Month: May 2010

Don’t Qualify Leads, Disqualify Them!

by mike

People ask me all the time what separates the Top 20% producers from the other 80%, and I tell them it starts in the qualification stage.

The bottom line is that 80% of your competition is trying to create a qualified lead from prospects who will never buy, while the Top 20% producers are more interested in finding the real buyers — not in generating useless leads.

And the way they do that this is by disqualifying prospects rather than qualifying them.

The attitude shift here is what’s so important. 80% of sales reps are desperate to “fill their pipelines,” and will send out anybody with the pulse just so they have someone to pitch later on. Companies and sales managers train them in this way (a big waste of time and money), and then the sales reps spend their time chasing unqualified leads, getting rejected, practicing poor sales skills, and barely getting by.

It’s sad, but that’s how 80% of your competition spend their sales careers. This leads to poor morale, upset managers, and a lot of turn over.

The Top 20%, however, would never think of sending out unqualified leads and instead eliminate prospects who don’t fit their strict criteria of a buyer. The Top 20% are of the mindset to disqualify rather than qualify and usually send out the fewest leads in the office, but they have the highest closing rates and they make the most amount of money.

For the Top 20%, part of disqualification means stopping and questioning the “red flags” they get, and asking the tough questions about budget, real interest, timelines, and decision processes. When they are done with the qualification call they can tell you why the prospect will buy, what it will take, and in many cases they’ve asked trial closes and can tell you when the prospect will buy.

If you’re sitting at your desk right now, I know you know the difference between these two ways. And now you have a choice to make: either keep chasing unqualified leads, or step up to the plate and learn how to be a Top 20% producer.

Change Your Self Talk – Change Your Results

by mike

First of all, did you know that you are talking to yourself all day long? (You’re thinking, “Do I talk to myself? What does he mean, talk to myself? I don’t talk to myself!”) Psychologists estimate that you are talking to yourself at a rate of 1,200 to 1,500 words a minute (in contrast, when we speak aloud we can only go up to 250 words a minute and that’s if we’re talking REAL FAST).

The problem is that most of our self-talk is negative.  And even worse, we tend to believe our self-talk and that influences our performance – in a big way.  For example, have you ever stopped to listen to your self-talk after you missed a sale?  Mine used to go something like this:

“There I go again. I’m an idiot! I’m amazed I’ve ever made a sale. This product sucks, nobody is ever going to buy and I even knew he wouldn’t buy.  I wonder when lunch is – do I have enough money for lunch today? I wonder if I’ll make a sale this week – how am I going to pay the rent if I don’t close at least X amount of business. I wonder how long they’ll keep me, shoot, why didn’t I stay in college. I hate sales….”

Sound familiar? This is the self-talk (or some variation of it) of 80% of your competition. Not very empowering, is it? And the biggest problem with this is that it leads to even poorer performance. With self-talk like this, you automatically stop using effective sales techniques, you don’t qualify properly, you begin using negative, closed ended questions, etc., and you anticipate being blown out (and then give up).  In other words, poor self-talk leads to and creates poor sales performance.

Here’s the good news: The opposite is also true. When I committed to becoming a Top 20% producer, the first thing I did was begin to monitor and change my self-talk. When if missed a sale, I began to say:

“Gee, that wasn’t like me. Let me think about what didn’t go right with that and here’s what I’m going to do to change it. OK, I’ll use this line or I’ll ask this qualifying question next time, and here’s how I’m going to improve on my next sales call.”

Then I’d pick up the phone to prospect and say to myself, “OK, watch this, this will be much better!”

And it really worked! Suddenly, it was “like me” to use proper qualifying questions and to qualify red flags. Suddenly “I regularly” used my scripts and was “in the habit” of practicing perfection on each call.  And my performance and production reflected it. Within 90 days I was the top closer in the office.  And monitoring and changing my self-talk was a HUGE part of it.

I challenge you this week to begin getting accountable for what you say to yourself, and begin taking responsibility for your attitude. When you find something you don’t think is positive or helpful, don’t beat yourself up, but rather, change it to something more empowering. I’ve been using and teaching this (and other) attitude adjustment techniques for years and THEY WORK!

The bottom line is that your attitude determines how much of your ability, knowledge and desire you have. The question is, “What are you doing to improve yours?”

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

A Simple Lesson From the NFL to Close More Business

by mike

Ahhhhh…..  The NFL.  The start of the season is looming near.  I read a piece by Peter King from SI.com about his conversation with Ellis Hobbs – former cornerback with the New England Patriots.  He was talking about how much respect he had for head coach Bill Belichick.

