When you've been in sales a while, it'southward piece of cake to develop bad habits. You choice them up from other reps or take a shortcut during an especially decorated week and, all of the sudden, you've added some skills to your repertoire that aren't helping you lot meet your quota. If y'all're not regularly examining your behavior and results, these habits tin can cause mistakes that end in deals falling apart, annoyed prospects, or missed numbers. Create a new, on-brand email signature in just a few clicks. Get started here. (It's free.)

And I'm non just talking about waiting also long to update a contact's information in your CRM. Seemingly innocuous phrases similar, "Sorry to bother you," sneak into our regular sales emails and telephone calls and poison our relationships without the states even realizing it. Here's how to stop it.

Why You lot Should Never Say, "I Am Sorry for Bothering You lot"

Ideally, sales reps would never accept to write a follow upwardly email considering they would avoid the number-one follow-up fault: Failing to ready a next step before ending the phone call.

All information technology takes is one cringeworthy phrase to kill a sales follow-upward email. 1 of my to the lowest degree favorite moves is asking for a prospect to respond "ASAP." But apologizing for contacting your prospect is nothing curt of poisonous to deals, and should be cut from the vocabulary of every sales rep. It usually looks similar this:

So, why should you avert saying "Sad to bother you lot once again?"

  1. It implies you lot've become annoying to your prospect. Information technology as well reminds the prospect they've reached out several times before ("again") to no success. Fifty-fifty if the sales rep hasn't annoyed the prospect nevertheless, this is the phrase that might exercise it.
  2. It implies y'all've done something wrong. In addition, people utilize the word "deplorable" after doing something they deem incorrect. When we make a mistake that negatively impacts someone, the kickoff phrase that often comes out of our mouths is "I'm sad." This phrase ways we've acknowledged wrongdoing and know nosotros need to fix it.
  3. Information technology signals desperation. Reps send "sorry to bother yous again" emails in hopes of starting a conversation after not hearing back. The message is a last-ditch try to pique the potential buyer'due south involvement -- on the rep's timeline.
  4. It communicates your time and energy is non as valuable as the prospect's -- which simply isn't true. Maintain authorisation and equal footing with your prospect past never apologizing for being in their inbox or vocalisation mailbox.

If you lot detect yourself using this phrase in an email -- terminate writing. Instead, regroup and focus on providing value to the prospect and grabbing their attention instead of "bothering" them once more.

There are a multitude of ways to provide value in a sales follow-up electronic mail. Here are a few I suggest.

Alternatives to Saying, "Deplorable for Bugging You"

1. Send a customer review

A client review provides value because mod-twenty-four hour period buyers trust their fellow buyers to give honest feedback almost a production they've used. Think they might non trust a written review coming directly from you?

Connect them with current and past buyers who can provide honest feedback on why working with you is great as well every bit some of the drawbacks. For example, you might open an electronic mail with, "Instead of sending you a pitch, I'll allow a previous client do the heavy lifting with their unvarnished (really) testimonial."

ii. Include a case study

Case studies allow prospects to find how a business in a similar position to theirs solved its bug. Southwardend your latest and near relevant study with a annotation saying, " This case study fabricated me think of your business organisation. I know your fourth dimension is valuable, and I think this is worth the few minutes it volition take to read. "

You've acknowledged their time is a priority for you, without discounting your own schedule and what you're offering.

3. Link to a blog post

A blog post is a way to build credibility with prospects and provide them new data most the production and company as they kickoff to make a decision.

If you're trying to catch a prospect'due south attention, try sending one with an especially snappy title. You might even work with a marketer to craft a post only for them. After all, who isn't going to click the link to a post titled, "9 Reasons Julie Needs ABC Staffing Solutions Today."

4. Reference a common connection

Surfacing a mutual connexion allows the prospect to ask their acquaintance about the sales rep and get together more information. It as well signifies that if a friend works with this sales rep, the prospect might also savor working with the same sales rep.

And it gives you something in common to bond over. For instance, "I encounter nosotros have a mutual connectedness: Sansa Stark. Her family unit bought several dire wolves from me a few years agone." You've given your chat and relationship something to build upon -- and that can exist a huge help when conducting outreach.

5. Provide a proffer

A small strategy tip can assistance sales reps build credibility and showcase the value of their insight to buyers.

When a salesperson'due south proper noun appears in a prospect's inbox, the reaction shouldn't be, "No, not this rep once again!" or "Who?" but "I wonder what they're sending me -- I ameliorate check it out."

Send them a new industry benchmark report or a mention a recent motion their company made, and offer unique insight into how your product/service could aid.

For case, "I thought you might be interested in the latest benchmark report from [insert trusted industry source]. Their findings on the 25% increase in mobile app usage might exist particularly interesting to y'all and relevant to your work."

6. Drop shop-talk altogether

Desire to actually get their attention? Don't talk business at all. Instead, transport them a casual electronic mail proverb, "I watched a documentary on Colorado ski country this weekend and thought of you immediately. Take you hit the slopes still this year?"

While your prospect might not be set up to hash out business -- about people similar talking about their hobbies and out-of-office interests. Once you accept them engaged again, use your best sentence to steer them back to the topic at mitt: your offer.

7. Offering to walk away

If you lot've reached out multiple times over the course of several weeks or months and your prospect all the same hasn't responded, do yourself a favor and walk abroad.

You should be spending time on deals that really take a adventure of closing, and pleading with an unmotivated prospect to respond to your emails isn't doing either of you any skillful.

Just say, "Tony, I've tried to reach you lot unsuccessfully a few times now. Unremarkably when this happens, it ways my offer isn't a priority for yous correct at present. Is that safe for me to presume hither? If then, you won't hear from me once again."

If your prospect is even so interested, this should grab their attention. If not, information technology gives them an like shooting fish in a barrel way out. You can always leave the door open for a phone call or email six months down the line to see if things have changed.

8. Compliment them

If your prospect recently published a new web log post or the company unveiled a shiny, new product, allow them know you're paying attention.

Chances are, they put a lot of time and effort into their recent project, and would dearest for someone to notice. Send a unproblematic notation maxim, "I saw your recent feature in Forbes and wanted to tell you what a bully write-up information technology was. I especially liked your observation that AI will brainstorm to take a stronger hold in sales." It'southward curt, specific, and gratis.

Great emails build rapport and credibility. By looking for this deadly phrase before sending your emails, yous can better your odds of a response, and eventually, a relationship.

Desire other ways to meliorate your sales emails? Check out these killer opening electronic mail lines or explore alternatives to proverb, "Hope you lot're doing well" -- guaranteed to put your prospect to slumber earlier they've even read sentence 2.

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Originally published Jun x, 2019 2:17:00 PM, updated June ten 2021