Sales emails can be a source of frustration for many reps, but they continue to be a vital part of sales strategies, especially during times of social distancing such as these. Email touch points are more important than ever for reaching out to prospects at a time when in-​person meetings and networking events are on hold. But many sales reps don't know how to make the most of their emails or how to fix an incorrect email.

“An email usage study by Adobe found that the average person spends up to five hours a day checking email, including three or more hours checking work email on weekdays,” reports Tequia Burt in an article for LinkedIn. Emails are getting read; you just need to break through the clutter by making sure you're sending the correct messages.

Burt discusses the challenges reps face in regard to sales emails, but emphasizes this outreach method's continued importance. She shares why your emails may not be getting opened and why your replies could be few and far between. Then, she explains how to fix incorrect emails using ways you can boost the value of your emails to ensure both of those rates improve.

How to Fix an Incorrect Email

Burt points out that there are actually some common issues that can suppress open and response rates. Thankfully, how to fix an incorrect email such as this can be easily done.

The fact that a recipient doesn’t recognize your name is a common problem when sending sales emails. Salespeople who send cold emails are probably familiar with this issue, but it can even impact those reps who are emailing someone they have been in contact with or met. “In the age of inbox overload, many users are quick to gloss over a sender name that doesn’t register quickly,” Burt explains. Her solution is to do a pre-​email touchpoint.

Whether you have spoken with the prospect before now or not, a simple interaction on LinkedIn or another social media network can get your name fresh in their mind. To fix an incorrect email, all it may take is a small spark of recognition to prevent the recipient from trashing your message immediately. Also, you should make sure to include a reference point within your sales emails, such as a headshot and your LinkedIn profile link. These little touches not only personalize the communication, but also can encourage the recipient to click through to learn more about you, your company, and your product or service offerings.

This is just one of the issues that Burt examines in her article, and she stresses the increasing importance of sales emails makes it imperative for sales reps to fix incorrect emails. While sales emails have always been a staple of sales reps’ strategies, it’s even more critical now that they get opened and inspire engagement. As she points out, “By being thoughtful about the reasons emails get ignored, and taking active steps to counter them, salespeople can still derive plenty of value from this channel, as can buyers and prospects.”