Take a look at your email. What does your signature include? Is it simply your name and contact information? If so, you're missing an opportunity to boost sales and increase conversions. Most companies don't optimize their email signatures, which allow them to get in front of prospects in a non-intrusive way. HubSpot research shows that nearly all (86 percent) of professionals prefer to communicate via email for business purposes. Forward-thinking sales leaders don't want to let that white space at the bottom of the email go unused. They see it as an opportunity to turn an individual business email into a marketing and lead generation machine.

Bobby Narang, co-founder and VP of sales for Opensense, says that making small changes to your email signature can dramatically improve your conversion rate. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Narang's five practical ways salespeople can use their signature to generate new sales.

1. Pair your work calendar and email signature. If responsiveness is one of the most important characteristics of a good salesperson, why not make it as easy as possible for people to get in touch with you? Whether that's sharing your best contact information when on the road, your travel schedule or office hours, or an automated way to schedule a meeting, pairing your email signature with your work calendar makes it easy for prospects to reach you with questions and concerns.

2. Promote online and live events. Narang says that email signatures are a perfect place to promote online and live events. It's easy to include links to registration, discounted tickets or other appealing graphics to spark interest. Just be sure to keep the information current and remove past events.

3. Educate and inform. Before they ever speak to a sales rep, most prospects already know which direction they want to go. This makes a solid sales strategy even more important. You can use your email signature to educate a prospect on your market or pain points and why your company can help. You can do this via links to webinars, videos, ebooks and whitepapers. Use accurate and personalized language, which can significantly impact conversions and help you capture valuable customer data for future marketing campaigns.

4. Let your customers do the talking. Use your email signature to link to a customer case study or testimonial. This is a great way to build credibility with potential customers. Consider including a powerful review quote or show an overall rating based on reviews. Or, you could simply link to your reviews.

5. Share company updates. If you want to share industry news or make an interesting company announcement, include it in your email signature. If you have new arrivals, you can include a link to the landing page showcasing those products.

If your email signature isn't doing much to promote your brand, communicate your value and bring in new business, it doesn't take much to make a change. Your email signature can be an untapped resource. Follow the tips above to maximize the power of your email signature.

Source: Bobby Narang serves as co-founder and VP of sales for Opensense, a leading enterprise email signature marketing and management platform. Narang has a passion for evangelizing cutting-edge technology solutions that disrupt the old way of doing things.