He said, “Early in my career, Bill called me into his office, and we sat there – for a long time – studying film.  He taught me to look for the simple things, and not to make football so complicated.  I got better.  I was with one of the best coaches of all time, and he helped me become a better player.”

In sales, too, you can become a better producer if you concentrate on the simple things and doing them better.  Here are two things you can do starting today to increase your closing ratio and make more money:

1)     Keep a record of the reasons your prospects don’t close and then concentrate on  qualifying these on issues up front with future prospects.  This was one of the simplest and most effective habits I developed to get better.

I kept a notebook with all my prospects in it and every time they didn’t buy, I’d put in red ink the reason why not.  I even boiled it down to three codes: NI, for No Interest; NM for No Money; and NC for Not Controllable.  And then throughout the weeks and months I’d go back through my notebook and look for patterns and ask myself, “What do I need to focus on during the qualification stage?”

If too many prospects were not buying because they simply weren’t ready to buy right then “No Interest” needed to be addressed on the front call.  I’d start by asking more questions like:  “Prospect, if you find that this would work for you, what is your time frame for moving ahead with it?”

And so on.  Bottom line – if you don’t get it right on the front end then you’ll never increase your closing ratio.

2)     Ask for bigger orders on every close.  Oh I know, you’ve heard this before, right?  But how often do you actually do it?  So many sales reps are afraid to ask for too much and are just happy to get a minimum order.  I know because I used to be that way.

But my career turned around when I began asking for big orders on every single call.  And what I learned is that you never know how much a person or company can handle.  You can always go down (in price, quantity, etc.), but you can never go up.

The truth is, it’s all the same amount of work anyway, so why not ask for 2 times, or 3 times the minimum order and see what you get!  If only one in ten of your prospects buy the increased amount, how much more money would that mean to you?

The fun part about consistently asking for more is that you’ll end up getting more – and every time you do, you reinforce the habit to do it.  And as soon as you get a taste of closing bigger deals, you begin looking for and expecting them.  Try it and you’ll see for yourself – it’s one of the simplest things you can do to make a lot more money.

So there you have it – two simple ways of closing more business and making more money.  Just remember, as you’re reading this the NFL players and coaches are working on the simple things to improve.  You should be doing so, too!

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

How to Set SMART Goals

by mike

I don’t know about you, but now that’s it May, it’s time for me to identify my top priorities for the rest of the year, and then set some specific goals for their accomplishment.  I know the value of having specific goals in each area of my life, and by becoming clear on exactly where I want to be by the end of the year, I can begin feeling good now as I imagine myself as already having achieved them.  It’s an empowering way to live!

So many people still ask me what the secret to successful goal setting is, so I thought I’d share with you one of the basic principles of goal setting.  The most effective way to set goals is to start by using the SMART principles of goal setting.  SMART goals give you a proven format and a much better chance of following through and achieving them.  By the way, these SMART principles of goal setting also work extremely well when setting goals within a company, department, or sales team.  Here they are:

1)    Specific:  Goals must be specific.  You can’t say that you want more money, because if you did I’d hand you a dollar and BAM – you’d have more money!  How much more money?  Know all the details like: Where will it be kept?  (Bank account? Mutual Fund?  Stock Fund?  CD earning 4%?)  Where will it come from?  (Salary + Overtime?  Commission?  Bonus?  Sales Contest winnings?)

Knowing the specifics about your goal (in any area) helps you envision it more clearly, and anything you hold clearly in your mind you move towards that much faster.  Plus, having specific goals have the added benefit of being measurable.

2)    Measurable: The most important thing about a measurable goal is that it keeps you motivated. If you weren’t able to track your progress, you’d lose interest real quick.  Imagine a race without a finish line.  Or a sales contest without an end or way of telling who was winning.

By making your goals measurable, you’ll be able to get excited, stay motivated, and even reward yourself each time a new milestone is reached.

3)    Attainable: Not only must your goals be attainable, but they must be believable.  The number one rule for all goal setting is that you must set a goal that deep down you believe you can accomplish.  If not, then you’ll end up quitting as soon as the going gets tough.

In other words, you want to set a goal that is going to make you stretch a bit to achieve it, but don’t make it extreme.  Think about what would really excite you if you achieved it, and then think about what you are willing to do to actually to reach it.  Once you’ve identified something you really want and you believe is within your reach, then set it and go to work.

