Author Archive salestrain
10 Sales Email Subject Lines To Get An Open, Read and Reply
Many sales trainers talk about the “good ole days” before email. When the phone was your weapon of choice. Many even suggest that email has ruined the sales process. I could NOT disagree more. In my sales training workshops I teach that email is an amazing piece of technology. If used in the right way it can truly help the sales professional win and grow business.
Before we get into the best sales subject lines for email success, please allow me to offer three pieces of email sales advice.
1. Email does not replace the phone. The phone is an amazing tool when trying to build a relationship with a prospect from a distance.
2. All to often you ignore the phone and only focus on email. Sales superstars know how to balance phone, email and face time to maximize the total sales process.
3. Email lacks tone and emotion. Of course you can YELL and 😉 , but, your voice is a powerful sales tool. During my sales training workshops I teach a pattern of voice mail and email prospecting that gets results! Do not give up on the phone when these sales email subject lines get you results.
Here are my top 10, email subject lines that have been getting me results in the last 30 days or less. I will also provided email examples and advice on each as well.
1. Subject line: (Name of a mutual connection) recommended I get in touch.
Body of email: “Hi Donnie. Ryan Dohrn recommends that you and I touch base about _______. He and I mutually felt that this idea could benefit you. Could I have 20 minutes via phone to discuss this week? I promise just 20 minutes. I take pride in not wasting peoples time.”
Advice: There is clearly no better way to connect with a new sales prospect than through a referral. Agree? Also, notice that I assure the prospect that I will not waste their time. Many sales people before you have wasted a prospects time. You want to take pride in not being one of those “vampires of time.”
2. Subject line: I was just wondering…
Body of email: “Hi Rachel. I was wondering if you would be open to a 20 minute phone call about (insert sales topic here)? I promise to respect your time. 20 minutes is all that I need.”
Advice: This sales subject line is often used as a follow-up or can also be used as a way to offer a meeting invitation. For example,
3. Subject line: May 29th?
Body of email: “Hi Ron. I will be in Clinton, IA on May 29th for a meeting. Could I get on your calendar for 20 minutes in the morning? I promise just 20 minutes. I take pride in not wasting peoples time.”
Advice: I often use this subject line to request a meeting date or to offer a follow-up date for a meeting.
4. Subject line: 3 reasons…
Body of email: “Hi John. I truly feel there are three reasons why we should work together.
1. Your mission. I understand your company and appreciate your mission.
2. Your support needs. I have a quality reputation for offering best in class customer service.
3. Your budget. We are the only company offering your payment options. “
Advice: This subject line is most often used after you have tried several times to connect with a prospect via email. The idea is to list three reasons why the prospect should reengage with you via email.
5. Subject line: Did something happen?
After a proposal or a meeting this subject line will often play with a prospects emotions and get you a response. I might even say in the email “Hi Terry, Was there something that happened after our meeting that I can help you resolve? You sounded very positive about setting up a follow-up call. I am not a high-pressure type of guy. I truly want to help you with ________. ”
6. Subject line: New idea for you.
Body of email: “Hi Bob, I would love to share with you a new budget friendly idea that is really working for other companies like yours. 20 minutes is all that I need. I promise just 20 minutes. I take pride in not wasting peoples time.”
Advice: I like to use this subject line right out of the gate when trying to set a meeting with a new prospect. Of course you need a new idea to share. Or, you can share a thought that will give your prospect a slight competitive advantage.
7. Subject line: (Name of a competitor) is marketing very well? Or, just the company name of a prospects competition.
Body of email: “I see that John Doe is really marketing a lot these days. I have an idea to really give them a run for their money.” Or, “Hi Rex, I see that John Doe just launched the new ABC Model. I have a unique idea to share with you that could give them a run for their money.” Or, “Hi John, your competitor John Doe just bought into our system. I truly feel you need to take a look at this as well.”
Advice: This subject line is most often used by my media sales coaching clients. But, it applies to other sales sectors as well. This sales subject line will ruffle a few feathers. So, be careful. I never EVER share client information with other clients. I am simply using this subject line to prompt a reply based on friendly competition. Again, you want to be ethical with what you share using this approach.
8. Subject line: Wrong person?
Body of email: “Hi Michael, I hate to be that sales guy that keeps emailing the wrong person. Any chance you could point me in the right direction of the person that handles _________ ?”
Advice: Often used as a last ditch effort, this subject line allows the client to provide you information that you can use to move them off your prospect list. Be real and often you will get a reply. This truly only works if the sales prospecting pattern you use is aggressive. If you only email once a month, forget about it.
