The Best Sales Email I've Ever Received...Tips To Getting Your Email Opened. (And Responded To)

Being a sales leader I receive multiple emails ?? every single day from salespeople trying to get my attention or book time with me.

Like everyone, I'm super busy...???

But...

I do actually read every ?? email I get from salespeople.

Why?

? I'm passionate about sales and am always on the lookout for new hooks ?? or strategies that may be helpful for myself or my team

? It provides many examples of "what not to do" ??

? And let's be honest, I have a soft spot for salespeople. (They're my people) ??

Notice that I said, I "read" every email.

I don't respond to everyone.

In fact, I rarely respond, at least not on the first attempt.

Here's why...

? Most emails I get just aren't that good ??

? I'm busy, so if it doesn't catch my attention...I move on

? I'm interested to see their follow-up/cadence - will they even follow up? (often times I'll get one follow-up email, and then won't hear from them again...such a shame ??)

But this article isn't about the typical sales emails I get...

This article is about The Best Sales Email I've Ever Received.

Not only did I respond to the first email.

The rep also got the meeting. ??

So let's take a look at the anatomy of this killer sales email ?? so you can get some inspiration ?? for your next prospecting block.

Tip #1 - Attention-Grabbing Subject Line

This subject line immediately grabbed my attention. ??

Why?

It included ?? things that I love. Sales and Golf

Well, not so much golf anymore...??

Seriously though, what a dumb sport that is, right?

Get all pumped up to go play, and by the 3rd hole, thinking to yourself "why the he$% do I do this to myself? ??

But, it showed that this salesperson did a little bit of research.

The subject line left me wanting more

"Ha, that's pretty clever," I thought. ?? I wonder what's inside.

Which is more than half the battle!!

If you want to get your email read, it starts with the subject line...

Now, there are multiple tips & tricks ?? for writing good subject lines, however, here's a simple hack for the next time you're crafting your own.

Ask yourself,

"Would I open this?"

If the answer is yes... Let 'er rip!!!

Now I'm not saying just because you would open it, your prospect will, but give it a try and if it doesn't work, who cares? ??

Try something different the next time! That's part of the fun of prospecting. Finding the things that work and improving those that don't!

Tip #2 - Personalized + Relevant

They kept my attention by pointing out the fact that they noticed my Twitter header picture was a "golf pic", tying back to the relevance of the subject line that originally caught my attention.

Then they drew the parallel between golf ?? and sales management and tied their value prop of leveraging data and insights ?? to make better decisions.

"?As someone who understands the risk/reward of attacking a tough pin placement - you know the benefit of using data, such as range finders, to make educated decisions.

You can make decisions based on analytics and coach your high handicap reps into scratch performers."

What a great line... I mean right? ??

Not only did they prove they researched me before they sent the email, but they also researched the company I worked for.

"With Bullhorn increasing sales headcount by 10% in the last 6mos..."

All of this info probably took them about 5 minutes ?? to put together. Here's how I envision it happening...

Step 1. Comes to my LI profile, takes a look around, and sees where I mention people can also connect and follow me on Twitter. ??

Step 2. Goes to my Twitter profile. Sees the header pic. Boom ?? there's the personal call out.

Step 3. Hops on over to the "insights" page on my company's LI profile to find a trigger event. Sees that we're aggressively hiring salespeople....

Trigger event found. ??

Done.

Now they have all they need to get cracking on a message.

That's really how easy it can be, however, 80% of salespeople don't make the effort.

Don't be lazy.

Do the work. ??

I promise it's not as hard as you think and it really pays off. (literally)

Pro-tip: Prospecting is much more fun when people actually respond to you.

Tip #3 - Include A Call To Action (CTA)

This is a great example of a subtle call to action that won't turn off your prospect.

They're simply asking if I'd be interested in learning more while inserting another golf pun into the mix. (clever little rascal ??)

I also love the use of the word "unpack" ??? instead of "tell" or "show"

It's a very subtle tweak, but, for some reason, it softens the ask, don't you agree?

I think it's because most people don't like to be "told" or "shown" what to do. ??

Including a call to action is important, but, please keep in mind that a CTA does not mean you always have to ask for a meeting.

Chances are if it's the first time you're reaching out, you're going to be met with that initial sales resistance and most people don't have the time ? to take a meeting with every person who reaches out.

You need to prove that you're a valuable resource worthy of their time first.

So invite them to check out a whitepaper, register for a webinar, send an industry article to read.

Provide value first.

Tip #4 - Keep It Short

Most people live on their cell phones ??. So if you're sending emails that are super text heavy and require people to scroll, there's a good chance it ain't getting read.

This message was under 150 words (90-120 words is the sweet spot) and fit right within my mobile view without me needing a single scroll.

Winner. ??

Conclusion

This email had all the right ingredients...

? Attention-Grabbing Headline

? Humourous, personalized & relevant content

? Strong but non-threatening CTA

? Short and to the point

Keep these tips in mind if you want to increase ?? your odds of getting your emails opened, read, and responded to.

Best of Luck and Get to Work. ??

Here's the full email for your viewing pleasure.