7 Pitfalls of Using Email to Sell

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

* Is e-mail your selling medium of choice because it lets you avoid
the rejection that you dread 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 days 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 do you understand why
you've turned to e-mail instead of personal contact? I think there are
2 core reasons that underlie 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 andvoicemail. When salespeople don'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 product or service
to someone who doesn't know you, you can't possibly establish the
natural dialogue 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 sending introductory e-mails to decisionmakers.
They feel that, because they're from a credible organization, they
won't be associated with the negative image of a spam solicitor.

However, these introductory e-mails typically contain the traditional
three-part sales pitch -- the introduction, a mini-presentation about
the products and services being offered, and a call to action -- and
this traditional selling approach instantly tells the recipient of the
e-mail that your only goal is to sell your product or service so you
can attain your goals, andnot theirs.

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

1. Avoidsales 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 indicate
that you're assuming that both of you are a match.

2. Stop thinking that e-mail is the best way to get to decisionmakers.
Traditional 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
sending information and documents after you've developeda 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 product and services.
Your subject line shouldbe a humble reference to issues that you may
be able to help prospects solve.

4. Stop conditioning your prospects to hide behinde-mail. When you
e-mail prospects, it's easy for them to avoid you by not responding.
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 avoidance 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 afraidto call you.

5. Avoid using e-mail as a crutch for handling 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 already
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 decided to close off
communication --direct, person-to-person phone calls or meetings are
much easier andmore human.

6. Avoid using "I" and"we." When you start an introductory e-mail with
"I" or "we," you immediately 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 andthe 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 confidence 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 decisionmakers without the rejection and
frustration that are inevitable with traditional 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 decisionmakers, you'll join the thousands of people who have
made the breakthrough to the most natural and efficient way of
generating sales opportunities.