Transcript Slide 1
Email: Your Secret Sales Weapon Michael Regina Funeral Decisions Co. About Me I grew up in the cemetery business and saw firsthand how far behind other industries we were when it came to leveraging the web for sales and marketing. In 2008 I started Funeral Decisions as a way to help fellow cemetery and funeral home owners use technology connect with more families, increase sales and market more effectively. What Adults Do Online* This Gap Represents Over 42 Million Adults 91% 88% 84 81 78% 78 74 71 71 67 Use Search Engine For Info Email Search for a Check the map or weather driving directions Get Info Before Purchase Get news Go online to pass the time Buy a product 67% Watch a Visit a Social Video government Network website *Pew Internet Research The “Good Old” Days Mr. Robert Smith 123 Main St. Somewhere, ST 12345 (555) 555-5555 Today Bob [email protected] Email Leads Convert at Approximately Same Rate As Phone/Address Leads Example Email* What Not To Send Subject: RE: Sales Lead Body: Mr. Smith, Please give me a call and we can discuss your options. Michael Example Funeral Home *Actual email sent by a funeral director Example Email The Usual Email Subject: RE: Your Web Request Body: Mr. Smith, We have many options available here at XYZ Funeral Home for every budget. I’d be happy to go through all of our services with you. Feel free to give me a call at your convenience. Michael XYZ Funeral Home What Not To Send • Non-Descript/Non-Personalized Subject Line – Your Internet Request – Re: Web Form Submission • Unknown Sender – Randy Johnson – Bob Smith • Inadequate Information – A note telling consumer to call – No cost information or anything remotely useful Responding To Consumer Inquiries Steps For Effective Emails 1. Get It Opened! Getting Your Emails Opened • Subject Line – Do Not Be Generic Or “Spammy” – Make Sure The Consumer Knows You Are Responding To Their Request! • Bob Smith Funeral Home Information Request • Requested Funeral Information From Bob Smith FH • From: – Consider Using Name Of Funeral Home/Cemetery • If not, definitely use name in Subject Line Steps For Effective Emails 1. Get It Opened! 2. Get A Response! a) b) c) d) e) Provide USEFUL Information Build Trust Show Social Proof Ask Questions Next Steps Getting A Response • Useful Information (MOST IMPORTANT) – Provide information about services/property they think they’re interested in – Provide information about services/property they could be interested in – Provide Price “Ideas” • Price ranges for your overall local market • Provide high end offerings of your competitors ("other cemeteries in the area can charge up to $8,000 for the type of burials you are interested in, however we can work within your budget to give your family..........") • Provide low end of what you offer/let them know you can work with their exact budget ("we have beautiful burial options that include a wide variety of customization that can fit into any budget....") – Pictures of property, services, etc… – Does NOT include a link to your general website! Getting A Response • Build Trust – – – – Include pictures of yourself Links to personal Facebook page Testimonial about you specifically Teach Something • Show Social Proof – How many families have you or the establishment served – How long has it been in business – Testimonials – Links to online testimonial Getting A Response • Ask Questions – What has your family traditionally done? – Why are you specifically looking at direct cremation? • Next Steps – Outline the rest of the process so that the consumer knows what to expect and what they should do Email Secret Weapons • Pre-Written Templates – Save Time – Won’t Miss Important Information – Ability to Assess Email’s Effectiveness Using Email To Close More Leads (…Old Ones You Haven’t Heard From In A While) 10% Or Greater Increase in Revenue (Source: Gartner Research) Using Email To Close More Leads • Segment Leads – Split leads into different “personas” – Example: Individuals who requested information on cremation who came in via a seminar Using Email To Close More Leads • Segment Leads – Split leads into different “personas” – Example: Individuals who requested information on cremation who came in via a seminar • Create Multi-Part Email Communication – Create a series of 4 – 12 messages (with 3 – 6 weeks between each), with each building on the previous – Use your current follow-up process as a guide – Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages Using Email To Close More Leads • Segment Leads – Split leads into different “personas” – Example: Individuals who requested information on cremation who came in via a seminar • Create Multi-Part Email Communication – Create a series of 4 – 12 messages (with 3 – 6 weeks between each), with each building on the previous – Use your current follow-up process as a guide – Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages • Offer Something Of Value – Each email should offer something of value or an action step Using Email To Close More Leads • Segment Leads – Split leads into different “personas” – Example: Individuals who requested information on cremation who came in via a seminar • Create Multi-Part Email Communication – Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages – Use your current follow-up process as a guide • Offer Something Of Value – Each email should offer something of value or an action step • Automate – Allow your system to handle sending the emails Email Secret Weapons • Pre-Written Templates – Save Time – Won’t Miss Important Information – Ability to Assess Email’s Effectiveness • Autoresponder – Automatically send emails out at predetermined times – Allows follow up with hundreds of cold leads simultaneously – Remember to space out properly…3-6 weeks Email Recap • Clear, Non-Generic, Non-Spammy Subject Line • Useful Information • Add A Personal Touch and Build Trust • Social Proof • Ask Questions • Call To Action Tools & Resources • • • • FuneralDecisionsCRM: http://www.funeraldecisions.com/crm MailChimp.com ConstantContact.com Tips For Writing Emails: http://thinksimplenow.com/productivity/15-tips-for-writing-effective-email/ • Thunderbird Email Client(Great for templates): https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ • GetNotfiy.com: Allows you to see if someone opened your email