7 Mistakes That Could Kill Your Outreach

Walking up to a stranger and introducing oneself might be daunting, whether you're at a networking event, a party, a conference, or an office function.

I don't know about you, but I never walk over without thinking about what I'm going to say and how I'm going to say it. After all, people establish an impression of you in a tenth of a second, thus, as weird as it may sound, a bad first sentence could ruin the entire relationship.

But, while I've always been smart with my in-person starting lines, I've just recently started doing the same with my online communications — a common sales email blunder. I discovered a handful that was completely flipping after taking a serious look at the first lines I was employing. I took them out of my repertoire... My response rate increased by more than a factor of two.

Do you want to get comparable results with your prospects? Check out the initial sentences you should never use if you don't want your emails to be deleted.

1. "My name is...," says the first person.

Names are one of the most difficult things to remember since, let's face it, most people aren't very fond of them. That means starting emails with "My name is Aja Frost, and I'm an account executive at Zone" will put my recipients to sleep.

Plus, if a prospect wants to, they can easily figure out your name. All they have to do is glance at the email signature or the "From" field.

Fortunately, correcting this error is simple: Simply remove this sentence from your message and replace it with the second sentence. The fact that you get right to the point will be appreciated by your receiver.

2. "I'm employed by... "

Even worse than opening with your name is beginning your communication with "I work for so-and-so." It's not only dull and uninspired, but it's also like sticking a big billboard in the prospect's head that says, "I'm trying to sell you something!!!"

If the company is well-known, or if you've met the buyer before and this data may help jog their memory, telling the prospect which organisation you represent can be advantageous. However, you should naturally incorporate your company's name.

3. "Did you know...?" says the narrator.

Some salespeople open their emails with a rhetorical question, such as "Did you know most U.S. workers have an average of 199 unread emails in their inbox?" or "Did you know most U.S. workers have an average of 199 unread emails in their inbox?" (That is an actual statistic.)

I've got bad news for anyone who thinks prospects will read this paragraph and think to themselves, "No, I didn't know that." Wow, I really need to put everything on hold and work with this salesperson!'

'Ugh, if I wanted corny marketing, I'd go watch an infomercial,' is a more common reaction. Delete.'

You can use intriguing statistics to create a sense of urgency, but throwing them in out of the blue won't get you anywhere.If you're going to start with a statistic, make sure you tailor it to the prospect's specific situation and thread it smoothly into your email, like this:

"Email marketers like you frequently have a hard time increasing their open rates. After all, the average consumer's inbox now contains 300 percent more unopened emails than it did four years ago.

I helped two other AutoCare companies raise their email open rates by an average of 20% in the last year... "

4. "Congratulations on..."

A trigger event is a great reason to call a prospect and offer your assistance. It's a meaningful, recent occurrence that presents an opening for a sales opportunity

This is a hollow, sloppy opening. While I appreciate being complimented on accomplishments as much as the next person, this screams 'form letter.

Make your congratulations precise — absolutely specific — to show you're not spraying and praying.

"Just read that you secured $1.5 million in Series A funding from Harold & Bloom Investments — congratulations!" you may write instead of "Congratulations on getting funded." Your expansion ambitions, particularly into the Midwest region, sound promising."

Plus, you'll have a wonderful segue into your next line:

"When corporations expand into new markets, they usually need to get boots on the ground as quickly as possible... "

5. "I've been considering..."

What you've been thinking is important to your closest friends. What are your chances? They don't have any. So, instead of beginning with "I've been thinking," which comes across as self-serving, simply reverse the phrase.

6. "I hope everything is going well for you... "

On the surface, this sentence appears to be OK; after all, who will be offended by the sentiment?

Being bland, on the other hand, is the kiss of death in sales. Your prospect will most likely quit reading before the end of the phrase, skipping through your thought-provoking query, surprising insight, or offer to assist with a pertinent difficulty.

Rather than using this line, get right to the point of your statement. You'll not only save room, but you'll also have a much better chance of capturing the buyer's eye.

7. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

This line is frequently used by sales professionals to follow up with inbound leads who have downloaded content, watched a video, or visited a website page.

This sentence has the advantage of being timely. You're reaching out to the buyer just when they'd prefer Sales to contact them.

The problem with this sentence is that it is ambiguous and unclear. What exactly does "find what you're looking for" imply?

Make sure your buyer understands which opportunity or pain point you're talking about.

Here are a few examples of lines:

• "Did our pricing page provide you with all of the information you require?"

• 
  

• "Do you think you're ready to launch a Facebook ad campaign now that you've watched our training video?"

• 
  

• "Can I answer any queries you have about the comments you received from our job description analyzer?"

The more specific you are, the easier it will be to start a meaningful discussion.

Making a solid first impression on a new prospect might be difficult, but you'll have a better chance if you avoid these five openers. What you don't say can be just as important as what you say.

Interested?

Designate has consistently increased conversion rates for its clients by engaging the most sophisticated metrics and tools to acquire, engage, and convert target audiences across domains. Get in touch to know how we can boost your ROIs.