I didn’t like cold calling, so I got around the problem by sending emails to potential customers. I’d start with a catchy subject line and a compelling opening paragraph that explained how my software could solve their specific problem – nothing too salesy or pushy.
Then, I’d list the benefits of using my software and add in some social proof. At the end of it all, I’d include a clear call-to-action that incentivized them to reply as soon as possible.
After triple-checking my spelling and grammar, I’d press ‘send’ and wait for their response to come through in about an hour (in reality, it was six hours later).
When it did arrive, though, the customer would be on board! Over time, this email strategy helped me triple my response rates from 15% to 50%! So if you’re looking for creative ways to generate leads without having to make cold calls……
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Implementing personalized and tailored pitches |
| 2. Analyzing and optimizing pitch content and structure |
| 3. Leveraging data and case studies for credibility |
| 4. Utilizing effective storytelling techniques |
| 5. Promptly following up with prospects for engagement |
| 6. Addressing objections with empathy and solutions |
| 7. Continuously testing and refining pitch strategies |
Identify Your Target Audience
Looking at the big picture, this is the first step in figuring out how to sell your product, service, or idea.
Identify your target audience.
This may seem basic and obvious but it’s not as simple as it sounds. You need to know their needs and wants, pain points, demographics (age range, etc.), buying habits, and preferred communication channels.
For example, if you’re selling a gym membership then perhaps you want to focus on millennials because they are more likely to be health-conscious than older people who might have less time for exercise than younger people do.
Or if you’re selling software for small businesses then focus on those with fewer than 100 employees as these would be more likely to use software over traditional office equipment like fax machines or computers
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Focus On One Message Per Email
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen salespeople make is including too much information in their emails.
They send out the same pitch to dozens of prospects, hoping that one of them will bite.
But it turns out this approach can backfire it’s harder for your audience to find the information they need if you throw everything at them in one email, and they may miss key parts of your message or just get confused by all the details.
Instead, focus on sending each prospect one relevant message at a time (and then following up with more emails as you get closer to making a sale). That way, they’ll find what they need easily and won’t get overwhelmed by extraneous data points or ideas.
Don’t Send Emails On Tuesdays Or Thursdays
While you may have heard that the best time to send emails is during lunchtime, or on the weekend, it turns out that your B2B sales pitches will get the most responses if you send them on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
That’s right you should never send emails on a Friday! These are prime days for people to be checking their inboxes and making plans, so expect an avalanche of responses when you do decide to fire off your next email.
What about Saturday mornings? While they’re probably okay (after all, people are awake), research shows that these are also some of the worst times to hit “send.”
That’s because Saturdays are when many people are planning their week and booking meetings with colleagues and clients alike. So while they may not be able to respond right away, they’ll remember seeing your email in their inboxes later in the day.
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Find Out The Exact Time To Send Your Emails
Your sales emails should be sent at the right time.
If you’re a B2B company, then chances are you use Salesforce or Hubspot to send your emails. You must know when exactly to send them for them to be as effective as possible.
There are many tools out there that can help with this: Boomerang or Yesware for Gmail users, Saleswhale or Streak for Outlook users, Rapportive or Contactually for Gmail users, and Salesforce/Hubspot if you use both platforms.
These will all allow you to schedule emails so they go out when the recipient is more likely to respond (i.e., if they have an open rate higher than 20%).
NEVER Address An Email With “Dear Sir Or Madam”
Never address an email with “Dear Sir or Madam.” It’s impersonal, it makes you seem like a robot and it doesn’t say anything about who you are. Instead, use their name in the opening paragraph.
If you don’t know the person’s name, try looking them up on LinkedIn or Google for a hint about their first name.
Use “Hi” instead of just “Hey” when addressing someone directly. It sounds more familiar and friendly than Hey! Plus, if your sales pitch is going to be coming from your company as opposed to yourself (such as in cases where multiple people are pitching).
Hi could also be used in place of “Hello” or “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening” since it implies that everyone is communicating together instead of just one person talking to another person over email!
Use To: YOURNAME@EMAILADDRESSESOFYOURCHOICE when sending out emails so that recipients can reply directly back to YOU rather than having all responses funneled through your inbox (which means less work for YOU)!
