If you’ve repeatedly tried to contact new leads and no one’s writing you back, you may believe that email prospecting is a waste of time. The good news? You probably just need to change your approach. Here are three (3) email secret workarounds you can use to improve your responses.
Email Secret #1: Ask Leads for Their Help
The first time you email a new lead, they probably won’t have any idea who you are. That means a) they need to know why you’re contacting them, b) see evidence that you understand their market, and c) learn how you’re a trusted resource. All of that can’t happen in a single email, as much as you might want it to. Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course! But by and large, most people won’t want to immediately buy from you.
The workaround: To get more initial responses, ask leads for their help. See if they’ll point you to the best person to talk about the part of their business that relates to what you do. For example, instead of saying…
Hi John, we specialize in the most effective cybersecurity solutions in the market! Do you need options for protecting your team’s data?
…consider asking…
Hi Jane, I have a few questions about the software your team uses to manage its data. Could you tell me who’s in charge of this, please?
Then, once you know who the right person is, ask them for a phone call to talk more about it.
Email Secret #2: Be Persistent With Follow-Ups and Content
Once you’ve found the best person for a new business discussion, they may still not want to talk with you. Again, that’s to be expected. As we already mentioned, they have to trust you and see you as a valuable resource besides simply having a need for your services. That’s why it’s important to continue reaching out to them, both directly and indirectly, until they’re ready for a call.
The workaround: Send them a combination of direct follow-ups and informative content.
A follow-up email is brief and to the point: “Hi Jane, Checking back to see if now might be a better time to talk about your data management. Are you free for a quick call this week?”
An informative content email is meant to establish your credibility: “Hi Jane, Did you know that most companies in your industry aren’t adequately prepared for a possible data breach? By many accounts, at least [x] percent are at risk for…[etc]” Tying in third-party sources specific to your leads’ industries will help reinforce your credibility.
Follow up about four times, then pass your leads over to a bi-weekly content email. This can take off the pressure of having an immediate call, but still keeps you on their radar. That way, when the time’s right, your name will be top of mind.
Note: It’s possible to email too much. Try to stagger your follow-up emails every couple of days, and content every couple of weeks thereafter. Always respect leads who want you to stop emailing them.
Email Secret #3: Use Prospecting Automation
Because prospecting takes much longer than a normal sales cycle, you want to have leads who are being nurtured at different stages along that prospecting funnel — those who just got your first-touch email asking who the best person is to talk to, those who are getting content, and those who are finally ready to talk. The ideal situation, notes Entrepreneur, is to have a prospecting system in place that “can run like a machine with tasks being delegated until you or a sales representative may need to step in.” Therefore…
The workaround: Start using our prospecting automation, Prospecto. Large lead lists can be obtained from data aggregate sources (without email addresses) and then fed through prospecting automation to find and verify any active emails associated with them. This allows you to scale your active database of contacts, expand how many you email on a weekly basis, and thereby improve how many you’re likely to hear back from.
Change Up Your Prospecting Habits
Do you have questions about how to apply these email secrets to your prospecting? Let us know if we can lend a hand. Click the link below to schedule a free lead nurturing discussion.
