With the explosion of social networking and massive increase in the use of email as a form of communication in recent years, salespeople have found that this once “newer” way of contacting prospects is quickly becoming the norm. There’s just one problem, though, especially with email. It has actually slowed the sales process down.
It is easy for the traditional sales rep to spend a majority of their time “selling” over email. You don’t have to ask the tough questions in person, you have time to formulate a response, and you can provide fancy PDF’s and data points to show your worth. This is where the process starts to slow down. Besides that, communication is much tougher when it’s not face-to-face – or at least voice-to-voice over the phone. There is no tonality in email. It is very difficult to ask tough questions, and selling over email becomes more intellectual rather than emotional. The more intellectual a sales call is, the more it revolves around price. And the more a call revolves around price, the harder it is for you to sell.
The trend from a sales perspective is actually migrating back to the phone. Email inboxes have become flooded (remember the good old days when your voicemail was full?) and what used to be an effective way to reach prospective customers is turning into a challenge to stick out amongst all of the other emails they receive.
Email should be used to exchange data and to schedule appointments, not to sell. Here are a few strategies for using email effectively:
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Set expectations with prospective clients early on that conversations will happen by phone or in person. The earlier this is agreed upon, the more productive it will be for both parties.
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If and when you receive an email from a prospect during the sales process, pick up the phone and call to answer their question.
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Remember this rule of thumb: technical questions may be handled over email (i.e. How fast will X go?) and compelling questions must happen on phone or in person (i.e. Why do it? Why now? Why me?). Even then, with technical questions you still must ensure you know why they are asking the question. But this way, you can handle simple questions simply and more complex questions with the care they deserve.
Next time you find yourself in a situation where you want to send an email, pick up the phone. It may take an extra day to actually reach the person but you will expedite the process in the long run.
