6 Powerful Tips for E-mail Marketing
The perennial problem: How to get the attention of the decision-maker so you can make your pitch. In the old days it was cold-calling and writing the snappy cover letter to go with your resume or capabilities statement. These days, email outreach has largely supplanted traditional mail (snail mail) as a marketing tool.
In a previous blog post, Dave Christovich wrote about the importance of doing your homework on the prospect, raising awareness of your company in the trades, and keeping at it. Let’s dig deeper into the nitty-gritty of crafting that ice-breaker email.
1. The reason to respond matters. Let’s face it, we are all too busy and overwhelmed with random emails and calls from people we do not need to talk to. Life is hectic and we all have a mission in life, a problem at work or something more pressing – LIKE MAKING YOUR SALES TARGETS!. Your decision-maker wields power and influence – that is why you are contacting them—and they deploy that influence in ways that benefit them and the organization they work for. They are not interested in your marketing plan, your dreams or your great company until they can connect it to something that they need to accomplish. Here are some reasons to care about your email.
I can save you money because my overhead/labor costs are lower.
I have access to a contract vehicle that you don’t, because of my business size..
I have technical skills that your company lacks.
I have agency experience/connections that would help you win.
I have valuable relationships with relevant stakeholders (state employees, senior citizens, veterans, doctors…)
I can help you meet your subcontracting goals, or I can prime because the upcoming requirement will be set aside for my category and NAICS codes.
2. The subject line matters. This is so critical, but so many people write lame subject lines. You get them all the time. This email subject line lands in my inbox every Monday.
X company weekly update
Well unless last week’s update had something REALLY valuable like a $50 Amazon Gift card in it, I’m not clicking.
Here are a few ways that people label a cold email.
Requesting meeting on XX opportunity
This implies you are desperate and that you hope I am sitting here waiting for a chance to meet someone like you.
Partnership opportunity in ABC Agency
This leads with your need, which is that I need to get myself into ABC and I’m asking for your help to get there. Keep in mind that the contractor on the inside of an agency fears helping get someone in who may become a competitor.
Your subject line must give me a reason to dive deeper. There is no shortage of tip sheets and suggestions for subject lines. Some are formulae for combining benefits and pith. Others are primers in how to combine promises, urgency (because you want them to act today), relevance, timeliness and creativity. Others will remind you that it needs to be short, personal, tell a story or otherwise pique interest. I keep this list of “Power Words” in hand when writing subject lines.
Lest you think that a single email is going to save your bacon and fill in that gap between your backlog and revenue goals, keep in mind that a 5% open rate in direct email marketing is considered good. That’s 1 in 20. If you have a prior relationship, that may go up to 15 or 25%--which is the open rate for my e-newsletter mailing list—most of whom I have a pre-existing relationship with. But email is a tool we have to use in the work of business development.
3. The length of the email matters. So let’s assume that your subject line did the job and they have actually opened your email and are looking at it. A PR master once explained to me that what comes next must fit into the preview window on an email program like Microsoft Outlook. You know what I mean. When your cursor lands on the email in the inbox and a box off to the right shows you a preview of the email. Your pitch must fit into that window, or it will not get read. I always work on three bullet points. The same rules apply here as did in the subject line: personalization, benefits for the reader, stand out. Use bullets. I like to keep it to three points.
Here is how much space your email is allowed to make your case.
Here are some ideas….
My company offers (specific solution) that has resulted in (objective outcomes) in (agency, setting or context that matters to the reader)
What sets us apart from the pack is that (we offer great service at a low price because we are based in Nebraska, we are ISO-9000 certified, or something else that is truly unusual and valuable about your company)
We are tracking some work on (name the mechanism that you hold and not the recipient) and we would like to discuss how we could team on it
We can help you with the (insert your specific service offering that can help the recipient) on (insert specific opportunity in pre-RFP phase) in (insert agency)
Do not, do not, DO NOT lead with your size or your set-aside. You are selling your product or service, not your status. Your set aside status might be in the third bullet or in the closing sentence after your bullets. Size should be icing on the cake compared with what your offering and differentiators are.
Hyperlinks to more information about your company on your website or to your capabilities statement are a good idea. However, keep in mind that ofttimes people are afraid to click on hyperlinks from strangers—especially feds whose cyber-security people have them seeing Russian hackers around every corner. Same goes for attachments—good idea, but may not get read.
4. The Action Step matters. Don’t leave the next step to chance. In the sentence following the 3 bullets, offer up an Action Step. Avoid open-ended or weak next-step statements like:
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Are you going to call, or are you counting on the recipient to find your phone number and call?
Let me know if you have any questions.
If I don’t have questions, I can ignore your email?
The next step should be concrete and as easy as possible for the recipient to take.
I am in town next week. Do you have time to meet on Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon at or near your office?
Let's talk further about how we can work together. Would it be more convenient to choose a time from my online calendar? Or would you like to email me a good time to meet?
I will reach out by phone later this week to discuss whether this is the right time for a deeper discussion.
5. Persistence matters. You are in sales, and sales is about persistence and patience. Be understanding when your first five tries are met with silence. People have deadlines, they have family emergencies and vacations. These are among the many reasons that they don’t respond in your time frame. People have reasons to say No. A good salesperson does not treat No as the end, but as an opportunity to dig deeper into what aspects of your offering are deficient and what it would take to get to the golden Yes. This article on medium.com really got me thinking about the way I handle obstacles to closing the deal.
6. Manners matter. This would have been my first topic, but I was afraid you might skip over it. So I saved it for last.
OK, you are impatient with how much work this is. And yes, this marketing/sales stuff takes you away from other things you like to do better, you want to do and things that are billable. But if you want to grow your company you have to connect with potential customers by whatever means, and you MUST do it with grace and patience. Treat people with politeness and respect, all the while keeping in mind that you’re doing business. Thank them for getting back to you. Slip in a (clean) joke if the moment seems right. Explore their interests and connect them to things that you are passionate about. Look for ways you can help them without asking for anything in return. Make a good impression.
Always remember that you offer something that matters, with real value that solves real problems for someone. Not everyone needs what you offer; sales is the process of connecting your value proposition to the people who care about it and need it.
The longer you persist at it, the better you’ll get, and the more your pipeline will grow.