When you've been in sales a while, it'southward easy to develop bad habits. You choice them up from other reps or take a shortcut during an especially busy calendar week and, all of the sudden, yous've added some skills to your repertoire that aren't helping you lot run across your quota. If yous're not regularly examining your behavior and results, these habits tin crusade mistakes that end in deals falling autonomously, 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'm non but talking about waiting likewise long to update a contact's information in your CRM. Seemingly innocuous phrases similar, "Sorry to carp you," sneak into our regular sales emails and phone calls and poison our relationships without usa fifty-fifty realizing it. Here's how to stop it.

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

Ideally, sales reps would never accept to write a follow up email considering they would avoid the number-one follow-upward fault: Failing to set a side by side step before ending the phone call.

All it takes is one cringeworthy phrase to kill a sales follow-upwardly email. Ane of my least favorite moves is asking for a prospect to respond "ASAP." Only apologizing for contacting your prospect is goose egg short of poisonous to deals, and should be cut from the vocabulary of every sales rep. It usually looks like this:

And so, why should you avoid saying "Distressing to bother you again?"

  1. Information technology implies you lot've become annoying to your prospect. It besides reminds the prospect they've reached out several times before ("once more") to no success. Fifty-fifty if the sales rep hasn't bellyaching the prospect all the same, this is the phrase that might practice information technology.
  2. It implies y'all've done something wrong. In addition, people use the word "sorry" after doing something they deem wrong. When we brand a error that negatively impacts someone, the first phrase that often comes out of our mouths is "I'm lamentable." This phrase means nosotros've best-selling wrongdoing and know we demand to prepare it.
  3. It signals desperation. Reps send "sorry to bother you again" emails in hopes of starting a conversation subsequently non hearing back. The message is a last-ditch endeavor to pique the potential buyer's interest -- on the rep's timeline.
  4. It communicates your time and free energy is non as valuable equally the prospect'south -- which simply isn't true. Maintain authority and equal footing with your prospect by never apologizing for beingness in their inbox or voice mailbox.

If you detect yourself using this phrase in an e-mail -- stop writing. Instead, regroup and focus on providing value to the prospect and grabbing their attention instead of "bothering" them again.

There are a multitude of ways to provide value in a sales follow-upwards email. Here are a few I propose.

Alternatives to Proverb, "Sorry for Bugging You"

1. Send a customer review

A customer review provides value because mod-day buyers trust their young man buyers to requite honest feedback almost a product they've used. Think they might not 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 swell besides as some of the drawbacks. For case, yous might open an email with, "Instead of sending you lot a pitch, I'll let a previous client do the heavy lifting with their unvarnished (actually) testimonial."

two. Include a example study

Example studies let prospects to notice how a business organization in a similar position to theirs solved its problems. Send your latest and most relevant report with a note maxim, " This instance study made me think of your business. I know your time is valuable, and I think this is worth the few minutes it will take to read. "

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

3. Link to a web log post

A blog mail is a way to build credibility with prospects and provide them new information nearly the product and company as they kickoff to brand a decision.

If you're trying to take hold of a prospect's attention, try sending one with an particularly snappy title. You might fifty-fifty work with a marketer to craft a post simply for them. After all, who isn't going to click the link to a post titled, "9 Reasons Julie Needs ABC Staffing Solutions Today."

four. Reference a mutual connection

Surfacing a mutual connection allows the prospect to enquire their acquaintance virtually the sales rep and gather more than information. It as well signifies that if a friend works with this sales rep, the prospect might besides bask working with the same sales rep.

And it gives you something in common to bond over. For example, "I see we have a mutual connectedness: Sansa Stark. Her family bought several dire wolves from me a few years agone." You've given your chat and relationship something to build upon -- and that can be a huge assistance when conducting outreach.

5. Provide a suggestion

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

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

Ship them a new industry criterion report or a mention a contempo move their company made, and offering unique insight into how your product/service could help.

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

vi. Drop shop-talk birthday

Want to really go their attention? Don't talk business at all. Instead, transport them a casual email saying, "I watched a documentary on Colorado ski land this weekend and thought of y'all immediately. Have you lot hitting the slopes nonetheless this year?"

While your prospect might non exist ready to discuss business -- virtually people like talking about their hobbies and out-of-office interests. Once you have them engaged once more, employ your best sentence to steer them dorsum to the topic at hand: your offer.

7. Offer to walk away

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

Y'all should exist spending time on deals that really have a run a risk of endmost, and pleading with an unmotivated prospect to respond to your emails isn't doing either of you whatsoever skillful.

Simply say, "Tony, I've tried to attain you unsuccessfully a few times now. Usually when this happens, information technology means my offer isn't a priority for y'all right at present. Is that safe for me to presume hither? If so, you won't hear from me once again."

If your prospect is nevertheless interested, this should grab their attention. If not, it gives them an easy way out. You can e'er leave the door open for a telephone call or email six months downward the line to see if things have changed.

8. Compliment them

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

Chances are, they put a lot of time and effort into their recent project, and would dearest for someone to notice. Send a simple note saying, "I saw your recent feature in Forbes and wanted to tell you what a great write-upwards information technology was. I especially liked your observation that AI volition brainstorm to accept a stronger agree in sales." It'due south brusk, specific, and complimentary.

Great emails build rapport and brownie. Past looking for this deadly phrase before sending your emails, yous tin can improve your odds of a response, and eventually, a relationship.

Desire other means to ameliorate your sales emails? Bank check out these killer opening email lines or explore alternatives to saying, "Promise yous're doing well" -- guaranteed to put your prospect to sleep before they've fifty-fifty read sentence ii.

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Originally published Jun 10, 2019 2:17:00 PM, updated June x 2021