It is natural for people to get anxious if their emails are ignored. In sales, where emails are the staple of all communication, not getting a quick response from the prospect can easily make the sales rep doubt their skills. Lack of reaction should not be taken personally, as there is a ton of reasons why a potential customer may fail to answer your email. They can be away, sick, or too busy preparing for an important presentation.
If the first email you send to a prospect remains unanswered for up to 4 days, it is only sensible to send a follow-up to clear the situation. However, make sure to strike the right tone in it to avoid appearing desperate. You are not to demand any explanations from the recipient as to why they ignored your previous letter or – God forbid – take up an accusatory tone with them. A professional follow-up email is short, simple, friendly, and respectful. The more confidence you have in what you say in your email, the more impactful it tends to be, so take enough time to think it through before you put it into words.
The best time to send a follow-up to your prospect is between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. It is when office workers are the most approachable, email-wise. The open rates are at their highest in the first half of the day and tend to decrease slowly by the close of business. Sending your sales follow-up email late at night or early in the morning so that it is the first thing the recipient sees when they go through their mail is a bad idea. There will be plenty of other important messages that the person needs to deal with first, and your email can easily get overlooked. Besides, reaching out to a prospect at night shows you have little respect for their boundaries.
Here are some more tips that will let you write better follow up emails:
- Keep it short and to the point – 3-5 sentences is an optimal length for a follow-up email.
- Personalize your email to form a stronger and more lasting connection with your prospect.
- Ensure the timing is perfect – never reach out to the lead over the weekend or after hours.
Most importantly, try to be clear about what you expect your prospect to do when they receive your email. Making your intentions too vague is giving your potential customer an excuse not to reply.