When you've been in sales a while, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to develop bad habits. You lot option them up from other reps or take a shortcut during an specially busy calendar week and, all of the sudden, yous've added some skills to your repertoire that aren't helping you meet your quota. If yous're not regularly examining your behavior and results, these habits can cause mistakes that cease 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'one thousand not just talking well-nigh waiting likewise 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 phone calls and poison our relationships without united states even realizing it. Here's how to finish it.

Why You Should Never Say, "I Am Distressing for Bothering You"

Ideally, sales reps would never have to write a follow up electronic mail because they would avoid the number-one follow-up mistake: Failing to set a next step earlier catastrophe the call.

All it takes is ane cringeworthy phrase to kill a sales follow-upward email. One of my least favorite moves is asking for a prospect to respond "ASAP." But apologizing for contacting your prospect is nothing short of poisonous to deals, and should be cut from the vocabulary of every sales rep. It usually looks similar this:

So, why should y'all avert saying "Sad to bother you again?"

  1. It implies yous've go annoying to your prospect. It besides reminds the prospect they've reached out several times before ("once more") to no success. Even if the sales rep hasn't annoyed the prospect yet, this is the phrase that might do it.
  2. It implies you've done something incorrect. In add-on, people use the give-and-take "sorry" subsequently doing something they deem incorrect. When we make a mistake that negatively impacts someone, the start phrase that oft comes out of our mouths is "I'g sorry." This phrase ways we've best-selling wrongdoing and know nosotros need to fix it.
  3. Information technology signals desperation. Reps transport "sorry to bother yous over again" emails in hopes of starting a conversation after not hearing back. The message is a concluding-ditch effort to pique the potential heir-apparent's involvement -- on the rep'southward timeline.
  4. It communicates your fourth dimension and energy is not equally valuable every bit the prospect's -- which simply isn't true. Maintain authority and equal basis with your prospect past never apologizing for being in their inbox or vocalisation mailbox.

If you find yourself using this phrase in an email -- stop 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-upwards email. Here are a few I suggest.

Alternatives to Saying, "Pitiful for Bugging Y'all"

ane. Send a customer review

A customer review provides value considering modern-day buyers trust their swain buyers to give honest feedback about a product 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 also as some of the drawbacks. For case, you might open an electronic mail with, "Instead of sending you lot a pitch, I'll permit a previous customer do the heavy lifting with their unvarnished (really) testimonial."

2. Include a instance study

Case studies allow prospects to observe how a business in a similar position to theirs solved its issues. Due southfinish your latest and most relevant study with a note proverb, " This instance report made me think of your business. I know your fourth dimension is valuable, and I think this is worth the few minutes it volition accept to read. "

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

3. Link to a blog mail

A blog post is a fashion to build brownie with prospects and provide them new information near the production and company every bit they start to brand a determination.

If you're trying to grab a prospect'southward attention, effort sending one with an especially snappy title. Y'all might even work with a marketer to craft a post merely for them. After all, who isn't going to click the link to a mail titled, "9 Reasons Julie Needs ABC Staffing Solutions Today."

4. Reference a mutual connexion

Surfacing a mutual connection allows the prospect to ask their acquaintance about the sales rep and get together more information. It also signifies that if a friend works with this sales rep, the prospect might also enjoy working with the aforementioned sales rep.

And it gives you lot something in common to bond over. For example, "I see nosotros have a mutual connection: Sansa Stark. Her family unit bought several dire wolves from me a few years agone." You've given your conversation and human relationship something to build upon -- and that tin exist a huge assistance when conducting outreach.

v. Provide a suggestion

A pocket-sized strategy tip tin aid sales reps build credibility and showcase the value of their insight to buyers.

When a salesperson'southward name appears in a prospect's inbox, the reaction shouldn't be, "No, not this rep again!" or "Who?" but "I wonder what they're sending me -- I better bank check it out."

Ship them a new manufacture benchmark report or a mention a contempo move their company made, and offer unique insight into how your product/service could assistance.

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

6. Drib shop-talk birthday

Want to really get their attention? Don't talk business at all. Instead, send them a coincidental email saying, "I watched a documentary on Colorado ski state this weekend and thought of you immediately. Have yous hit the slopes yet this yr?"

While your prospect might not be ready to discuss business -- most people like talking almost their hobbies and out-of-office interests. Once you have them engaged over again, use your best judgement to steer them back to the topic at manus: your offer.

7. Offer to walk away

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

Yous should be spending time on deals that really have a chance of closing, and pleading with an unmotivated prospect to reply to your emails isn't doing either of yous any skillful.

But say, "Tony, I've tried to accomplish you lot unsuccessfully a few times now. Unremarkably when this happens, it means my offer isn't a priority for yous right now. Is that condom for me to assume here? If and then, y'all won't hear from me again."

If your prospect is withal interested, this should take hold of their attending. If non, it gives them an easy way out. You lot can always leave the door open up for a call or electronic mail vi months downwards the line to see if things have changed.

viii. Compliment them

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

Chances are, they put a lot of time and endeavor into their contempo projection, and would dear for someone to notice. Ship a simple annotation saying, "I saw your recent characteristic in Forbes and wanted to tell yous what a cracking write-up it was. I especially liked your observation that AI will brainstorm to accept a stronger hold in sales." It's short, specific, and complimentary.

Nifty emails build rapport and credibility. By looking for this mortiferous phrase before sending your emails, yous tin can improve your odds of a response, and eventually, a relationship.

Want other means to improve your sales emails? Bank check out these killer opening email lines or explore alternatives to maxim, "Hope you're doing well" -- guaranteed to put your prospect to sleep earlier they've even read sentence two.

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Originally published Jun x, 2022 2:17:00 PM, updated June 10 2021