Did you know that out of all sales emails sent, only 24% are opened? As a salesperson, you want your emails to not only be part of the 24%, but also to convert. The big question is, what is the difference between an email no one opens and one that is opened and converts? Is the difference in the subject line, length, message, or writing style? The answer is simple – it’s a combination of all these. This article explains why your B2B sales emails may be failing and what you can do to create emails that convert and generate new business.
Why Do Your B2B Sales Emails Fail?
Below are the common reasons your sales emails fail and don’t convert prospects into customers.
- Poor subject line – Your subject line should catch a recipient’s attention. If it does not, your email will be among the 76% that are not opened.
- Length – Long emails put off recipients. Refrain from sales emails that look like mini e-books.
- Too many ideas – When you put too many ideas in an email, it confuses readers. You may have a great product, but an email with too many value props lets you down.
- Salesy language – Your B2B sales emails should deliver value for the prospects, not highlight how excellent your company and products are.
- Impersonal approach – Your sales email should be customized and personal and not sound impersonal and spammy.
- Poorly-placed CTA – Your call-to-action should be clear and positioned strategically in the sales email for it to convert.
- No follow up – 48% of salespersons do not follow up with prospects. They reach out just once and consider the job done.
More Missed Opportunities
One additional reason your B2B sales emails may be failing doesn’t have to do with the crafting of emails, but the data behind them. Inaccurate contact data could be preventing the emails sales teams send from reaching the inbox in the first place.
Common reasons for inaccuracies in the database include: the initial contact information was added incorrectly (typos on lead forms, user error), an acquired list or leads collected at a trade show were imported without verifying the information first, or the contact information for leads has become stale.
Sales and marketing ops can help sales teams avoid missed opportunities by: using BriteVerify email list verification services to clean existing databases; embedding the BriteVerify API to verify the accuracy of contact information as it’s being entered on web lead forms, in POS systems, at trade shows, or wherever contact data is captured; and authenticating your company’s domain.
Tips to Improve B2B Sales Emails
1. Use an Appealing Subject Line
Research shows that 47% of email recipients use the subject line to determine whether to open an email or not. Also, 69% of email recipients report an email as spam based on the subject line. The subject line of your email is the bedrock of your email marketing campaign. It should be exciting and enticing to evoke interest in the body of the email and boost open rates.
A salesy and spammy subject line will discourage a recipient from opening the mail. To improve B2B sales emails, it is best practice to ask a question, deliver value, and create urgency in a subject line.
2. Keep It Short
As discussed earlier, one of the reasons sales emails fail is because they are too long. No one wants to open an email only to find a novel. Sales emails with between 50 and 125 words have a response rate of more than 50%. When writing an email, avoid big paragraphs and large chunks of text.
3. Personalize Your Emails
Don’t make your emails too formal because you may sound too stiff. Instead, use the same tone and format as you would in an email you send to a friend. The mail should be friendly and personal.
Remember to customize the benefits of your offerings to individual companies. For example, if you portray your product as time-saving, tell the buyer what they could do with the time saved. For example, will this product allow them to engage in more productive tasks, focus on offering excellent customer service, or get orders out faster?
4. Give Them a Reason to Respond
Ensure your sales email has an enticing offer to give your recipients a reason to respond. You can include statistics, relevant numbers, and customer testimonials to make your offer more exciting. Do not forget to include a clear call-to-action.
5. Follow Up
A lack of reply to an email does not mean that a prospect is not interested in your offer. Maybe they are busy or forgot to reply to your email. It is best practice to follow up with prospects. Be persistent without being pushy or annoying (click here for tips on how to do that). This article shares eight follow-up email templates that have been successful at boosting reply rates, and includes tactics based on trial and error.
Ideal B2B Sales Emails
Many salespersons struggle to create sales emails that convert. The ideal sales email should attain four goals. It should stimulate interest, engage a prospect, prompt them to commit to the next step, and encourage them to complete a purchase. Use the tips in this article to help you accomplish these goals, improve B2B sales emails, and convert more prospects to paying customers.
For more B2B sales productivity and B2B marketing solutions, contact us to see how we can help.