Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People book is notorious for teaching top sales people that if you want to be successful... and I mean over the top successful, you'll need to learn that prospects don't care about "your" objectives or concerns, they only care about theirs.

So when a well known Sales Data Mining / Prospecting company sent me their latest automated "sales email" to get me to do something they wanted, I couldn't help laugh and sigh at the same time about how many outbound B2B sales people make "selling" harder on themselves then it needs to be.

Here's what the first line of the email said... In fact let me just give you the first six words after the salutation:

Michael:

To continue our momentum into 2011... STOP

If we want to be successful, we need to have an interest in helping others get what they want. Does this sales person whom I have never spoken with really think I care one iota about their company's momentum?

I only care about my company's momentum. What would it have been like if instead of leading with how my money can help THEM achieve their goals in 2011, they lead with:

Michael:

In order to help your company continue it's positive momentum in 2011, I'd like to offer a free consultation in the area of (my primary pain that they help solve) in order to determine if we may be of some help to you in achieving your goals in 2011.

Which do you think would have gotten a better response rate?

The only reason I didn't delete this email ASAP was so that I would remember to use it as an example for you readers.

So What's the Top Sales Email Marketing Blunder?

Talking about what you want and not showing the prospect how to get what they want, in my opinion is the number one sales email / marketing blunder. We've all made the mistake before. It's time to make sure we don't make it anymore.

Sincerely,

Michael Pedone
President/CEO
SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1