Stop being lazy...stop emailing!

Did you send out any emails this week selling your wares?

Are you still waiting for a reply, chasing and being ghosted?! 

STOP right now!! 

Think about some different approaches which take a little more thought, research and resource (time/money) but will have better results.

When I started out my career, I worked for Crookes Healthcare who were a subsidiary of Boots.  And they sold many different products from Nurofen to Complan.  And the first job on the sales career ladder was “carrying the bag” – going out and meeting pharmacists and selling in products. That was hard work and time consuming but you got to know your customer way better and sell better as well.

In those days, there was

No email

No telesales

No online ordering

Just old fashioned human contact and it might have been time consuming but it worked!!

 Nowadays we rely on email funnels, online marketing journeys and more email follow ups to generate business.  And if you are doing large scale, high volume sales this might be very effective

But if you are selling high value, low volume products, STOP being lazy and start building real in person relationships for two reasons..

1. It will work better (actually feel better) - you can tailor as you go, work out what each customer personally needs and build long term relationships. However in person rejection can be way more difficult to handle than being ghosted by email!!

2. Outsmart the competition - most people are relying on their emails also so you are going to stand out .... and isn’t that a great idea?!

Very few people are putting in the effort to build personal relationships or at least use the techniques that we were using 20 years ago but now have fallen by the wayside. Think about whether any of these are relevant

1.     Go see the client – rather than having a zoom call, go meet the person.  I live in south of France and that is not always practical but if you can, batch together a few meetings and go say hi!   Go to their office, if they have one or meet in town.  Go somewhere relevant that might generate some great ideas like Tate Modern or walk along the river

2.     Send a letter – how many letters do you get?  I get ones from HMRC and the bank – that honestly is it.  How great would it be to have a letter from a business who sends you something personalised, relevant and with value.  I offer a free copy of my book Buyerology to anyone who is interesting in selling more and selling better – drop me an email at karen@buyerology.co.uk and get your copy.

Or leading on to the next point, phone me and ask (+44 7811 942054)!!  And we can have a chat

3.     Make a phone call – yesterday a former colleague called me – he is really good at keeping in touch with clients and friends.  He had a bit of a purpose, but it was good to catch up, talk about opportunities and potential future business.  And one day we will do more work together

 I realise it takes time to do these things and is also a little scary – so much easy to hide behind emails (or is that just me?!)

 To do it well, same rules apply as any sales outreach…

1.     Find the right person – using these techniques takes a little more time and cost if you are sending things or making calls.  So whilst you might be happy to send out 800 emails in one automation, you might want to create a well refined, well defined list of 50 people and use that to focus your efforts

2.     Know your buyer – before you make the call, if it is someone you don’t know, then profile them.  Check out their Linked in profile, use humantic.ai to profile the buyer and do the work to know everything about them from their personality to their company requirements  

3.     Develop your USP – use your research to craft the key messages about your product or services that is relevant to that person you are getting in touch with and then create something that delivers that usp in the right way – whether it is a personalised sample box, case studies or a clear understanding of what you want to say.

4.     Tailor your approach – make sure you deliver in the right way.  Do NOT just send out the same brochure to everyone.  Personalise it and work out how they want to receive info – whether it is a video, picture or even a Kitkat!!  Make your outreach standout!!

Don’t be lazy and send emails!

Create something they would love whether it is a call, letter or meeting  …and let the selling begin!

And if you need more help with selling more and selling better, get in touch - don't send me an email, of course.... give me a ring +44 7811 942054