What’s one of the first tasks that you try to accomplish at the start of your work day?
My guess is that checking your email is on the list. Maybe you mark a few messages as “read,” and move a couple of conversations to different Gmail or Outlook folders you’ve created.
As you scroll down, you see something that catches your eye: a stranger’s name in your inbox.
Intrigued, you click into the thread to read their note, only to cringe when you see that they’ve summarized their business’ pitch, followed by, “May I call you at 3:00 PM today?” and, “What’s the best number to reach you at?”
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a bad prospecting email. In an effort to avoid sending them ourselves, it’s important to leverage emotional intelligence (EQ) when composing our outreach messages to ensure that our memos earn responses from our key contacts.
In this post, I’ll disclose:
- The importance of communicating properly with our prospects
- Why we should include EQ in exchanges with our desired partners
- 7 actionable tips for including EQ in your outreach messages
One of the Biggest Challenges for Salespeople? Communicating Correctly
You’ve likely heard the phrase before: “sales is all about relationship-building.”
Although the saying isn’t novel, let’s take a moment to reflect and ask ourselves, at a high level, what’s one of the top challenges that individuals face when attempting to build relationships?
According to Positive Psychology, making sure that we’re practicing good communication is one important aspect that we need to incorporate in order to facilitate positive social interaction. And when corresponding with your desired partners, this concept is no different.
If you’re searching for a simple solution to ensure that your company is top of mind in your potential partners’ eyes while you conduct your outreach, try taking a moment to evaluate how you’re communicating with your targeted contacts.
You know that it’s important to attempt multiple follow-ups, and you recognize the importance of consistent communication. But are you implementing the right type of prospect outreach?
For example, Connect Leader claims that 67% of B2B buyers list relevant communication as a major influence for choosing one provider over another. Additionally, SaasList states that 57% of email recipients consider a message to be spam if it isn’t applicable to their needs, even when they know the sender well.
So, how do you make sure that your prospects perceive your messages as pertinent? Begin by adding EQ in your messaging.
Why It’s Important to Include EQ in Your Prospect Outreach
To practice including EQ in your prospect comms, start by putting yourself in your potential partners’ shoes and questioning how you can catch their attention and hold it.
Think about it: they speak with a lot of people. So, what’s going to make you stand out and be more memorable in their eyes?
One way to catch their attention is by using personalized gratitude tactics to customize your email templates. A few ways that you can go about doing this include the following:
- Calling your prospects out by naming them in your subject lines.
- Customizing your email snippets to attract your recipients’ attention.
- Thanking them for taking the time out of their busy schedule to read your message. Note that studies have shown that recipients of emailed expressions of gratitude feel more ecstatic than expected.
Not only will practicing this type of personalization prime your targets to engage in conversation, but taking the time to make curated templates that dial-in to details will shift their impressions of you in a positive direction.
If you’d like to test how EQ can help you generate more responses (and ultimately, revenue), start by regularly acknowledging the people who are already giving you business, and you’re sure to discover that their appetite for a sincere “thank you” is unlimited.
Note that setting aside some time in your schedule to curate your messages on your prospects’ behalf in the short-term will help you build long-term relationships that will lead to a greater ROI for your business.
7 Tips for Adding EQ in Your Outreach
The following seven techniques will help you add EQ within your communication style so that you can land more replies in your inbox:
1.) Picture yourself sitting across from the person you’re emailing.
Since empathy is one of the five components of EQ and is also the foundation of trust and strong rapport, try to picture the individual whom you’re emailing sitting across from you versus behind their computer screen.
Are they flustered, distracted, or constantly on their phone? The more closely you envision your prospects, the easier it is to address them, as well as evaluate and understand their “pain points” or the various challenges that they may face.
2.) Evaluate your intro.
We’ve already covered that it’s important to name your prospects in your subject lines to catch their attention. But it’s also essential to do a little digging before firing off your emails.
When practicing email personalization and addressing your contacts by name, scope out your contacts’ LinkedIn profiles to see if you can garner any details about them, as well as connections or interests that you have in common.
Pro tip: Checking their LinkedIn profiles beforehand will also help you to ensure that you’re spelling their names correctly.
After you’ve addressed them, make sure that you’re not leading with your business’ pitch. Instead, to obtain higher open rates, lead by referencing one of the following:
- Their LinkedIn description
- Their company’s recognition in a recent publication
- An award their organization has won
- A mutual connection that you have
- Something from their company’s website, such as a piece of content
- Potential goals that they might be attempting to achieve
3.) Imagine your written words are being spoken.
If you opted to take a creative writing class in college, the phrase, “write like you talk,” won’t be unfamiliar. However, this concept also applies to composing notes to your desired partners.
It can be intimidating to send a cold email to a CEO, CMO, or VP of Customer Success, but remember: your prospects are people too! It’s okay to incorporate a lighthearted tone in your messages—especially given current business challenges.
4.) Pair your “asks” with explanations.
It’s no secret that time is a valuable entity. So if you’re going to ask your prospects to block time off on their calendars to be introduced to both your company and it’s products or services, make sure that you’re showcasing how your meeting will provide them with value.
For example, check out this curated email template from HubSpot that’s perfect for when you’re trying to get meetings on the books:
“Could we schedule a 15 to 20-minute call to discuss your strategy for XYZ — what excites you, which challenges you see, and how you envision your plan changing down the road?
Even if you decide not to continue the conversation after our call, you’ll leave with some advice for [business area] that will make an immediate impact.”
Not only does this message prioritize your prospects and their plans, but it also shows them that scheduling the meeting will be beneficial for them regardless of whether or not they decide to partner with your company.
5.) Pretend you have to Cc: or Bcc: your boss.
Would your boss give you a “thumbs up” after reading the email that you’re about to share with a prospect? If your answer is no, then it’s probably not wise to smash the “send” button.
Each time that you compose a message to one of your key contacts, try to determine whether or not your supervisor would approve of what you’re sending. To be completely confident, consider emailing a test note to your manager to get their approval.
6.) Include an expression of gratitude.
A simple way to separate yourself from the pack of people who are clogging up your prospects’ inboxes is by sharing thoughtful “thank you” notes with your contacts before and after you’ve had the chance to connect.
In addition to thanking them for taking the time to read your message, consider acknowledging them:
- After you’ve conducted an initial phone call
- Once you’ve met face-to-face, even if it’s over Zoom or Google Hangouts
- After a lengthy email exchange
7.) Say Thnks!
One guaranteed way to stand out in your prospects’ inboxes while also demonstrating that you’re grateful for their time is by sharing expressions of appreciation with them.
An easy way to do this is by sharing a few Thnks gestures with your key contacts. If the gestures that you choose to send are personalized in alignment with your targets’ preferences or interests, then you and your business will become more memorable.
A few Thnks expressions that you can share include:
- Their Favorite Lunch so they have one less meal to cook while working from home
- A Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte for the prospect who’s overly eager to see some fall foliage
- A Movie Night at Home so they can spend a Friday or Saturday night enjoying a film while we head into cooler months
Leverage EQ to Build Long-Term Relationships
The easiest way to incorporate EQ in an effort to build stronger relationships with your prospects is through practicing personalization and showing them that you’re grateful for their time and consideration.
Saying a quick Thnks to your contacts will make them feel valued, and will inherently lead them further through the funnel by priming them to secure a partnership with your business.
Struggling to get in touch with your prospects during this difficult time? Thnks makes it easier to ensure that you continue building these relationships despite current obstacles. In a matter of seconds, you can search for the perfect gesture, personalize a note, and send it off via SMS or email. Interested in learning more? Sign up for a demo!