A prospecting email how-to

February 07, 2014 at 11:00 PM
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I get a lot of prospecting emails from people trying to get me to try their products or services. Unfortunately for the senders, such emails often go unread or fail to compel me to take action for one reason: They suck.

However, the following email recently caught my attention:

Hey, Kelley,

I'm a young entrepreneur who founded Charlie, an app that automatically preps you on people before a meeting. It syncs with your calendar and, an hour before a meeting, gives you insights into the people you are planning to meet: their passions and hobbies, their blog posts, company stats and breaking news about them or their company.

I know you write in many of your blog posts that you HAVE to prepare over and over and over before a meeting. So for the longest time I've been waiting for our app to be at the point where I could send it to you to get your feedback. Well, we're finally there! I'd love to give you the app and get your feedback.

Let me know if you'd like to try it out and I'll go ahead and send you the beta.

Cheers,

Aaron, Charlie CEO

Aaron demonstrated that he had done his homework by referencing something about which I regularly write. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to reverse the order of the first two paragraphs. This would have caught my attention even faster.

Email can be an effective prospecting tool—when it's used properly. Follow Aaron's lead: Keep your email brief, show that you have done some research or homework and tailor it to each prospect. I guarantee your result will improve.

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Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals master their sales conversations so they can win more business at higher profits. Get a free copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" and "Sales Blunders That Cost You Money" at http://www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

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