4)    Relevant: To be effective, especially in the long term, your goals should be relevant to your values and to what you consider to be meaningful.  Many goals get tossed by the wayside because in the course of working for them, people find they just aren’t willing to give up certain behaviors because the payoff of those behaviors is more important than the goals.

For example, if earning an additional $20,000 in the next six months is a goal you have, but it will require overtime every day, and working weekends, then you may quickly find that spending time with your family and watching football on Sunday are more important to you than the additional money.  If so, then ask yourself: What is a relevant goal in terms of money and your lifestyle?

In other words, what is really important to you, and what are you willing to do to reach a goal?

5)    Time-bound: Goals must have a starting point, a completion date, and even fixed durations (especially in work related situations).  Without specific deadlines, many goals get overtaken by the day to day activities and the demands of life.  If you set a goal in January to take an awesome vacation, then I’ll bet you’re still waiting to plan it.  Whereas if you set a goal to visit England and France before the kids go back to school, I’ll bet you’re leaving next week!

Now a word of clarification: While I believe some goals are more effective when they have a time line (especially goals that involve other people’s participation or contribution), I also believe that time lines on personal improvement goals can be counterproductive.  In these areas it’s best work on changing your self-image or picture first, because behavior and goal achievement will always follow.  But more on that later…

The bottom line is that SMART goals have a much higher chance for success than goals that don’t contain these time proven principles.  If you want to finish your year strong, then do yourself a favor and come up with 5, 8, or even 10 or more specific goals that you’re committed to achieving by the end of this year.

After you have them, make them SMART and you’ll be well on your way to a successful end of 2010.

Insurance Sales – How to Overcome the Top Three Objections

by mike

The good news about insurance sales – like all other sales – is that the set of objections and put offs you face is essentially the same.  In other words, day after day, in presenting your products and services, your prospects probably come up the same old objections they’ve been using for years.  Things like, “I’m happy with who I work with now”, and “Why change what I have already?” etc.  Because of this, you have a distinct advantage if, and this is a big if, you have taken the time to prepare in advance for these objections and then have practiced your responses so they sound easy, natural and convincing.

Below you’ll find three rebuttals to the most common objections you get when closing on your insurance products.  Remember, take the time to reword or rework them to fit your specific services or selling style, but after you do the key is to use them.

By the way, if you sell something besides insurance, there’s something in here for you, too.  How often do you here the “I’m happy with who I work with now,” or “Why should I change?” when trying to close on your products or services?

You see, objections are objections are objections.  Prospects and clients have been using the same ones for years because they work to blow off 80% of your competition.  But once you start using these rebuttals, you’ll find a way to get past them and present your products and services.

So, adapt, use and become more successful using these rebuttals:

Objection #1: “I’m happy with who I work with now”
“I’m glad to hear that __________, and I’m not here to come between the relationship you have with your current broker.  Instead, I’m only interested in making sure you have access to the best new vehicles to fit where you are in your life now.  You see, the issue with most insurance is that people tend to buy it and forget about it.  And the problem with that is that life, situations and responsibilities change and in most cases the insurance coverage gets neglected.

Let me ask you this:  When was the last time you had someone look at your existing coverage and compare it to what’s now available based on where you are in your life today?   Well here’s what I’m prepared to do for you – I’ll compare your current coverage and your current needs with what’s available today, and if you have the best coverage at the best rates, then I’ll tell you so.  And if I have a better vehicle at a better rate, and it makes sense to you, then you can decide what to do.  Either way you’ll win.  Is that fair enough?”

Objection #2: “It won’t happen to me”
“__________, when was the last time you totaled your car?  (usually never).  But you still have it insured for that loss, don’t you?  You see, that’s the thing about insurance – we buy it to protect us in advance in case something happens that we couldn’t afford to cover.  If we never use it, we’re grateful, and if we have to use it, we’re thankful.  Either way, insurance gives us both protection and peace of mind.

Now _________, if (the situation that you’re insuring for now) did happen, how happy are you going to be that you have coverage for it?  (probe here – “How would that affect your wife?  What would that give her in terms of time with the kids, etc?”)