9. Subject line: 20 Minutes?
Body of email: “Hi Nicole. I saw on your web site that you just launched the A350 Model. I have an idea to help you promote that to our client list of 36,0000. 20 minutes is all I need to share with you an idea. I promise to not waste your time and keep you on the phone for 45 minutes. I pride myself in not being that type of sales person.” Or, “Hi Nicole. I saw on your web site that you just won the contract for Jayco. Congrats. I have an idea to help you with the staffing issues related to that contract. 20 minutes is all I need to share with you an idea. I promise to not waste your time and keep you on the phone for 45 minutes.”
Advice: This subject line can be tricky if you do not also include a promise. You will need to tweak the above based on what problem you hope to solve. Or, what your idea can do to save her time, money or effort.
10. Subject line: I will respect your answer.
Body of email: “I would very much enjoy working together, but if you have decided to not move forward I will be very respectful of your decision. Any update on your project decision status is appreciated.”
Advice: Not used enough. It is often taboo to allow a client to say no. To encourage them to say no is also taboo. But, what I have found is that when the client feels like they can tell you no they will at least reply.
Final thoughts: There are certain sales training programs that teach you “sales tricks”. Those zinger lines of narrative that force a client to a “yes decision”. In the day and time when there were not many options for products and services those “sales tricks” worked well. Today, most buyers will not tolerate the high-pressure sales tactics of the past. I find that my systematic approach to sales relies on three things… working the right client on the right pattern with the right message. Relevance is key.
How can I help you and your team? Each year I train hundreds of sales professionals. My methods are fun, ethical and based on the simple fact that I sell every day to feed my family. My ideas are fresh, relevant, tactical and you can use them right away.
Media clients please visit: http://360adsales.com
Get out there and sell something!
Ryan Dohrn
Mastering Body Language to Drive Sales
When you interact with others, you probably focus a lot on what you say. Words, of course, matter. But there’s something that might matter as much as, if not more than, your words.
Nonverbal communication holds a lot of power to influence others either positively or negatively. And it doesn’t just include your arms and hands: You can communicate with eyes, with your posture, with your stance. Once you’re aware of your own body language, you can start to use those insights to read other people’s thoughts and reactions—particularly important when you’re going on a sales call.
Even if the conversation isn’t one-on-one, nonverbal communication makes an impact. When you’re standing in front of an audience, convincing them to listen or to buy in to whatever it is you’re talking about, your nonverbal communication can help you fight a winning (or losing) battle.
What should you know about nonverbal communication? This graphic explains it.
Click To Enlarge
Via Salesforce
Using Improv to Improve Your Sales Training
When AE’s hear “sales training” they think … boring! Been there. Done that. I have found great success in using improvisational comedy as a way to train and increase retention during the sales training session.
As we all know, selling is an act of improvisation. Many times selling is more like comedy than many of us might ever think. The problem is most sales people are not ready to react on the fly and thus they rely on old, bad or untested sales habits from days gone by. The end result is a client that “needs to think about it” or “doesn’t have any budget.”
When sales professionals begin to embrace the basics of improv, they begin to align their brains with a higher level of thinking. Improv is not just about making people laugh. Lets be honest, some people are just not funny. And, in some cases being funny is not appropriate. The idea behind improvisation comedy based sales training is to set up an account executive for success when in the field or on the phone. I want them to embrace an idea and create a winning solution to that idea quickly. This is about training the brain to react. Improvisation is also about listening and responding positively, thereby, moving the process forward. Additionally, these skills translate not only between an account executive and an external customer, but, also, between ‘internal customers’ (within/between your company’s departments).
So, how does this work at your company? You can either hire a pro to facilitate or do-it-yourself.
Thoughts on DIY:
- Create games and carefully think through how the game is won.
- Watch Youtube or TV replays of shows like Who’s Line Is It Anyway for creative inspiration. Be sure to adapt those ideas to the sales world you live in.
- Don’t focus on being funny. That is something that is natural not fake.
- Use props where appropriate to create stimuli.
- Focus on creating fast paced scenarios that are based on real world sales objections.
- Participation is key. Asking for volunteers will not produce results. A random draw or forcing all is the way to go.
Want to hire a pro comedy legend and veteran sales rep to facilitate? We offer a 9am-4pm day long workshop that is 50% improv sales training and 50% standard, “what you would expect”, core sales training. We have found that this approach increases retention and results!
At Sales Training World we believe in this approach so much that we have aligned ourselves with improv comedy expert and 25 year sales veteran Clay Sander.
Reach out to us for a no-obligation quote on this unique corporate sales training service for your sales organization.
Ryan@BrainSwellMedia.com
803-634-3886
Selling Santa? A Fun Sales Tale.
Is Santa Claus real? I say yes. But, I have been “sold” on Santa for many years. 44 years to be exact. But, I was not always so convinced. Perhaps, the greatest “sales job” of them all just might be the never-ending quest my Mother placed on “selling Santa” to my two brothers and I for over 40 years. The “Santa Sell” is still alive today in homes around the world.
