Prospecting with Email – The Truth About Prospecting

Email is a very valuable prospecting tool.  However, it can be beneficial or a huge waste of time.  In this episode learn how to use it to your advantage.  Used correctly, email can help keep your pipeline full.

My primary use of email may surprise you.  I assume prospects will not read or even see it before my next interaction with them.  I don’t compose an email with the intention of prospects reading the content.

Perhaps I walk into a business when they are particularly busy.  I quickly realize there is no hope of making a sale that day.  So, I say, “Hey, no problem at all.  Would you mind if I just emailed you some information?”  Ironically, the business owners love to agree because that means they’re getting rid of me!  They know an email doesn’t have to be seen or answered anyway.  Thus, they give me their card.

An email could be sent on the spot or back at the office.  However, I prefer to batch email prospecting.  Otherwise, it can take over your day.  Probably I would take thirty minutes or an hour early the next morning to send my emails.  One would be to this particular business owner.  I use template emails or the “canned response” option on gmail.  The content isn’t important since I don’t anticipate the prospect reading it anyway.  The primary reason for sending the email is to have a great excuse to call or visit again.  The content of the email will concern whatever I want to talk about with the prospect next.

Now I can call the prospect and say, “Hey Bill.  Talking with you was great.  I was in there yesterday for a minute when you guys were real busy.  Then I sent you that email as you asked.  Hopefully, you got a chance to review that, but I just want to cover a couple things really quick.  Do you have a minute for me?”  This use of wording will leverage the guilt of the prospect.  I want the emotional response, “Oh yeah, I did tell that guy to email me!  He actually did! Now he’s following up on the email I was supposed to read but which I, of course, deleted.”  Now he feels terrible and will give a minute of time to listen.

To walk back into the business is even better than a phone call.  That’s why I like to prospect in one geographic area for a little while.  I’ll walk in and say, “Hey Bill.  How’s it going?  I sent you that email like you asked yesterday.  I didn’t know if you got a chance to read it yet or not?”  The response is always “no.”  I don’t think I’ve ever had a prospect say the email was read!  Then I go on to say, “No problem at all.  Let me tell you what I had in there.” Thus, I use the email to introduce whatever topic I want to discuss.  That is the primary use of emails for prospecting.

Another beneficial use of emails is mass marketing.  Some of you may have seen on my LinkedIn profile that I rolled out a new company.  It is software billing for self-storage units.  One strategy I’m using is to create a podcast episode.  Each week I plan to interview self-storage property managers.  Then I’ll promote this podcast by emailing it to everybody who has ever given us an email address.  This is a way of keeping my name in front of even those who are not interested at the time.

To get one thousand email addresses is not as hard as you would think.  If you walk into a hundred businesses each week, you can probably get one thousand email addresses in a year.  Do what I’m doing – interview a local business owner in your area on a podcast.  Local business owners love that!  Put it on your Facebook page or send it via email.  Out of a thousand emails, you will eventually receive three or four responses.

I am super excited to get our self-storage list up to that point.  One big goal for my use of a call center is getting those email addresses.  I know the more of those I have, the more often I’ll get three or four responses.  Someone may say, “You know, I saw that before.  I remember that.  I’m actually interested now.”  I want to get email addresses as quickly as possible because they are important for prospecting.  That is the mass email approach.

Hopefully this episode has helped you better integrate email into your prospecting methodology.  This is how email can be beneficial rather than a waste of time.

Read Yesterday’s Post Here:  “Desperation” – The Reason You Cannot Close Deals

“Desperation” – The Reason You Cannot Close Deals

Read the next post here:  Using Social Media For Merchant Services Prospecting

Using Social Media For Merchant Services Prospecting