Contrary to popular belief, not all emails sent by sales reps deal with prospecting. Emails are an important part of connecting and building a relationship with current and new customers. If you want to capture the attention of your customers and get a reply every time, you need to constantly work on refining the way you write emails. Here are some tips on how to kickstart your path to becoming a sales wordsmith:

Provide proof

It’s one thing to tell someone how amazing something is but being able to demonstrate it is always more powerful. Infomercials are great examples of how visually showing the benefits of a product can help to persuade a customer to buy. When it comes to email, you can add visual links to show case studies, videos or testimonials. Also, if you want to appear more convincing in an email, don’t just make promises. Always provide proof to substantiate your statements.

Be genuine

Communicating to a customer over email can seem impersonal as non-verbal cues are not available for them to “decode” your message. To make sure you connect directly with your customer, try to avoid aggressive sales lingo because it only serves to build a wall between you and your customer. Show the customer that you are a real person by writing to them as if you are talking to them face-to-face. Use the buyer personas you have created to imagine the personality of the customer and talk to them with that in mind. What language or tone would appeal to that type of customer?

Slow down

Writing an email to a customer should never be a thoughtless exercise, no matter how long you’ve known the customer. Always read through your email before sending it off. Go over your draft email a few times to make sure your writing is clear, concise and convincing. Check that the tone is correct, that spelling and grammar is on point and that you have included everything you wanted to. Even the most seasoned writers go through multiple drafts before everything is correct and your emails should be no exception.

Simplicity is key

While you’re looking over your draft emails, try to shorten the email where you can. Look at the information contained in it, what is necessary and what you can cut out. An email should contain just enough to get the message across but not too much so as to lose the customer’s interest halfway through. Your customer should be able to scan the email quickly to get the key points, so writing long-winded paragraphs will not do. Adjust your language accordingly to suit the buyer persona of the recipient. Also, steer away from abbreviations, unless they are well-known to the customer. Keep your emails simple and to the point. Highlight key points in bold to draw the customer’s attention.

The benefits of features

If you’re mentioning a product in your email (perhaps wanting to upsell it to an existing customer), always mention the benefits that the product’s features have and not just the features themselves. For example, if a printer has a special double-sided copy feature, mention how that feature saves time and money. The customer then knows that the feature exists but also, and most importantly, knows how it will benefit them.

Make it personal

Always speak directly to the customer. Even though B2B decision-making isn’t done by just one person, it is important to remember that you are dealing with individual people. Take the time to look up the customer’s precise name and surname as well as their official position in the company. Ask them about events they’ve gone to or mention something you’ve learnt from a previous conversation. Then start your email with this, it is more personal than just jumping into business talk straight away.

Call the customer to action

Your customer likely gets hundreds of emails per week and going through these can be time-consuming. You are obviously sending your email so that you get a response. To make sure your customer takes the time to reply to you, include a call-to-action. For example, ask them how you can help with the products they currently have, offer a demo of a new product, or request a face-to-face appointment. In other words, give them a reason to respond to you.