As salespeople and business owners, I’m sure you can relate to the sheer number of cold emails I get as a business owner every hour of every day of every week. With so much noise in our inboxes (not to mention the issue of limited time), there’s a good chance we’re not opening all of those emails. But when I receive an email from a salesperson I’m about to meet, the odds are much better that I’ll open the email and review the content.
And remember… by “meeting”, this can just as easily refer to online meetings as well as in person, face to face meetings.
While I am more likely to view this person’s email due to our upcoming commitment and prior relationship, I expect more from the email in terms of content.
The Importance of a Pre-Meeting Email
One simple advantage of sending a pre-meeting email is standing out from the competition. You will stay in front of prospects and differentiate yourself if you do some research and get personal.
You also need to keep track of your promises and recommendations throughout the sales process, so that follow through is carried out with precision, and a pre-meeting email can help you achieve this end. Making business personal and meeting (or better yet, exceeding) expectations are two ways to close more deals.
How to Write an Email for a Meeting
You might know that you need to write a pre-meeting email, and you might even know some of the basics of pre-meeting email content, but actually crafting such an important piece of communication doesn’t always come easily.
At the very least, (and obviously) your pre-meeting email should include a reminder confirming the location, time, and date of the meeting. But you also should ensure that attendees know the purpose of the meeting, along with any reports, pre-reading, or requests for materials a day or two in advance.
To create a solid pre-meeting email template, we suggest you follow these steps:
1. Include a specific subject line, with the meeting day and topic.
2. Write a personal greeting, such as “Hi [Contact]!”
3. Write a brief reminder paragraph that covers the purpose of the meeting and what you expect. For example, “I’m looking forward to meeting you at [location and time]. As I mentioned during our phone call on [date], I’ll be sharing [product], which relates to your . We aim to [witty line about your company brand].”
4. Write a brief closing paragraph, guiding the prospect to a piece of company content. Offer a link to a video, white paper, or some other quality content relating to your meeting. Offer to provide any other materials that the prospect wants, and make yourself available for questions or feedback. For example, “You can see a short video about [product] on our website if you’re curious. Feel free to email or call if you have any questions or further needs before we meet on [date and time].”
5. Close the email and you’re done. “Looking forward to meeting with you” followed by your name is the best way to end the message.
Personalising a Pre-Meeting Email
Keep in mind that the pre-meeting email template can only get you so far. If you haven’t truly adopted your company’s CRM yet, you need to do so to craft an effective personalised pre-meeting email. All of the personal information you need about your prospects is (or should be) in that CRM, and your job as a sales person becomes much easier when you rely on your company’s existing tools and data when communicating with prospects.
Additionally, remember to include the sales content that matters most to your prospect in your pre-meeting email. Personalising your pre-meeting email with just the right content could make or break your deal.
Pre-Meeting Email Template
So what might all this look like in action?
Hi Lisa,
Hope you had a nice few days out of the office!
I’m looking forward to our meeting tomorrow. I’d like to walk away having a better understanding of your pain points with ABC Ltd, your team’s 2020 goals, and how our software can help you achieve them.
In the meantime, we just released a new case study with a company I think yours has quite a lot in common with. Here’s the link: [Insert link].
Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, looking forward to connecting tomorrow at 11:00 am.
Hope you’re surviving the post-vacation sluggishness!
Kind regards,
Alice
You’ve kept things short, concise, and direct. You’ve reminded your prospect of the meeting you both agreed to, provided them with a brief outline of what you’ll discuss, and provided value to them in the form of a relevant content offer.
It might seem formal, but it’s also familiar and humanises your meeting, instead of it being a faceless entry in their calendar. Communication and relationship is what sales is all about, but you can’t do either if you never meet.
Are you planning effectively for upcoming sales meetings? If not perhaps we can help.
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