_________ the little bit of premium you pay now provides you and your family (or business)  with a great deal of comfort and security.  It’s the right thing to do and I think you know it.  Let me ask you this: What kind of (monthly/quarterly) payments are you trying to stay within – perhaps I can adjust your policy or length of term to make this work for you…”

Objection #3: “Why change what I have?”
“I’m not saying you should change, and it may not make sense for you to change – that’s why I need to do some work for you to see if I can help you.  You see _________, most brokers write an insurance policy for their clients and then they’re off to make the next sale.  What they don’t do is what is perhaps the most important part of all – continue to assess their client’s changing needs and match them up with a newer vehicle that would get them more appropriate coverage – perhaps for even less money.

And that’s what I’m here to do for you today.  Let’s do this:  I’ll take a look at what you’ve currently got in terms of coverage and premium, and I’ll compare it to what your needs are today.  I’ll then review what is available to you and if there’s a better fit for you I’ll let you know about it.  If not, then I’ll let you know that as well.  In the end you get to decide what’s best for you.  Is that fair?”

Regardless of your industry, learning these rebuttals and preparing for the conversation before it happens is what is going to set you apart into the top 20%.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

How To Motivate Sales Teams In a Tough Economy

by mike

Sales reps have it tough today – not only are their clients and prospects harder to sell, but even their companies have pulled back a lot of the incentives they used to reward and motivate their performance.  It started back in December when many companies canceled their holiday parties and annual bonuses.  Then it continued as companies announced they were not contributing to their 401K plans and that any raises or increases in commissions would be postponed as well.

As the downturn continues, it threatens to squelch employee morale throughout organizations – from the sales reps, to customer service, all the way to accounting.  With little money for standard raises and cost of living increases, many companies are rediscovering the benefits and impact that little perks can have.

Sue Shellenbarger in The Wall Street Journal reports that corporations as diverse as Discovery Communications, Intel, and USAA have rolled out such new benefits as onsite child care, concierge services, and free massages.  Such perks may seem extravagant during lean times, but employers say it’s a way to keep top talent happy.  “While such benefits cost relatively little, they pack a big emotional wallop.”

In fact, the most effective perks aren’t always the priciest, said Carlos Bergfeld and Princess Calabrese in BNET.com.  “Studies show that cash incentives don’t stick in an employee’s mind: Most folks use the money to pay bills and later forget where it went.”  Instead, L.A.-based public relations firm JS Communications gives employees two free “I Don’t Want to Get Out of Bed” days.  Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery, best known for its flag ship Fat Tire ale, celebrates employees’ one-year anniversaries by giving them custom bicycles.  “It’s a couple hundred dollars for the bike,” says the company’s media director Bryan Simpson.  “But it means so much more.”

This is sound advice, and it shows the growing trend of how perks are becoming the new raise.  In my previous roles as sales manager and V.P. of Sales, I understand how recognition can mean much more to a sales rep’s morale than simply a cash bonus.  Here are a few inexpensive ideas you can begin implementing immediately that will have a big impact on morale and performance:

1)    Get a couple of trophies such as “Most new leads generated in a week,” or “Revenue Leader of the week.”  Each Monday present the award to the sales rep who led your team in these or other areas during the previous week.  Believe me this weekly recognition goes a long way in keeping moral up.
2)    Buy a Blu-Ray Hi Def DVD player for the closer or employee of the month award.  You can get them from Costco for $199.  Buy it in advance and show it off during the month – you’ll get great mileage for just a few dollars.
3)    Ask your employees to make suggestions as to the bonuses they would most like to receive.  Then pick one or two and offer them for the next few months.

I’m sure you can think of other bonuses that would have an impact on your sales team and other company employees.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to keep your employees motivated, but you do have to be a little more creative.  Just remember – just because you may not be able to hand out the bonuses your team is used to, it doesn’t mean you can’t still motivate them in other ways.

Put your thinking cap on and find ways that fit within your budget and let your team know how important they are.  The loyalty, security, and production you’ll create will be well worth the effort.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

How To Use Layering Questions

by mike

First, for those of you who have seen me live, you know that I am big on questioning your prospects during the qualification stage. As I’ve said – your prospects have all the answers as to why they will buy or not buy, and it is your job to get them to reveal this to you.

While asking well thought out, scripted questions is certainly a good start, you will get the most thorough and complete information if you learn to use layering questions.

Only the top sales reps use layering questions, and the reason they are so valuable is because they get your prospect to go a little deeper into an area of interest they have, or in an area of concern. By scripting out and using layering questions, you will be able to fully understand what is driving your prospect to make a decision, and/or why your prospect might not be ready to do business with you.

Obviously, knowing this information will move you that much closer to getting the sale.

