I'm thinking a lot about reinvention lately.
So much of what we are able to do for clients and agencies is new. Yet how we go about communicating and selling is not. As I work with managers and sales teams our conversations almost always turn to Email and the fact that it's just not working for us anymore, externally or internally.
Generally speaking, we tend to send badly-structured Emails that are too long, too predictable, to too many people. We use email as a blunt-force instrument, overwhelming our prospects and coworkers with unendurable detail and word counts. What was once a promising chance at immediate connection has jumped the shark and become a burden to all involved. It's time to stop the madness. Here's how.
Deserve their attention. If you haven't done research on your customer and don't have a specific way to help him, don't reach out at all. Inboxes are flooded every day by people who want only to learn about your business or introduce you to my company. Not having a legitimate customer-focused agenda is a non-starter.
Write to the screen that's being read. When you send email to a prospective customer, write to the email interface on the mobile device where they are no doubt screening and reading it. Write no more than what fits on a mobile screen. Nobody wants to read a cold, 400-word recitation of your company's value. Say less.
Have a communication strategy. While you're whittling your message down to 80 or 90 words, know that it's just one of the messages you'll be sending. For a legitimate potential client for whom you can create real value, a couple of short messages followed by an intelligent voice mail followed by a LinkedIn message every couple of days is the perfect cadence - and the perfect blend of media, timing and approach. Stop trying to accomplish everything in one epic Email. Serialize your approach.
Lead with need. Assume you're getting maybe a glance at your subject line and - if really lucky - a look at the first two lines of your message. Start writing thoughtful, concise, provocative subject lines about topics relevant to the customer, and stop wasting the critical first words with small talk and fake friendship.
Get to the point. Start your emails with I'm writing you because... Then immediately say something about your customer's situation. This simple technique forces you to elevate the client agenda to the beginning of the communication.
Address to one, send to no more than two. Sending emails to several people or whole teams is just a bad idea. Whether you're writing externally or internally, it becomes quickly apparent if you're just covering your ass. Start limiting those distribution fields and speaking directly to your customers (and co-workers) and their agendas.
When it comes to understanding our customers and reaching out to them, there is an embarrassment of riches at our disposal. There's no reason anyone should be bludgeoning customers with uninformed, cold email in 2019. This is a change you completely control. Make it today.
