Are you looking for ways to fix your sales emails without having to throw the whole sequence out?
Rest assured that even business owners with the most engaged lists and consistent sales don’t always hit their sales goals with email.
It’s not because the writing is bad!
It’s not because the offer isn’t good.
The truth is that there are a thousand reasons why some promotions do better than others, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go back and fix your sales emails based on the data you collect from the promotion. You should!
Here’s how to troubleshoot your emails, so you don’t have to throw the whole email or, gasp!, the entire sequence away.
1. Revise subject lines
Take a look at the top performing and bottom performing subject lines of the sales sequence. What worked well? What didn’t?
A recent review of a sequence gave us this insight into the subject line’s effectiveness for our audience:
Ask questions using Voice of Customer
Create intrigue and use ellipsis
Personalize the subject line towards the end of the sequence (use sparingly or it will lose its effectiveness)
Flatter the reader
Use scarcity (only when true and authentic!)
If you’re at a loss for ideas, check out this HubSpot post for a long list of subject line ideas.
2. Placement of CTAs
Your calls to action help you accomplish your #1 goal of your sales email– whether it be to click over to the sales page or to simply hit reply. So it’s important to approach the placement strategically.
Open up your emails and take note of the following: Where did you place your calls to action to ‘buy now’ or ‘click here to see if this is the right fit for you’? How many did you include?
There are generally a few types of readers and I’m including where the CTA should be placed for each:
Those who click the first link – first third of the email before you have to scroll
Those who need a little bit of nurturing – mid-way through the email where it makes sense and flows naturally
Those who read every little detail – include another CTA as you close out the email or in the P.S.
That’s a total of 3 CTAs for a mid-length email, and no, it’s not too many!
3. The Structure
When looking at the structure of your email, ask yourself these questions:
Does the body of the email start out with a strong hook?
Does each line feed into the next so you’re drawing the reader down the page?
How about your segue to the sale? Do you make it seamless with a transition phrase to tie the first half of the email to the last half?
While the content of your email is important, there’s a proven structure to a successful sales email: hook->intro-> segue-> body-> segue-> CTA-> closing.
When you follow this framework, you’ll find that writing and reading your emails becomes that much easier and more engaging.
4. Voice of Customer
Have you used enough Voice of Customer throughout the email? Click here to learn more about these essential part of making the sale with your clients.
If you’re short on time, here’s the takeaway: use as many of the words and phrases your customers use when they speak about their challenges and desires as you possibly can.
When you speak their language, they’ll be compelled to take the next step with you. It’s not about mind games, either — it’s about meeting them where they are by acknowledging their needs.
5. Readability
Readability is often overlooked because there’s so much heavy-lifting to do with a sales email, but it’s another crucial part of any piece of copy, especially when you need the reader to take action.
Here are some tips:
Space out your paragraphs and use bolding to highlight the sentences you most want the reader to read.
Use Grammarly and Hemingway app to test out how your writing reads and whether your grammar checks out.
Test out your email and the links to your sales page or website to ensure everything is working.
Finally, read your email aloud to see if it flows naturally to you. You can also use an app that reads your text for you so you can hear how it sounds from another source.
Summing It All Up – Fix Your Sales Emails
Don’t give up on a sales email sequence that doesn’t meet your goals.
Instead, save time, energy and money by figuring out how to fix your sales emails to perform better the next time around. Your audit, where you go through each of the 5 points above, will give you valuable information about your readers that will serve you well for every email you write going forward.
Interested in learning more about how to plan, structure and write a sales email that actually works (aka sells!)? Download one of my free resources here and you’ll automatically get my new free guide delivered to your inbox — hot of the press!
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