Direct Marketing - How to Get a Fast Response on a Sales Email
Saturday, November 23, 2013
One of the worst responses a sales email can generate in a potential buyer is, "I'll have to get back to this later." Slow response often turns into no response. Creating clear, punchy sales emails that give a simple call to action can generate faster responses and higher sales. People procrastinate when they face effort or lack clarity, so make your email easy to read and process. Define a simple, concrete response.
1
Before you launch your email campaign, analyze your audience and your offer. Consumers won't respond if your offer is not relevant. Review your email target list. Build your offer based on what you know your target audience is interested in.
2
Edit your copy. Cut long words. Then cut extra words. Pick words with one syllable when you can. Short words and sentences pack more punch. They're quick to read and memorable. "Cut long words" makes the point better than "Eliminate unnecessarily long words to keep your prospect's attention and heighten the effectiveness of your letter."
3
Cut the email as short as possible. Your target length will depend on the purpose and content of your email, but try to cut down the length of your first draft by ten percent or more. Work hard to make the whole email fit in a fairly small window. If the reader sees he'll have to scroll, your email is much more likely to end up in the "deal with this later" queue.
4
Highlight a few key strengths. Most prospects won't care about detailed technical specs. Find the features that have a quick, direct advantage to your reader. Highlight the benefit more than the feature. The point is the prospect, not your product.
5
Clarify a single, simple action point. Do the work for your prospect. If you ask her to call you, provide the phone number. If you ask her to reply, state the specific question you want answered or the information you need. State your desired response briefly at the beginning to prime the reader's expectations and close with a quick reminder of the concrete next step. Add urgency by pointing out how much benefit the prospect will forfeit by delaying a response. Add a reward for immediate response.
Tags:
Direct Marketing, Marketing
1
Before you launch your email campaign, analyze your audience and your offer. Consumers won't respond if your offer is not relevant. Review your email target list. Build your offer based on what you know your target audience is interested in.
2
Edit your copy. Cut long words. Then cut extra words. Pick words with one syllable when you can. Short words and sentences pack more punch. They're quick to read and memorable. "Cut long words" makes the point better than "Eliminate unnecessarily long words to keep your prospect's attention and heighten the effectiveness of your letter."
3
Cut the email as short as possible. Your target length will depend on the purpose and content of your email, but try to cut down the length of your first draft by ten percent or more. Work hard to make the whole email fit in a fairly small window. If the reader sees he'll have to scroll, your email is much more likely to end up in the "deal with this later" queue.
4
Highlight a few key strengths. Most prospects won't care about detailed technical specs. Find the features that have a quick, direct advantage to your reader. Highlight the benefit more than the feature. The point is the prospect, not your product.
5
Clarify a single, simple action point. Do the work for your prospect. If you ask her to call you, provide the phone number. If you ask her to reply, state the specific question you want answered or the information you need. State your desired response briefly at the beginning to prime the reader's expectations and close with a quick reminder of the concrete next step. Add urgency by pointing out how much benefit the prospect will forfeit by delaying a response. Add a reward for immediate response.
