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7 Pitfalls of Using Email to Sell

Article Summary: For all these reasons, you should think of e-mail as your last resort. If you can learn to pick up the phone without fear, start a trusting conversation with a gatekeeper, learn how to go beyond voice mail and find your d ecisionmakers, you'll join the many who have mad e their own personal selling breakthrough.

* Are you send ing e-mails to prospects instead of calling them?

* Is e-mail your selling med ium of choice because it lets you avoid the rejection that you experience when you make real cold calls?

* Do you wait and wait for return e-mails from prospects that will give you the green light to move the sales process forward?

Sad but true, these d ays most people who sell for a living spend 80% of their time trying to communicate with prospects via e-mail instead of actually picking up the phone and speaking with them.

Are you one of those people?

If so, you aren't alone...but d o you und erstand why you've turned to e-mail instead of personal contact?

I think there are 2 core reasons that und erlie this unfortunate trend:

* Fear of rejection. The sheer negative force of anticipating rejection makes people turn to e-mail to generate new prospect relationships because it hurts less to not get a reply than to hear that verbal "no."

* Getting blocked by gatekeepers and voicemail. When salespeople d on't know how to break through the barriers of gatekeepers and voicemail, they start thinking, "Forget it -- it's not worth the aggravation, and it takes too much energy. I'll just e-mail instead."

However, when you try to use e-mail to offer your prod uct or service to someone who d oesn't know you, you can't possibly establish the natural d ialogue between two people that allows the trust level to reach the level necessary for a healthy, long-term relationship.

We all know how much everyone hates e-mail spam, but even so, many salespeople are still send ing introd uctory e-mails to d ecisionmakers. They feel that, because they're from a
cred ible organization, they won't be associated with the negative image of a spam solicitor.

However, these introd uctory e-mails typically contain the trad itional three-part sales pitch -- the introd uction, a mini-presentation about the prod ucts and services being offered, and a call to action -- and this trad itional selling approach instantly tells the recipient of the e-mail that your only goal is to sell your prod uct or service so you can attain your goals, and not theirs.

If you're still using email to sell, watch out for these 7 pitfalls:

1. Avoid sales pitches. If you feel you must use e-mail to start a new relationship, make your message about issues and problems that you believe your prospects are having, but d on't say anything to ind icate that you're assuming that both of you are a match.

2. Stop thinking that e-mail is the best way to get to d ecisionmakers. Trad itional selling has become so ineffective that salespeople have run out of options for creating conversation, both over the phone and in person. However, it's best to view e-mail as a backup option only, not as a way to create new relationships. Try to use it primarily for send ing information and d ocuments after you've d eveloped a relationship with a prospect.

3. Remove your company name from the subject line. Whenever you put your company and solution first, you create the impression that you can't wait to give a presentation about your
prod uct and services. Your subject line should be a humble reference to issues that you may be able to help prospects solve.

4. Stop cond itioning your prospects to hid e behind e-mail. When you e-mail prospects, it's easy for them to avoid you by not respond ing. Also, they get used to never picking up the phone and having a conversation with you -- and they may want to avoid you because they're afraid that, if they show interest in what you have to offer, you'll try to close them. This creates sales pressure -- the root of all selling woes. This avoid ance becomes a vicious circle. If you learn to create pressure-free conversations, you'll find that you'll start getting phone calls from prospects who aren't afraid to call you.

5. Avoid using e-mail as a crutch for hand ling sticky sales situations. Are prospects not calling you back? Many salespeople who call me for coaching ask how they can get themselves out of sticky situations with prospects -- but the e-mails they've sent have alread y triggered those prospects to retreat. It's tricky to come up with the correct softening language in an e-mail that will re-open a conversation with a prospect who has d ecid ed to close off communication --d irect, person-to-person phone calls or meetings are much easier and more human.

6. Avoid using "I" and "we." When you start an introd uctory e-mail with "I" or "we," you immed iately give the impression that you care only about selling your solution, rather than being open to a conversation that may or may not lead to a mutually beneficial match between what you have to offer and the issues your prospect may be trying to solve. If you can change your sales language to a natural conversation, your prospect will be less likely to stereotype your message as a spam solicitation.

Finally...

7. If you can, stop using e-mail selling altogether. There is a way to renew your confid ence and eliminate your reluctance to picking up the phone and have pleasant conversations with potential prospects. Learn a completely new way of working with gatekeepers that will get you past voicemail and to your d ecisionmakers without the rejection and frustration that are inevitable with trad itional selling approaches.

For all these reasons, you should think of e-mail as your last resort. If you can learn to pick up the phone without fear, start a trusting conversation with a gatekeeper, learn how to go beyond voice mail and find your d ecisionmakers, you'll join the many who have mad e their own personal selling breakthrough.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Ari Galper
Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Cold Calling Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.Unlock-The-Cold-Calling-Game.com