the best of us.” Instead, what my entire zip code got was a frieze on all of our lines of credit until each person in our community got a new appraisal. My expense of time and money, due to their error. A reimbursement check? Yeah, right…
3. The Customer Is Never Right: I noticed an additional charge on my Verizon bill that seems to have been accumulating for over 12 months. When I called and discussed this with them, they reluctantly gave me a credit for 3 months. After all, why would I be paying for caller ID Separately when it’s included in my overall package….. “Why only a three month credit?” I asked. “Well, that’s only as far as we can go in your records.” What a convenient excuses to avoid accountability as well as creating a better experience for your customer.
4. Blame, Blame, Blame: “It’s the weather, the economy, the timing, your computer, your users, your people – but sure, we’ll help you fix it.” And all roads go back to management! So if management isn’t being accountable, how can we expect their customer support to be?
5. Embrace the Oxymoron’s, “Customer Service” and “Technical Support.” I’ve been having problems with my shopping cart so I employed the services of a very ‘specialized’ company to remedy the problem, that in the end I knew was an easy fix that required some basic code. Two weeks later, and many a dropped ball on their end, I reached out to the programmer who told me he was waiting for a response to the question he posted on the help message board. Are you kidding me? Hey, if all you’re going to do is read a manual from your computer, or go to a message board to find the answer, then why do I need to hold on for over an hour for support or pay you when I can do this myself?”
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