Receiving fast email response with clients and co-workers is always an area of focus for our sales training partners in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto. Every Salesperson would love to see their buyers react to their emails quickly. An unanswered email internally can hold back necessary actions that directly involve buyers. However, we all suffer from the frustration of stalled emails. So, what can we do to speed up the process and likelihood of a quick response? Read on to learn 3 ways that will fast track the process for you.
A great Mentor shared a thought with me one day that has stuck with me for years:
The priority that you have for your clients is not the same priority that they have for you.
This is so simple it should be obvious, yet it answers so many questions we have when waiting for an email response from a buyer or colleague in our office. Remember and repeat it next time you throw your hands in the air. It’s all about priorities, workload and what people must deal with during their day which is always more than time permits. That means your email may get pushed to the side for something that is deemed to be more important at that time.
However, there are things that we can do to make it easier to convince the recipient to respond quickly. Here are 3 great ones courtesy of Bob Villeneuve – a Sales Manager from Shalit Foods – one of our Toronto-based sales training clients. Thanks for the insight and permission to use your suggestions, Bob!
3 Great Ways to Get Fast Email Response
- Always address, by name, the individual the email is directed to. Emails that open with words like everyone, gang or folks are less likely to be read and actioned upon by those you’re targeting. People tend to assume they are just being copied and kept informed. If you are using a group address, leave no room for confusion as to who it is directed towards. This causes the recipient to clearly understand that the email is being sent to them while being copied to other people who should be aware of the information within.
- Emails should have call-to-action for as few people as possible. It’s not ideal to ask a customer for feedback and then ask an internal colleague for shipping details and finance for a price quote in the same email. It’s very likely someone will not see their part of what is needed. Help the reader focus on what is important to them. Emails should be about effective communication, not what is most convenient for us – the sender.
- Own your communication with your buyer. Keep your internal and external communications separate. When you’re looking for information from a vendor or internally it’s best practice in most cases not to copy your customer on this. By owning the communication, you reduce the risk of misunderstanding and the possibility of a reply-all sharing information that muddies the waters.
Imagine a worst-case scenario where you accidentally share confidential internal information with a buyer. We’ve all experienced our own personal what-was-I-thinking email when we tried to accomplish too much with too many people. It’s also acceptable to break up a thread in your reply as opposed to reply-all when you think someone in the original list of recipients simply doesn’t need to be involved.
Bob goes further to share with his Sales Team this – if the above suggestions seem overwhelming or too time consuming, it’s a sign that your focus is spread too thin. Keep working a manageable list of customers and sales opportunities so that you can work them both professionally and thoroughly.
Don’t Fall into the Fallacy that More is Better
The key is to think about the goal of the email. Focus on simplicity and fight the urge to copy extra people. When we get copied on an email with a multitude of other people, we seem to unconsciously think that our personal responsibility and accountability is diluted.
Slow Down and Re-Read Before You Hit Send
Let me add my own thoughts. Read the email several times before you hit send and think of each recipient. We’ve all read an email from our sent items and done the head shake in regret.
Here are some of the dangerous questions email recipients may ask themselves:
What is this email really about?
What’s my role or required action?
Who is supposed do what?
When is this due?
Will delaying my reaction be the wrong decision?
The Right Mindset for a Fast Email Response
Don’t give your primary recipient a reason to pass over your email for the next one that seems far easier to act on and remove from their Inbox.
If we tell our clients that we’re customer-focused it should be apparent in our communication with them.
What do you think? Do you have any great suggestions with emails you’d like to share? I’d love to see your comments. Are you looking for sales tools to sharpen your skills and always be at the top of your game? Check out our book SHUT UP! Stop Talking and Start Making Money available on Amazon. If you prefer online sales training, check out the free trial of our course The Sales Skills Incubator.
Thanks!
Dave Warawa – PROSALESGUY
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