Also, make sure each response comes back into YOUR account so that only those who choose want access will see what others write! If possible get EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY TO DO THIS but sometimes money gets tight 🙂
Write A Compelling Subject Line
The subject line is a crucial part of your email marketing campaign because it’s the first thing people will see when they open your emails. The goal of a good subject line is to entice readers to click on and read more about what you have to offer.
Here are some tips for writing great subject lines:
Make sure your subject line is clear and concise. Don’t waste time with lengthy sentences or verbose explanations. Use short, powerful words that clearly describe what the email contains, such as “New Product Launch” or “Important Announcement.”
Use the recipient’s name in the email if possible (e.g., “John Smith”). This can help remind them who you are when they open their inboxes later and don’t remember who sent them an email recently.
Especially if there are many other emails from unfamiliar senders cluttering up their mailboxes!
It also shows respect for their personal preferences by including something familiar like their names instead of just using broad generalizations such as “Customer” or “Contractor.”
You could even try using both first AND last names if applicable since that would allow recipients to know exactly who was being referenced without having any ambiguity whatsoever about whether or not this message was meant just for THEM specifically versus everyone else receiving similar messages simultaneously across multiple channels at once!”
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Start With A Powerful Intro That Shows How You Can Help
There are many reasons why your pitch might not be performing as well as you’d like it to. Perhaps your offering doesn’t connect with a prospect’s needs, or maybe they just have no idea where to start when it comes to making a decision.
A great sales pitch is all about addressing the pain points that prospects experience and showing how you can help them overcome them by using your product or service.
By starting with an intro that shows how you can help, you show the prospect that they have come to the right place and make it much easier for them to proceed through your letter.
Mention The Recipient’s Name Twice In The First 50 Words Of Your Email
The first 50 words of your email should be dedicated to the recipient. The most important part of an email is the name of the recipient. If you can’t remember it, that’s okay you can look it up in your address book.
But make sure you mention their name twice within those first 50 words: once in sentence one, and again in sentence two.
If you’re sending this person something for the first time, then mention their name three times: twice within the first 50 words AND once at least 10 words into your message (this way they know who they are).
Write Like You Talk – Avoid Using Jargon And Overly Complicated Words And Phrases
Do you know how it is when you’re talking to your friends? You don’t speak formally, and you don’t use complicated words. You use the same words as everyone else, and often people understand what you are saying without even thinking about it.
This is what you should aim for in your B2B sales pitches – write as you talk. Avoid using jargon that only a few people know about and overly complicated words or phrases that will make the reader have to think hard to understand what you mean.
Writing like this also means avoiding using the passive voice (the “by Joe Smith was killed by Bob Brown last night after he attacked him with his ax while they were playing golf) because it makes things sound long-winded and difficult to read.
You should also avoid long sentences because they make reading difficult – if someone can’t understand one sentence then they won’t be able to understand two or three merged either!
You should also avoid using long words such as ‘crenulated’ unless there is no alternative word available that means roughly the same thing (like ‘notched’). Using overly complicated language can lead people off in different directions – so choose your vocabulary wisely!
Finally, avoid using first-person pronouns like “I” or second-person pronouns like “you.” It’s not very friendly sounding when someone asks us how we’re doing and we reply with: “I’m fine thanks!”
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Use First-Person Pronouns Like ‘i’ Or ‘we’
Let’s face it: no one wants to feel like a number. When someone is reading your copy, they want to be able to relate to you and the product you’re selling. One way of doing this is by using first-person pronouns like “I” or “We.”
This will create a personal connection between you and your reader, making them more likely to respond favorably to an offer. Additionally, it shows that you are part of the company and team which also makes customers feel more comfortable about working with you!
Keep It Short Don’t Write More Than Five Sentences In The Body Of Your Email
There is only so much attention your email can get. It’s all too easy to write a long sales pitch, but it’s more difficult to convince the recipient to take action.
So, if you want a strong response rate from your emails, keep them short and sweet. Make sure each paragraph has one clear point, and avoid writing more than five sentences in the body of your email.
Make sure that each paragraph has one clear point! Don’t make them longer than three sentences: that’s probably too many for any person who’s not an English major or professional writer (and even then…).
If someone wants more information on what you’re offering them, they’ll ask for it – don’t force-feed it at them!
Forget About Being Clever Or Witty. Get To The Point Quickly!
Don’t be clever or witty. Once you have the attention of your audience, get to the point quickly! People are busy and don’t want to waste time on unnecessary pleasantries or small talk.
