If you’re like many sales professionals, you spend a significant amount of time crafting sales emails. One Hubspot study shows that salespeople spend about 21% of their day writing emails, sending an average of nearly 40 emails a day. The time investment can pay off for sales professionals who stay consistent with their efforts. The same study shows that sending 4-7 emails in a sequence increases the reply rate to 27% from about 9% when only 1-3 emails get sent.

Considering the amount of time salespeople invest in writing these emails, it can be helpful to make sure they stand out from all the rest. Jen Gustavson, a writer who contributes to the Salesforce blog, has put together a list of some of the best sales emails tips. Keep reading this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, where we outline her suggestions.

1. Make your message short and sweet. No one has time to wade through lengthy emails. Aim to use fewer words, write in a more conversational tone and be more direct. This will help you prove value faster. Some studies show that emails containing just 75-100 words are ideal for getting responses. If you make your emails too much longer or shorter, the response starts to taper off.

2. Let people book meetings directly from your email. You don’t want clients and prospective buyers to see a long email and decide to review it later, only to forget, Gustavson says. You also don’t want to make it difficult to schedule time with you. That’s why she recommends integrating your email with your calendar, which lets people coordinate meetings without all the back-and-forth.

3. Time your email right. To give your sales emails the best chance at standing out, pay attention to when you send them. The right time isn’t always straightforward, though, Gustavson says. You may need to dig a little deeper into your clients’ individual preferences. Some professionals are more likely to respond to sales emails at the beginning of the day, while others may respond at the end of the day. Test different times to help you narrow down the best timing.

4. Double check that your communication adds value. Before you hit send, make sure you that your sales email is adding some kind of value. The goal is to avoid adding more noise and giving clients and prospects more things to delete from their inbox. To succeed with your sales emails, Gustavson says you need to communicate thoughtfully. This means thinking about what the other person needs at this moment — not what you want to get out of it.

Your sales emails can help you not only stay in touch with your current clients, but also connect with new prospective buyers. Sending email is an affordable, measurable way to market your products and services and keep potential clients engaged. Take time this week to check on the length of your sales emails (they shouldn’t be too long) and ensure that you have a strong call to action. Your audience should be able to easily take the next step with you. You can also recheck your messaging to be sure you are adding value. By taking a few simple steps, you can help make your sales emails stand apart in a good way.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Jen Gustavson is a content writer who contributes articles for the Salesforce blog.