My Mom believes in Santa Claus. Period. She will undoubtedly ask what Santa brought me this year on Christmas day. For as long as I can remember my Mom would purposely wrap gifts in different wrapping paper with bright labels that proclaimed they were To: Ryan, From: Santa. She was very quick to point out that the wrapping paper was so unique and pretty. Such great wrapping paper they have at the North Pole she would say. As a young boy, there were many unique occurrences that made me question my ever-growing doubt about the legitimacy of Santa. One Christmas eve we had returned home from my Grandpa Dohrn’s house when a most authentic Ho, Ho, Ho was heard from the family room one story below. I quickly looked down the stairs and saw no one. Almost as quickly my father appeared next to me on the second floor as it to quietly proclaim his innocence as the “Sales Assistant” to this “sales plan”. There is no way that he could have played the role of Santa and then appeared right next to me. He clearly saw the question forming in my mind. Like many of my sales clients I needed to “think about it” overnight.
Is the selling of Santa to our children perhaps the greatest sales job of all time? Lets compare the “Santa sell” to what we sell every day.
Step #1: Pre-sales marketing is critical to your success as a sales professional: Maybe you remember the days as a kid of circling toys in the Sears catalog? My Mom would often put the catalog in our little hands months in advance. Coincidence? I think not. (I was born in 1972. I’m not that old. Lol.)
Step #2: Persistence pays off when selling anything: There was of course the constant reminder of the Naughty and Nice List. I was the oldest of three boys. This reminder happened every day. Mom used persistence to keep the sales message alive. Coincidence? I think not.
Step #3: Sales marketing reinforcement is critical during all phases of the sales process: What about the visit to sit on Santa’s lap? Was it a coincidence that you were taken to the mall by your Mother to have your photo taken with Santa in a massive retail establishment? Wait, what about Santa reinforcing the sales message while you sat on his lap? Coincidence? I think not.
Step #4: The negotiation of the deal: As a young child I did not know our financial status, nor did I care, because I felt rich every Christmas morning. But, prior to that big reveal my Mom would begin the process of “gift negotiation”. She would remind me that Santa wants to bring me all I request, but his elves can only make so many toys each year. She was managing my expectations too. Well-done Mom. Coincidence? I think not.
Step #5: Closing the deal: The night before Christmas the tradition of cookies and milk for Santa was my Moms way of brining the deal to the table. The Santa Sell rested on her ability to convince three boys that some fat dude was coming down the chimney bringing us gifts from a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. You know the story. Huge sell! Coincidence? I think not.
Step #6: Delivering on what you sold: A ton of preamble goes into Christmas morning for many families. My mother has ten boxes of “stuff” that needed to come up from the basement for the big morning. My father also worked hard on clues for a treasure hunt. We had to solve clues to find our last gift which was usually something that cost way more than we could afford, but they some how bought it. Pure joy is how I describe Christmas morning at the Dohrn house. Coincidence? I think not.
If you factor in all of the above, you will see that my Mother is the best sales person ever. If you ever question your ability to sell think about this… thousands of loving adults sell the idea of Santa to millions of children each year. If they can pull off that sales miracle year in and year out… your sales job should be a piece of cake, or Christmas pie.
No matter how you celebrate this holiday season I hope that you will find the humor and love in this blog post.
Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your sales training life in 2016.
About this blogger:
Ryan Dohrn is an award winning sales coach and offers sales training to thousands of sales executives each year. He is also an international motivational speaker and the author of the best selling sales book, Selling Backwards. Ryan is the President and founder of Brain Swell Media, a boutique sales training and sales coaching firm with a detailed focus on sales training and coaching for media and technology companies. He is also the owner and Publisher of SalesTrainingWorld.com an online portal for sales training success.
Contact information:
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder, Brain Swell Media LLC
Publisher, SalesTrainingWorld.com
Ryan@BrainSwellMedia.com
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
Sales Training World Conference and Expo
The only event where you can learn from FIVE of the worlds best sales coaches in one venue! No conference tracks or break-out sessions. One venue, 5 amazing speakers. Plus, the most amazing sales focused networking events on the planet.
Who should attend? Rookies, veterans, sales managers.
Date and location coming soon!
We would love to hear from you about this event?
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What is the best date?
Please place your comments below. I would love to hear from you.
Ryan Dohrn, Publisher – Sales Training World
Webinar, 5 Ways To Exceed Your Sales Goals
Free sales training webinar presented by sales coach Ryan Dohrn. He will give you his 5 best tips to beat your sales goals. Simply press play on the video below. No registration or email required.
Want a copy of the slides from this webinar? Want to claim your free hour of sales coaching? Email Ryan: Ryan@BrainSwellMedia.com
Want a copy of the slides from this webinar? Want to claim your free hour of sales coaching? Email Ryan: Ryan@BrainSwellMedia.com
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