Why not start an email with “Hi, I hope you are doing well”. It’s polite, it’s an ice-breaker, there’s nothing wrong with that. Well, it’s also how every other sales email I receive starts. It’s boring; it screams I don’t know you, I’m trying to sell you something, I have nothing different to offer, I’m exactly like the next guy. That’s why when I read this opening line I do the same thing, every single time. I hit delete, immediately; I never ever read any further.
So how should you start a sales email? By getting straight to the point. Is the point that you’re trying to sell me something? No. The point is that I have a problem that you know how to fix. So tell me that, and tell me straight away.
“You have this problem and I can fix it by doing this.”
Yep, that’s how you start your email.
Some people feel they need to explain themselves first. If that’s you and you simply must explain yourself, then do so by launching straight into the explanation, e.g., “Last year I was approached by xxx with this problem and this is what I did about it. I can do the same for you.”
You may have noticed this approach isn’t quite “you have this problem and I can fix it by doing this”: it’s “such and such had this problem and I fixed it for them by doing this”.
But perhaps you’re one of those people who insist on showing off their knowledge first. If you simply must be a show-off then launch straight into what you know, e.g., “When this happens, then customers do this. Are you ready to handle it when this happens? If you’re concerned you aren’t ready, then talk to me and I can help you fix that.”
You may have noticed this approach isn’t “such and such had a problem and this is how I fixed it”. It’s “these are the facts and this is what will happen. Are you ready to handle it so this isn’t a big problem for you? If you’re not, then you need to talk to me so I can fix this for you.”
Perhaps by this point you’re recognising the pattern, that is, whatever approach you want to take launch straight into the problem and how you can fix it. Forget “Hi, I hope you are doing well” because your target market is never going to get any further than that; they are simply going to hit delete.
