Peter Tran (on Marketing Professionals Know-how Exchange Forum) wanted to follow up with the leads his company had gathered at a conference. He wrote this email and posted it to the forum for review:
“Hello Mr/Ms. Blank,
I am Peter Tran from _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ . You spoke with one of our representatives at the Sapphire Conference and I would like to follow up with you regarding your SAP Security. As you learned at the conference, our security design strategy and products can help you reduce security administration costs, improve Sarbanes – Oxley compliance, simplifies and streamlines approvals, and stops fraud. Our tools will save you money and make your job 20 times easier.
I will contact you tomorrow just in case this email does not find its way to you. If you have any immediate questions, please do not hesitate to reach me a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . In the mean time you can visit our website at www._ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _.com. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Respectfully,
Peter Tran”
My first thought was that it sounded more like a phone script than an email.
But the real problem is that it’s a sales pitch, instead of a problem-solving pitch. I don’t know what subject line he was planning to include, but why would a prospect open this?
It’s just another email from a pesky salesman trying to sell something. He hasn’t given a good reason why the recipient would want to talk to him, or even given them a choice about it. He’s going to call tomorrow (convenient or not). Ouch!
Trust First, Pitch Later
It’s not clear what his product does, or why anyone would want to buy it. He’s got some buzzwords that sound vaguely financial (Sarbanes-Oxley, stopping fraud), but they’re buried and there’s no clear benefit.
Give the Prospect Clear Reasons to Talk to You
Pique their interest so they WANT to talk to you. How does it make their jobs 20 times easier? Does it save time? Minimize paperwork? Reduce the stress of complying with complicated financial reporting requirements?
Offer them something they’ll find useful, such as a special (free) report: “Cut Your Sarbanes-Oxley Paperwork by 25%”
Market with Permission
Get consent on the date and time. Tomorrow may be convenient for you, but not for them. Offer a choice. Gauge their interest before wasting their time (and yours).
They have to know, like, and trust you first, before they’ll buy.