As a visionary leader who has carved an area of expertise in the nuances of the market, certain things get under my skin faster than you can say – one of them being etiquette.
Consider this story- It’s 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon. I was out all morning and as soon as came back at my desk, I discovered urgent requests from two different clients.
Since, I already had a lot in the platter to do for the afternoon, I realized I’d not be able to help both the customers. I had to pick one over the other. Who do I pick?
The one who always says “Thanks!” It’s a no-brainer.
Manners and respect will never go out of style. And they absolutely give you one-up over those lacking… in business and in life.
Moral of the story: Etiquette are essential in grabbing attention and interest of the clients. If you can’t capitalize on the beauty of a strong email/message, you’re failing big time. Here are a few of favourite tips to set the ball rolling:
Be clear in your intent: Everyone has their inboxes crammed by hundreds of e-mails a day, and therefore it’s crucial that your subject line gets to the point. It should be reasonably simple and descriptive of what you have written about. Any e-mail with obscure and vague subject gets trashed automatically.
Briefly introduce yourself: Your prospect is like every other human and it is erroneous to assume that he/she knows who you are, or remembers meeting you. Yet, it is always wise to include a simple reminder of your name and designation; an extensive biography is not necessary.
Keep it short and engaging: Your message shouldn’t look like a burden to read/listen – feel free to use bullet points. Yet, short can be a gem in disguise as you have the free reign to be as engaging as possible ensuring that a kernel of interest keeps gnawing at them to revert back.
Keep it clean: This is the biggest mistake modern-age sales professionals make as they tend to pepper their mails with emoticons and coded encryptions to make it more eye-catching. Nothing annoys recipients more when people leave the messages messy. Keep it clean and free of clutter to give them the crux of things, without the mail being an eye-sore.
Be polite and courteous: Politeness goes a long way, as they say. I have started this post on the importance of politeness and it would be fitting to end it on the same. Pay respect to the prospect as you are courting him/her and not the other way round. Ensure that the correct amount of “pleases” and “thank you’s” are interspersed across the mail body. This initiates positivity throughout the mail and helps in conveying even the hardest message in the best manner.
Sales is, at the end of the day, a consumer centric job where even the best Sales CRM won’t arm you with abilities to gather the client’s interest- it’s how you come across in your conversation that actually sets the perfect pitch for the association to grow and prosper.
Just like tennis, it’s the finishing move that wins you the match.
Author is the CEO of SalezShark Inc., who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment during his 14 years’ experience. His experience of management goes hand in hand with his enthusiastic approach towards business transformation.
Find him on LinkedIn here.
