If you are writing B2B emails to sell, network, or just for the golly talk with other businesses for the fun of it (we all have our special hobbies…) then these tips can help you.
People think writing emails is hard. Something that takes a lot of time just to create.
And they aren’t wroooong per se… but you are probably overcomplicating it.
You see…
All we want to do is get a response from them!
Whether that is just to get the other person to read and respond to your email, get a sale, or whatever… you want that other person to take action.
But… if you sound really really boring and cold and impersonal…
Then no one is going to even open your email.
Which leads us to our first point…
Sounding Too Professional and Robotic Making It Sound Fake And Boring
If you start with “To Whom This May Concern” and your first sentence is something like “We At Blahblah company and have prided ourselves for 15 years in yadayadayada…” then you are going to make that person delete that trash faster than a starving donkey eating a carrot.
And why is that?
Because people hate boring things.
Imagine it from their perspective for a second…
Let’s say you work at XYZ Company and you have to check emails first thing in the morning for your company (and don’t forget this company receives hundreds of emails pitching just like you.)
This person is yawning, tired, and doesn’t feel like checking emails in the morning for his work.
But what if… you were able to catch his attention with a subject line (maybe like Why People At XYZ Company Should Like Burritos or something like that.)
And then… maybe in your first sentence, you go straight to the point. And then you start talking like how a normal person sounds like in your email. And because your email copy is so damn good he reads the entire thing which is short, sweet, and straight to the point.
And rather than sounding like a cloned template of what a business should sound like, you differentiate yourself because you added your own little personality.
Now… this does not mean you should just completely abandon being professional and start talking like “How r u doin 2day?”
But be normal. Be friendly. Just be yourself.
And if you are really not certain what type of language you should use, just check their website and see how they write their own stuff.
If they are a large organization, chances are you want to talk formally. But for a family business… it’s probably okay to get away with adding some more flair and jazz.
Now let’s say you aren’t boring anymore because you are writing like talking to a normal human being.
The next problem I usually see is…
You Talk Only About Yourself And Don’t Show How You Can Help The Other Person.
Everyone is a greedy little creature (ya know it’s true) And we want to fix our own problems before we help others.
Sure, we enjoy helping other people (it’s literally hardwired into our biology) but the excuse you are going to face is…
“Why should I help you when I am struggling with my own problems?”
…Now getting to the point about talking only about yourself.
This is what I mean…
“Hello, I’m Anthony. I am a college graduate enthusiastic about digital marketing. I have won awards in yadayada and am also a pet lover. Currently I work at company XYZ with marketing experience and blahblahblah…”
You may think that “Oh, if I can somehow relate my experience to the job then he will probably like my pitch.”
Now look at this pitch…
“Hey, I was looking at your website and saw that you didn’t have a lead magnet for your email opt-in. Adding a 20% discount coupon will increase your email list exponentially giving you more interested people to sell to.”
Now the first one was just talking about yourself while the other one gives actionable, quick advice that shows you know what you are doing.
What you are doing is you are providing value to him already.
He doesn’t have to take a gamble if his 5 years working at his job might help him. Because you are already helping him!
Sending From An @Gmail account
Now sometimes it might be okay to send from an @gmail account. But think about how easy it is to make an @gmail account. All you have to do is:
- Google “Create a Gmail Account”
- Follow the steps
- And in 2 minutes you have created a Gmail account.
It’s so easy to create a Gmail account that you can probably teach your dog how to create an email (which I would love to see btw!)
Now it won’t hurt your chances if you send an email with an @gmail account.
But creating a website and creating your own custom domain email shows you actually put some time into your email.
Or if you take the money route with Gsuite it shows you actually took the time to spend money for your email.
Now not everyone looks at your email. They just look at the subject line and copy and then hit reply if they took the time.
But if they see your email, subconsciously “Okay, they seem to be a lot more legit than a random dude who created a Gmail account.”
And that strengthens your credibility. And every little bit counts!
Forgetting The Other Side Is Also A Person
Now I mentioned this at point #1 (remember that explanation about adding a taste of your personality…) but you also have to realize the other side of the email is a person.
What do I mean?
This person has his own problems, dreams, and desires.
And most likely if you are sending that email it is to another person who is reading your email…which he’s probably busy or tired (that’s what 90% of people say anyways)
Now, what would make this person happy to see an email like yours who is grumpy, tired, and has to go through another 100 emails?
Maybe if you show value, get straight to the point, maybe brighten his day with a quick story that relates to the contents in the P.S. or something that he would find entertaining.
You might even be shaking your head “No…No…No… Anthony, isn’t it risky to add a story for a business email?”
It is a bit risky… and in some cases, it might be better to omit… BUT…
Humans love good stories.
Stories are everywhere. Movies. Books. Talking with friends. Everywhere…
And just imagine yourself sitting in the other person’s shoes (gosh…not literally)
He decides to open up your email and says “Wow, he gets straight to the point about how he can add value to our company.” And then you make him smile or chuckle at the end with a solid story relating to your email.
You are going to brighten up his day! And if you make them feel good, chances are he is going to say good things about your email which he can lead to people with higher positions in the company.
And finally the last problem is…
Not Researching Their Business
Putting in the research shows that you are not just spamming an email for your needs but that you actually took the time to go through their website.
Now, this might include:
- Researching the Marketing Director’s name
- Finding a news story about the company which you can weave into your email
- Specific problems on their websites you can use
- Things you can look at the bio to make your email more personalized.
And a bunch of other options.
If you really care about this email then it is CRUCIAL to research a little on their business.
Just to show that you care about them. And everybody likes to show that someone took the time to make their email a little bit more special.
Let me know in the comments below if you found these tips to be helpful.