Here are some examples of layering questions you can use during the prospecting phase to learn who and what is motivating the buying decision:

When qualifying to find out who is involved in the decision process, you’re going to start with a nice assumptive question like:

“Besides yourself, who else is involved in the decision process?”

And when they say their spouse, manager, or boss, etc., you then layer the question by asking –

“And what do you think they would do?” Or, “What direction are they leaning in regards to this?” Or, “What do they usually do in this kind of situation?”

Another example of effective layering questions to expose possible objections before you get ambushed by them while closing:

If your prospect is looking at other vendors:

“Tell me __________, who else are you looking at in regards to this solution?”

And your layering questions:

“And which companies look good to you so far?” Or, “Who are you leaning towards right now?” Or, “If you had to make a decision today, who would you go with?”

And then ask, “Why is that?”

You must listen carefully to each response you get because your prospects will often reveal the objection that is going to kill your sale later on. Top 20% reps would rather know this information NOW rather than send out their info, go through the trouble of trying to track them down, go through a long presentation, and then get the no. I’m sure you can understand why…

Layering questions are effective, powerful and easy to ask. If you want to get instantly better, then use the two above (or adapt them to your sale), and begin to write more of your own.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

3 Ways to Build Rapport In 30 Seconds

by mike

In today’s economy, where prospects are quick with the brush off, you’ve got to find a way to instantly establish rapport, differentiate yourself from all the other sales reps who are calling them, and build trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

While this sounds like a tall order, it can be even harder when you realize that you’ve got to do all this in the first 30 seconds of the phone call!

Here are three techniques you can begin using today to create ease, build rapport and get the person on the other end of the phone to trust you.

1)  Resist the urge to cut your prospect off – especially if they are giving you an initial negative response.

Your prospects get a lot of calls and they are good at, and quick to, blow sales reps off.  The problem that 80% of your competition is making is that they cut their prospects off and start combating their prospect’s initial blow off response.

The Better Way:  Hear your prospect out and be prepared to agree with them by having a scripted response that deals with their initial resistance.  Something like:

“ I understand ________, and I’m not calling to sell you anything today.  Rather, I’m here to see if there might be a fit between our two companies and if there is, then to offer you an additional resource you might be able to use later on.  Let me ask you…”

Hearing your prospect out, agreeing with them, and then offering a non-threatening value statement instantly allows your prospect to be heard, and distinguishes you from the other sales reps who are jumping all over them.

2)  Empathize with your prospect by asking how they are dealing with the economy.

Hey let’s face it, we’re all in the same boat regarding the economy, and if you’re feeling the strain, so is your prospect.  Rather than try to bulldoze them, why not empathize with them and try to see things from their perspective?  Try:

“I completely understand, how are you dealing with the economy these days?” or
“I’m sure it’s rough for you as well, tell me, how are you making things work in this business climate?” or
“I’m with you.  How long have you been working in that position?  What changes have you had to make to survive in today’s economy?”

Getting your prospect talking by showing genuine interest will go a long way to building trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

3)  Be prepared to be positive.

At the end of a phone call – no matter how short – somebody’s attitude has been transferred to the other person.  Unfortunately, the prospect’s negative doom and gloom attitude usually infects the bottom 80%.  That’s why it’s so hard for them to pick up the phone.

The Top 20%, on the other hand, understand this, are prepared for their prospect’s negative responses and attitudes, and make it their goal to enter the call on a positive note and to transfer their positive, enthusiastic attitude to their prospect by the end of the call.

They do this by being prepared with positive statements they use in response to the negativity they get all day long.  Things like:

Prospect: “We’re not spending any money on that right now.”

Top 20%: “Some companies aren’t, but there are many who recognize that this is the ideal time to capture market share and position themselves for the economic upturn that is coming.  Let me ask you this – if you saw a way to earn an immediate ROI on just a small investment, where could you clear up $_______ to take advantage of it?” or

“Prospect: “In today’s economy I’m just lucky to have a job!”

Top 20%:  “I know what you mean, and if you want to keep that job, now’s the time to be proactive and show some real initiative.  Here’s what other managers I’m speaking with are doing to strengthen their position and even build value in their services…..”

By being prepared with positive statements to the constant negativity you’re getting all day long, you’ll not only stay positive yourself, but also spread that vibe throughout the economy.  And that’s the real economic stimulus plan this economy needs.

These three techniques will work for you if you begin using them.  The bottom line is that if you don’t adapt what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, then you will continue to get blow off the phone and you’ll struggle to make sales.

