All That You Need To Know: Writing a Sales Email That Converts

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Emailing in 2022 can be a real challenge.

An estimated 333.2 billion emails are currently sent across the globe each and every day. And by 2025, that number is estimated to reach 376.4 billion.

Image source: statista.com

With stats like that, getting noticed seems all but hopeless. The last thing you want as a seller is your sales email languishing unread in someone’s inbox until they eventually delete it. Or worse, having it marked as spam and cutting off future opportunities to capture your intended reader’s attention.

Nobody wants to have their time and work wasted in this way.

Whether your prospect is a member of a legal department looking to compare DocuSign vs Adobe Sign or a customer hunting for a bargain, your number one mission in this era of extremely short attention spans is to get them to click open.

But you’re one email in an ocean of them—how do you make sure you stand out from the crowd?

Research is the foundation

The more you know about your prospect, the more effectively you can pitch to them. This might seem obvious, but it’s worth stating when 75% of marketers say that personalization boosts engagement.

That’s a whole lot of engagement you could be missing out on by not understanding your target audience. Addressing them by name is a good start—it shows you’ve put in the time to research them as an individual. But there is more you can do. You can then proceed by focusing on the following key questions.

What is their age? Different generations have varying email habits and preferences. Knowing the age of your prospect can help you decide whether your emails need to be text or graphic-heavy, for example.

What sector do they work in and what are their interests? A young startup might prefer a more casual, humorous approach. A well-established law firm, on the other hand, might appreciate something more formal. This type of behavioral-based segmentation has been proven to be a highly effective email marketing strategy.

What are their email habits? Working adults tend to open most emails early in the day, but there are other considerations. Industries don’t all operate during the same hours. Different age demographics have differing device habits and levels of time management. Approaching at the most opportune moment can get your email to the top of their inboxes.

Does your prospect have social media or a blog? Utilize a person’s online presence to learn more about them, so you can further personalize the email’s content. Prove to them you’ve put in the research.

Subject line

Your subject line is your first chance to grab someone’s attention. It’s one of the most important metrics that determines your open rate.

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It’s very important to ensure you sound like a human being. You’re a person trying to open a meaningful channel of communication with another person, so write like one. Try to pinpoint the one line of text that will make your prospect stop, read, and then open.

Keep it relevant to both your audience and your product. Emails with relevant subject lines increase open rates by over 20%. Don’t cram it full of jargon or keywords; you’ll give the impression that your email is nothing more than a buzzword-stuffed sales flyer sent out to thousands.

Subject lines with excessive punctuation and emojis, ALL CAPS, or misspelled words run a much higher risk of getting marked as spam—whether by an email client or by the recipients themselves. So leave out the spammy sales jargon and focus more on personalization and relevancy.

Finally, keep it brief; email clients will cut off a subject line at around 90 characters. You don’t want your most valuable words to get lost.

Opening lines

A good opening line is the same whether you’re reading a book or an email. It hooks you and sustains your interest. It makes you want to read on.

Having a strong subject line only to lose your prospect during the opening is the last thing you want. You’re trying to build an immediate rapport, so start by figuring out how your prospect might like to be addressed.

The very first word of your email is going to be a greeting – but which one? Hi, hello, hey, dear, good morning, etc. There are plenty to choose from. Is the person you’re contacting more traditional? Address them with a more formal Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms title. Do they put out a more casual vibe? Don’t be afraid to use their first name.

“Dear Mrs. Smith” is going to please plenty of people. Those same people might be insulted by “Hi, Angela!” Again, this is where researching your reader personas pays big dividends.

You can show your prospect you’ve done your research by complimenting them on their body of work or relate to their industry and its pain points. You can tell them you hope they’re well, if you’ve deemed them receptive to that kind of language.

Email body

After introductions, your goal is relevancy. Your prospects are busy – they receive dozens of emails a day, after all. This means they need you to cut to the chase. A strong sales email needs to give context, establish trust, and deliver a killer sales pitch in as few well-chosen words as possible.

So how do you achieve this in a way that doesn’t sound clunky and unnatural?

First, give context about why you’re reaching out. Who are you and what are you offering? Then, establish trust by offering evidence that your product is valued by other businesses or consumers in relevant sectors.

Using this as a foundation, you can deliver a great sales pitch. You know your prospect, their industry, and their pain points. Sum up in a few sentences how you can help. Avoid long explanations and unnecessary details; get right to the biggest benefits of your service and sell them with genuine passion and a personalized approach.

If you’re struggling to craft something perfect, using email templates can help you get on track.

Closing line and call to action

The closing line cements the overall impression you’re aiming to give, so make it a good one.

Your prospect needs to feel confident about taking the next step. You should leave them with a good impression of you and your company, as well as clear directions on what to do next.

So what are you asking from them?

Do you want to schedule a meeting? Offer ways to make an appointment with you in a few clicks, and make sure you’re using communication channels they prefer.

Do you want them to try out your software which creates simple business contract templates? If so, create personalized links to free trials of your services.

Or maybe you want them to view customer testimonials to further convince them of the value of your services. In this case, you can provide links to videos.

Image source: snov.io

It can’t be overstated enough that this should be easy for your prospect. Don’t make them jump through hoops to get to you. Let’s say you and your prospect use different video calling software, don’t force them to adapt to yours. Stay flexible and offer them the simplest means of moving ahead.

You’re courting them, not the other way around.

Signature

Every business should have an email signature.

Please don’t let yours look like this!

Your signature should be professional and informative, offering avenues of contact for your potential clients. But it can also be a great way to advertise yourself without seeming overly promotional within the body of your email.

Do other businesses gush about your product? Add links to reviews and testimonials.

Have you spoken at seminars? Add video links.

Has a respectable publication recently written an article about your service? Put that in there!

A signature ensures your email looks professional and to add a little oomph to your credentials. So utilize it well.

Ultimately…

In a world where 333.2 billion emails are flying across the web every day, getting yours noticed is possible. Do your research, be genuine and human, and make your points quickly, showing you respect the recipient’s time.

With some research and a personalized touch, you can create an effective and adaptable method of crafting killer sales emails that get top results.