Why so many sales Emails fall flat (and what you can do about it)

According to recent research from HIPB2B and Ascend2, Email remains the most used channel for demand generation by B2B marketers. 68% of survey respondents say they still use Emails most frequently. The report was based on data from a survey conducted in November 2021 among 183 marketers who work for B2B firms. In the fall of 2020, a Forbes article revealed, “Email Marketing: Still The Most Powerful Tool To Take Your Business To The Next Level.”

With all the Emails being used to generate interest and consideration, why is it so many Emails are still ignored, discarded and even disdained as nuisance and “spam” by their recipients?

I submit one main reason is marketing and sales teams often take the easy but less effective path. They habitually toss out product specifications and canned value propositions in the hopes that cold clients will bite. Unfortunately, this is not only a waste of time, even worse, it can serve to alienate prospective clients and turn them off completely to future outreach efforts. The key is to make certain Emails are relevant and written in the context of the needs and interests of your intended audience.

When it comes to B2B sales Emails, everything from your subject line to your signature can make a difference. The online marketing firm, GONG analyzed over 300,000 sales emails to identify attributes of “irresistible” sales emails. They called them “The 7 Laws of Highly Effective Sales Emails,” obviously borrowing from the incredibly popular “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” by the late Stephen Covey.

These are some of my most favorite of GONG's "7 Laws":

Law #1: Don’t use ROI in Cold Emails. They found ROI language and cold outreach don’t mix. That’s because cold prospects don’t yet understand the WHY behind your ROI claims. They need to know more before they are going to believe your claims. Instead, GONG suggests you ask if the particular feature or benefit may help the customer to achieve their objective, or may align with top initiatives; even better, would you be interested in hearing how this feature or objective helped your competitors to achieve their objectives?

Law #2: Never ask for TIME in Cold Outreach. You haven’t yet earned the right to ask for your valuable time from your prospect. Instead, try to frame how their pain points may prevent them from achieving their business (or mission) outcomes first. Instead of selling the meeting, sell the CONVERSATION.

Law #6: Do Make it about THEM. Use pronouns like “you, your and your team” when crafting cold Emails These will read as more personal and will drive greater results. According to GONG, top reps use these pronouns 29% move often than average or underperforming reps.

Marketing and sales professionals, take care to research your industry and your particular customers to carefully craft effective Calls to Action (CTAs). For example, cold Emails should limit their CTAs in a way that sparks and confirms interest:

·????????“Does this sound like something that can help your team right now?”

·????????“Is this something that’s top of mind for you and your team presently?”

·????????“Are?you interested in exploring this solution?”

For Emails relating to specific deals and follow-up, become more specific and press for specific CTAs:

·????????“How about a quick call?”

·????????“If we can deliver xyz, will that work for you?”

·????????“Is there a day this week that works best?”

By carefully crafting your opening conversation and remaining relevant to your customer’s needs throughout the conversation, you will stand a much better chance of gaining and keeping their attention and eventually earning your way toward the next steps.