If you do begin using these techniques, then you’ll position yourself to become a Top 20% performer.  Try them for yourself and watch your confidence – and sales – grow.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

How To Successfully Handle Objections

by mike

If you’re like most sales reps, you hate to get objections. Your stomach aches, your palms start to sweat, and you can literally see your commissions fly out the window.

And, if you’re like most sales reps, when you begin dealing with objections one of two things happen:

1) After you answer them, your prospect gives you another, then another objection and you go on the defensive…or

2) In answering the objection you tend to talk past the close, and you actually INTRODUCE more questions or objections! Now that’s a sick feeling, isn’t it?

Want an easier way to deal with the objections you get over and over again? Here’s how to do it:

First, learn to listen. Don’t be so quick to interrupt your prospect because often times the way to overcome their objection is actually in the objection itself…

Second, if you don’t know how to respond to their objection, or don’t even understand what the objection is (which is the case for 80% of sales reps), ask for clarification. An effective technique is:

“Hum… I’m not sure I follow you, what exactly do you mean?”

This is a great technique because in restating their objection, many times prospects will either give you the answers you need, or sometimes they’ll even explain away their objection.

Third, after your prospect has clarified their objection and you fully understand what it is, you should always isolate it before answering it! Again, you must be patient and give your prospect every opportunity to help you deal with their objection.

Let’s use “The Price is too high” objection since it’s the most common. Most sales reps have been taught to build value to justify their price, or drop close to a lesser amount, or try to negotiate in some other way. While these techniques are valuable tools, they should only be used after you isolate the objection. Here’s what you say:

“I understand __________, and let’s put the price aside for a moment and make sure this (product or service) is something that will work for you. Let me ask you, if price weren’t an issue here, in other words, if this fit in with what you were willing to pay, would you go ahead and put me and my company to work for you?”

This one technique is the most powerful closing tool you’ll ever use in dealing with objections. Sadly, it’s used less than 10% of the time, and that’s the reason I keep getting emails asking me what the best way of dealing with objections is.  My suggestion to you today is to incorporate these two techniques and to see for yourself how much easier objection handling becomes for you.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

The 5 Secrets of Winning Emails

by mike

Years ago voice mail was all the rage. There was no e-mail, so people tended to honor and even return their voice mail messages. It was a good time…

But that’s history now. Email has changed everything, and people now hit the delete button on their voice mail messages the instant they hear something they don’t like — which is usually when it’s a message from an unknown inside sales rep. What to do?

The good news is people still respect email, and I think it’s become the primary mode of communication between business people (and everyone else for that matter). The even better news is that there are 5 secrets that will set your emails apart from the thousands of others your prospects get, and if you use these 5 secrets when constructing your emails, you’ll have the best chance at getting yours read and returned.

Wouldn’t that be refreshing?

Here’s what they are:

Email Secret #1: Use the prospect’s first name in the subject line. Putting your prospect’s name in the subject line (first name) will automatically distinguish your email from the hundreds of others your prospect gets. In addition, we’re all partial to our own name, and this will draw your prospect’s eyes like a magnet. Good start, huh?

Email Secret #2: Customize the first few lines of your email as much as possible. Many people preview your emails by reading the first paragraph in Outlook, and the beginning better be short and have immediate value to your prospect. Some like:

“Hi Barbara, Mike Brooks here with HMS software. I’ve got some ideas about your networking issues for your new office that’s opening in Houston next month. We’ve helped a lot of companies in this area, and I think you’ll find it useful if we talk.”

Again, keep it short, to their point, and provide immediate value.

Email Secret #3: Keep your email short and easy to read! Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs. Their eyes will glaze over! Break up your sentences into paragraphs if possible to make them easy to read and accessible. I say no more than 3 sentence paragraphs

Email Secret #4: Ask for a return response – whether they are interested or not. This is a great way to end your email and a good way to get a response. Simply thank them in advance for their consideration and that you’re looking forward to their response on this.

Email Secret #5: Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond. Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that out of consideration if you don’t hear from them you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two. This really increases your response rate and be happy when you get a “not interested” response. These prospects just disqualified themselves and saved you a lot of time and energy.

On the other hand, there will be others who don’t respond and they become your follow up leads!

These are the 5 secrets to emails, and believe me they work! Take a few minutes right now to script out some of the outline of your emails and then fill in the details as you need to per prospect. And then watch your contact, response and success rate skyrocket!

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