7 mistakes to avoid when writing sales emails

Sales emails – we all get them. But how do you write sales emails that boost your response rates? Make sure you avoid making these mistakes and use the tips shared to get your best results yet.

1.  Don’t waste my time

You’ve got one or two lines to capture their interest or lose it. Don’t waste it with ‘how are you today’ or ‘hope you’re well’. Get to the point quickly. Our top tip is to use a statement that really grabs their attention. This can be something personalized to them, an interesting statistic, or information that they might not be aware of.

2. Don’t make me commit to too much

Try not to lead with “let’s have a 20-minute call”. You need to give your audience a reason to want to book a call before you mention the call. No one wants to commit 20 minutes of their valuable time, unless they’re getting something valuable from it. Remember, your audience is thinking “what’s in this for me”. Offer something of value before suggesting the call. And make the call sound quick in the first instance.

3.  Don’t talk about yourself

So many people make this mistake. Your audience doesn’t care about you or your company just yet. Don’t overdo it with ‘we do this’, ‘we’re great’ messaging. Instead say something about them. Here’s an example:

Tax year-end coming up? This is how to make your life easier.

This example targeting accountants, is well-timed around the tax-year end. It also promises them something of value – an easier life at a very busy time. And most importantly, it’s all about them. Once you’ve got their attention, then you can introduce yourself and your company.

4.  Don’t nag me

Don’t start emails with ‘as per my previous email’ or anything similar. It can come across as passive aggressive. You’re also telling them directly that they’ve already qualified you out, so there’s no reason for them to read this again.

If your previous email didn’t work, change your offering. If in your first email, you tried to get a prospect to join a call to learn about switching to your software, you could follow up with something like this:

Not sure about switching software providers? Here’s a free guide that helps you decide if you really need to move.

It’s more important to show that you’re considering what’s right for them, over doing any hard sales.

5. Don’t make me do the work

If you do need to reference a previous email – don’t make them search for it. Chances are, they won’t remember what you said. Reshare any information that you’re referencing in the new email.

6. Don’t write an essay

Make sure you respect your prospect’s time. Keep emails short and to the point to get the best response rates. Use bullet points if you have more to say – this makes it much easier to scan. And make sure you’ve got one clear call to action. Whether it’s booking a meeting or reading some sales content, keep the call to action clear, easy to spot, and high up in your email content.

7. Don’t forget your subject line

Make sure you think about your subject line. No one will read your email if the subject line sucks. So it’s important to think of some interesting ways to draw people into the email. Here are a few top tips:

Give them new information or a stat: Demo the new feature that’s cutting your admin by 60%

Offer them something valuable: Use this guide to decide which software provider is best for you

Personalize your email: Here’s 5 things <company name> can use to get better sales results

If you want improve your sales performance, check out how Workbooks can help sales teams likes yours.