Historically, marketing emails were created - and sent - from the marketer's perspective. Sure, we valiantly attempted to figure out what our leads wanted to read, but the emails were still created and generated from the perspective of what we wanted to share about our products and services.
This method worked - sort of.
For those prospects who were perfectly aligned with the message at that particular point in time, the emails generated a response. Odds are, though, the open and click-thru rates weren't what marketing and sales teams were hoping for.
The evidence shows us that the more intuitive your subject matter is - and the more timely it arrives (as in, the message(s) meets the buyer's needs at exactly where they're at in the buyer cycle) - the more lucrative the ensuing interactions will be.
So, can a CRM help you write sales emails? Ab-so-lutley! CRM systems can assist you with crafting engaging email content in multiple ways.
If getting emails into the right hands (or eyes) has been a problem, or you're ready to do more of it, look for CRM systems that offer high-tech search and prospecting options.
Certain CRM systems are designed with prospecting features that do a respectable amount of legwork for you. These features perform searches for specific industry niches across the internet, and then compile it into a searchable database. Sales reps then utilize the database results to create customized searches to generate even more specific, targeted prospect lists.
The result is successful prospecting in significantly less time - and an eNewsletter contact list that's more likely to engage the recipients and inspire them to learn more about you and/or take action.
Intuition plays a huge role in successful sales. You have to feel where your customer is at, in order to know which piece of the puzzle they need next to move closer to sales resolution. Of course, in the world of inbound marketing, your leads and prospects are pre-learning about products and services before they ever make personal contact with a sales rep. This is a challenge because intuition typically requires in-person conversations.
With the data available from your CRM, you will get a better feel for what customers are wondering about, concerned about or interested in by paying attention to their online interactions. For example, a customer who takes advantage of a free webinar introducing your product/service, indicates a prospect who's still in the upper-portions of the sales funnel. A contact who downloads a pricing guide is concerned about budget and is probably comparing your prices with those of your competitors.
Knowing this type of information beforehand provides valuable insight as to where they are at, allowing you to create more personalized emails that honor what leads know, (you don't want to bore them with information they already have). Background insight also helps you to intuit what a prospect's next steps might be so you can provide additional relevant links or offers (consistently demonstrating your dedication to providing personalized solutions).
The ability to review prospects' most recent interactions means marketers and reps will apply a more contextualized approach to their emails.
Once you begin using CRM to hone segmented email lists and analyze prospect interactions, writing sales emails becomes a joy rather than a chore. Some of these letters, offers and emails will generate more activity than others. Archiving templates allows you to generate further sales via the next generation of prospects.
