A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

First in a series:

Jeffrey Gitomer is, in this author's opinion, the best sales author and trainer in the world.  I love reading his books, and I've paid close to $100 several times to hear him train via conference calls.  He's great.  If you aren't reading his books, or getting his free e-mail newsletters, you're a sales loser.  Period.  You need to read as much of him as possible...go to www.Gitomer.com for more and to sign up for his free weekly e-mails.

So, it shouldn't surprise you when I say that I am very excited Jeffrey spent some time with LandingTheDeal for our week of interviews with sales and marketing experts.

Our first topic:  E-mail.

You give great advice, Jeffrey, for spicing up voicemail and for giving great 30-second commercials in your books.  What advice would you give sales professionals when it comes to spicing up e-mails?

"If the email is unsolicited, you better have a darn good reason for the recipient to open it. The subject can’t be something stupid like, “Money saving idea inside.” And it can’t replicate current spam popular subjects like pharmaceuticals, mortgages, and private parts.

The best way to get an unsolicited email opened, is to ask a question in the subject line that is specific to the recipient. For example, rather than say, “Dish network is better than cable,” you might ask, “How much was your cable bill last month? And what did you get for it?”

If the email is part of an ongoing dialogue, you will have little or no trouble getting it opened. You may, however, have trouble getting it returned.  Too often, people expect a response when none is needed.

If you want to be certain that your email is responded to, then you have to ask a specific question within the message body, relating to something your customer considers important. When or where they need delivery, what time someone will be there to pick it up. Something that gets the customer involved.

Half the time your email does not get a return, it’s because previous action or email has tainted the customer’s view of you and they don’t deem you important enough to respond to in a timely manner, or even respond to at all.

Interestingly, the salesperson will blame the customer for not returning an email, as opposed to blaming themselves for the pathetic content of it."

Read part two of this topic in my next post!