Online communication has its place, but be careful when using it for sales
Question:
I sometimes find it difficult to connect with customers and potential customers via the telephone. Yet I don’t like some of the lengthy e-mails that I get from people who seem to have little else to do. When is it appropriate to use e-mail for contact?
Answer:
E-mail has certainly become a common business tool. It’s often easier to fire off an e-mail than to call and play phone tag. However, e-mail is sometimes misused. Most customers receive so many e-mails they can’t possibly read them all. So they scan for those they recognize and those they feel will be of value. The rest get dumped.
Certainly e-mail is an appropriate means of communication. Yet if you’re concerned about whether or not you should use a customer’s e-mail address, why not just ask? You may ask something like, "How would you prefer that I communicate with you? Is e-mail OK?" Your customer will appreciate your respect for his or her time.
Be careful about using e-mail as a prospecting tool. If you are using it as a means of generating interest and response, that’s one thing. If, however, you’re hiding behind e-mail instead of making that first contact, you’re missing the point. Your first contact with a potential customer is very important. It’s an opportunity to gather information, qualify needs and build rapport. E-mail is limiting in that respect.
And you’re right to be concerned about lengthy or inappropriate e-mails. For some reason, people tend to get lax with e-mails, writing garble that they wouldn’t dream of sending via mail or leaving on voice mail. Following the basic rules of grammar and punctuation will help separate you from some of the more sloppy e-mail authors.
Here are some guidelines that may help to ensure that your e-mails are read and not seen as a nuisance.
Use meaningful subject headings. Business executives receive more daily e-mails than they would care to. If the subject line isn’t clear and to the point, it will most likely be overlooked. If you list your e-mail as "urgent", it better be so or you run the risk of not being taken seriously in the future.
Be clear in your request. E-mail is not a good venue for "shooting the breeze". Include the type of response you would like from the recipient of the e-mail, and by when. As you would with an initial sales call, make sure you stress the value for the recipient early in your message. For example, if you are e-mailing a customer to set an appointment, don’t set off in a lengthy explanation of who you are and what you do. Instead, tell the person what you can do for his or her business and why the person should meet with you. Then suggest a time.
Keep it short and sweet. Brevity is key with e-mail. If you need to send a lengthy document, then do so with an attachment. Consider calling the customer to give a "heads up" to expect a document from you. That way, the person will be looking for your document rather than resenting it. As with any communication, written or verbal, make sure that what you send matters to the customer.
Remember, the world could be watching. When I was a child, a wise person once told me never to put anything in writing that I wouldn’t want my parents to read. I’ve carried that principle into adult life, as well. The fear isn’t that your message will be broadcast throughout the online world, rather what will happen to the document once it’s received. It can be forwarded to anyone with your comments or confidential information attached to it.
Think before you send. With most e-mail systems, once you’ve pushed the button, there’s no turning back. Never send an e-mail when you’re upset. It’s a good policy to save a hot-tempered note in your in-box until you’re certain that you want to send it. A good rule of thumb is to sleep on it and make modifications in the morning.
Don’t overuse the carbon copy (CC). Avoid copying everyone in your address book. Make sure that they are really involved or need to be informed. Think about how your customer will respond to those listed on the copy list.
Avoid using all caps to make a point. Use of all caps can easily be misinterpreted as frustration or anger. And, using all caps is more difficult to read.
Don’t use e-mail to hide! E-mail is a terrific tool for communicating minor details and for follow-up. If you are using e-mail as your introduction to new potential customers, you may be postponing the inevitable. You’ll need to make live contact at some point.
Be sensitive to time watchers. If you’re prone to wake up in the middle of the evening and log onto e-mail, be careful before you send the message. It’s odd to me how many times people comment about the time that messages are sent. The way that people interpret time is interesting. Will sending a message at 3 in the morning tell them that you’re an understaffed workaholic? Or will it tell them that you are a go-getter? Or perhaps they’ll infer that you’re a worrywart and can’t sleep. Anything that is open to interpretation probably isn’t worth the risk. If you work at odd hours, consider writing your e-mails and then send them at a time that is considered "normal".
Marcia Gauger is president of Impact Sales, a training and performance-improvement company with offices in Mukwonago and in Arkansas. Small Business Times readers can contact her in Mukwonago at 262-642-9610, or via fax at 501-964-0055.
