The Insider Guide to Sales Emails That Convert
In 2024, a staggering 361 billion emails are sent daily—and by 2026, that number will almost reach the 4 billion mark. Business professionals regularly receive 100+ emails daily, and many are sales emails that recipients have to decide whether to read or pass to the trash folder.
Alt-Text: Statista bar chart showing the number of emails sent daily from 2018-2024 (and projected through 2026)
For sales teams, then, the question is: How can you guarantee that your sales emails stand out? How can you be sure they’ll be the chosen ones—the ones people will actually open rather than send to trash, or worse, flag as spam.
Use this guide on sales emails to find the best strategies for grabbing your audience’s attention through their inboxes, and driving them to take action toward purchase.
Key Takeaways:
- Sales emails are most effective when they’re focused on delivering value.
- Clear “from” fields, compelling subject lines, and easy-to-navigate email design are all ways to make emails more likely to convert.
- CTAs and strong follow-up are necessary to drive action toward conversion.
The Most Effective Types of Sales Emails
Your marketing and sales emails shouldn’t be ads for your products and services. Those come across as spammy, and your readers will delete them without even opening. Instead, sales emails should be a way to connect with your target audience—to engage with them in ways that make them want to interact more with your company.
Treat emails like personal conversations with your prospects. You wouldn’t ask a stranger for a favor without first introducing yourself and building trust. Neither should your business jump right into a sales pitch without spending time greeting your customers, discussing their challenges, and offering solutions.
Effective types of sales emails that get great returns include:
- Welcome emails
- Case studies
- FAQ emails
- “How To” emails
- Discounts and special offers
- Lead magnets
- Industry insights
- Reminder emails
When you read this list, you’ll notice that all of these types have one thing in common: They deliver value for the reader. By doing so, they also create opportunities for you to showcase what you have to offer without coming off as too pushy or “salesy.”
How Do You Write a Sales Email That Converts?
With this in mind—how can you write sales emails that actually convert new leads and customers? Follow these five steps to create an email strategy that wins.
Step 1: Get Your Readers to Open the Email
The average email open rate in 2024 is 37%—not much more than a third of recipients are even giving emails a chance! Quality sales emails won’t be effective if no one is opening them in the first place, so sales email optimization has to start with making sure recipients will actually want to read your messages.
Since many people won’t open emails if they don’t know who it is from, you can start building trust by adding an actual name, title, and company to the “from” fields in your email marketing platform. This way, recipients know your email isn’t spam.
Your next focus is your subject line, which can tell your readers what to expect and what value they will gain from the email. To win here, emphasize that value factor (i.e. how your reader will benefit from reading) and personalize when you can.
Step 2: Drive Usability with Universal Design
Your sales emails should be easy and pleasant to view. Otherwise—even after opening—your recipients will still click delete. Implement universal design principles that are inclusive and work across all types of devices.
Keep in mind that today more than 80% of emails are opened via mobile device—a massive shift that happened between 2010 (when only 27% were opened on mobile). In 2024, this is a number that’s no doubt still growing.
Alt-Text: Percentage of emails opened on mobile device between 2010-2020
Just because you’re sending business emails, don’t assume they’re being opened on a desktop. Optimize design, readability, and visual content (like images and videos) to appear smoothly on tablets and smartphones as well.
Step 3: Demonstrate Clear Value
The body of your email is where you have the chance to really engage and convert potential new customers.Your messages should be focused not on your product and service features—no matter how amazing—but rather on the value and benefits they deliver to customers.
Consider social proof to drive this home for your readers. More than 90% of B2B buyers say they are more likely to buy a product or service after reading a review. Testimonials and case studies included in your sales emails count—and they’re a lot more convincing than regular sales language.
Alt-Text: 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase a product or service after reading a trusted review of it.
Personalize this approach by segmenting your email audiences and using case studies and testimonials from current customers from similar industries or that have similar needs.
Step 4: Outline Next Steps with CTAs
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are the bridge between your sales emails and your next engagement with a prospect. The right CTA for each situation will depend on the nature of your email and where it lands in your lead nurturing process.
You might tell a reader to check out a piece of content or download an asset. Maybe you invite them to an upcoming webinar. Perhaps you encourage them to schedule a meeting or demo.
No matter what the right CTA is for a particular sales email, you should always include one. You can also personalize your CTAs in many cases, and make them more noticeable using bold text or clickable button graphics.
Be clear, compelling, and to the point—and align your CTA with the purpose of your email so it feels like a natural next step, not another thing to add to the “to-do” list.
Step 5: Follow Up with Your Prospects
A sales email doesn’t guarantee a conversion. The B2B sales cycle is long—often several months—and it requires many touch points before most buyers become purchase ready. Be sure you have a follow-up strategy prepared to come after your sales email, whether that’s another email (for example, in a drip campaign) or outreach via another channel.
No matter which medium you choose, timing is vital. As your recipients open their emails, click, and respond, you can record those actions via your CRM and qualify prospects to identify the most interested leads. Then, respond quickly and personally to those leads while they are still interested to encourage further interactions.
Wrapping Up
In the flood of daily emails, standing out is more crucial than ever. With billions of emails buzzing around the globe, your sales emails need to not only reach the inbox but also capture attention and compel action. This guide has equipped you with the strategies to craft emails that resonate deeply with your audience by emphasizing value over sales pitches and fostering genuine connections.
Ready to transform your sales emails and see results? Televerde can help. Contact us today to learn about our leading demand generation, sales, and customer experience solutions.
