We dive into ‘show me you know me’ – how to write small business sales emails right – with Samantha McKenna, Founder, and CEO, of #samsales Consulting
When was the last time you personalized your small business sales email outreach? Generic mass sales emails have a 6x less chance of being opened than ones directly addressing your prospect by name and tackling their specific corporate pain points.
“I think the most important thing we are missing these days is the element of personalization – the element of ‘show me you know me’. Many large and small organizations focus on getting as many sales emails out to as many potential prospects as possible – and miss the mark. They are still thinking about volume play and less about the quality of play,” noted Samantha McKenna, Founder, and CEO at #samsales Consulting.
Small business owners must consider quality play and focus on getting their sales emails read. This means connecting directly with the person you want to sell to. Your prospect’s inboxes are full of unsolicited emails with generic subject lines that aren’t relevant to their department, company, or focus – and they hit delete on every one of them.
So, how do we as small business owners make sure that we stand out when we are reaching out to our prospects? It starts with the first sentence of our sales outreach email. If that email gives any hint that it is a sales email, it is going to get deleted or sent to spam unless we personalize it.
Sam dives into her top tips for an email that will boost your open rate.
#Samsales top tips for a successful email
- Nail your small business sales email subject line; getting someone to open your sales email is half the challenge. Use your subject line to address your specific target’s pain point. The more relevant it is, the more likely your email will get opened.
- Show them you know them in the first sentence and ensure you have an authentic tie to that person; check out their LinkedIn profile for things you can use, such as shared interests, groups, focus, or hobbies.
- Make a smooth transition. For example: ‘I could talk about (shared interest) all day, but the real reason for my outreach is XYZ.’ That XYZ needs to be specific, tangible, and practical to that buyer persona.
- Think about what your prospect is focused on. Are they focused on meeting their end-of-year goals? Are they planning for next year and looking for solutions? Can you tie something specific and tangible and practical to how you can solve a challenge that they have?
- When you talk about what you can do for them, look at how you and your company can solve a challenge and how you can support them.
- What is their possible forthcoming objection? You must consider their likely objection to your sales pitch and get around that.’
Another top tip? Pick up the phone. Follow your cold outreach up with a simple phone call – and do not pitch straight away.
It is much better to connect with good prospects in person, address their pain points, and build a relationship. There is nothing better than a call, and even if you do not pitch, you will have made a relationship and glued yourself into your prospect’s minds when they need your products or services.
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Samantha McKenna, Founder and CEO of #samsales Consulting is an award-winning sales leader, brand ambassador for LinkedIn, angel investor, board member, and highly sought-after speaker. She has broken nearly 15 sales records, believes great sales are rooted in exceptional manners, and consistently looks for opportunities to continue growing the company’s philanthropic efforts. Since 2008, Sam has worked for some of the most notable names in the Bay Area, including ON24 and LinkedIn. While with these organizations, Sam spent her time as an individual contributor in Enterprise sales before moving to scaling teams and revenue as an executive leader. With more than 30,000 LinkedIn followers, Sam has inspired sales professionals with her tangible sales tips and actionable advice used daily by executives and teams alike. Sam has been named a Top 50 Women in Revenue and Top 20 Women in Sales Leadership, appears as one of the faces of LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s marketing campaigns, and has been named a Top Ten LinkedIn Sales Star several times over. She has a deep commitment to helping women succeed – particularly those who are military spouses – as well as individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. Sam is dedicated to shining a light on her trademark Show Me You Know Me and #givefirst mantras – and together with her team, raised over $50,000 for charity in 2021 alone with the innovative #samsales ‘Show Me You Know Me’ Charity Event. In its first 24 months, #samsales Consulting has scaled to multi-million-dollar revenue and added 17 talented team members. The #samsales team serves over 100 clients, achieved 312% of its first annual revenue goal, and surpassed all reason with 233% YoY growth in its second year!
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