Don’t use long-winded sentences. Long sentences tend to confuse people because they’re not sure where you’re going with them, which makes it harder for them to follow along and understand what you’re saying.
Don’t use complicated words or phrases that may be unfamiliar to your audience, such as jargon (words used by a particular group of people in an industry).
Using jargon can make it harder for people who aren’t familiar with the concept at hand or industry-specific language as well as those who do know what you mean but still struggle with its definition.
Because it sounds too technical when spoken aloud instead of written down on paper in plain English terms that anyone could understand without having any prior knowledge about anything beforehand!
Add A Sense Of Urgency To Encourage Action In The Next 24 Hours
There’s a way to make your B2B sales pitch even more effective: add a sense of urgency.
This is one of the most important things you can do when you’re trying to sell something in person, and it works for email too.
For example, my friend Brad has a product launch coming up soon, so he sent me an email with this subject line: “It’s almost time.” It was sent at 9 PM on Friday and that was it. No other information or links were included in the body of the email.
He just wanted me to know that his product would be available soon and asked if I had any questions about it before making his purchase decision.
The next morning (Saturday) around 6 AM I got another email from him with this subject line: “Last chance!”
Again there was no further explanation given, but clearly, he wanted me to understand that this particular deal was ending soon and though there might be others coming down the pipeline later on in time (if ever), they wouldn’t be as good as this one because… well… duh!
Understand your B2B audience to unlock success. Check out these 15 ways to get into the head of your B2B audience and tailor your marketing approach for maximum impact.
Make Your Call-To-Action Clear And Easy To Respond To
Tell them what you want them to do. If you’re asking for an email, be clear about this in the body of the email. Don’t leave it up to interpretation or assume they know what you mean to make sure they know exactly how they can respond.
Make it easy and obvious how to respond. If there are multiple ways for someone to reply, make them as easy as possible by using simple language and outlining each option clearly. For example: “Please reply with your name and phone number.”
Use a link for people who prefer responding via email; alternatively, include an alternative method like a phone number or address if there’s one available on your website that isn’t already linked from somewhere else (like an FAQ section).
Set some kind of time limit so people don’t lose interest! No matter how good your offer is at first glance, there will always be some who decide not to get involved after considering things further.
This is usually due to fear of commitment (a fear which increases once we start thinking too much).
By including a deadline/time limit in your request, you’re giving prospects something concrete upon which they can base their decision-making process: either act now or miss out forever!
Conclusion
It’s clear that the process of creating a successful email pitch cannot be tackled overnight; it takes time and effort to craft a message that resonates with your audience. It also requires being open-minded about what works best, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
Measure every step along the way and adjust accordingly. And if you do find yourself struggling with any of these steps, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further explore the topic of B2B sales pitches:
LeadSquared – Crafting an Effective Sales Pitch Learn the art of creating a persuasive B2B sales pitch and discover techniques to engage and convert potential clients effectively.
Cience – Mastering the B2B Sales Pitch Delve into the strategies that make a B2B sales pitch successful, from understanding your audience to delivering a compelling value proposition.
Drip – B2B Sales Pitch Examples for Inspiration Explore real-world B2B sales pitch examples that demonstrate various approaches and tactics you can use to make your pitches stand out.
FAQs
What are the key components of a successful B2B sales pitch?
A successful B2B sales pitch comprises several crucial elements, including a clear value proposition, tailored solutions, understanding the client’s pain points, and demonstrating how your offering addresses their specific needs.
How can I make my B2B sales pitch more engaging?
To make your B2B sales pitch more engaging, focus on storytelling, use data and case studies to support your claims, and personalize your approach by addressing the prospect’s challenges directly.
What strategies can I use to overcome objections during a B2B sales pitch?
When facing objections during a B2B sales pitch, active listening, empathetic responses, and providing relevant solutions can help address concerns effectively and build trust with the potential client.
How can I tailor my B2B sales pitch for different industries?
To tailor your B2B sales pitch for different industries, research each industry’s specific pain points and challenges. Customize your value proposition and examples to resonate with the target industry’s needs.
What role does follow-up play after delivering a B2B sales pitch?
Follow-up is crucial after a B2B sales pitch to maintain momentum and address any additional questions or concerns the prospect might have. It shows your dedication and willingness to provide further assistance.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.