How to write a series of sales emails for a new product
Today’s burning question is from Rick, who asks about creating a series of emails to generate sales for a new product:
How can I create a series of emails that get people interested and then purchasing a new product (a training program that includes group coaching). People tell me that they like my emails - they are entertaining and informative. But they rarely offer anything for sale.
This is really a build on our last question from Marta on angles for sales emails.
For that question we tried to figure out what the main barrier holding back potential buyers would be and then wrote an email to address that barrier.
When you have the opportunity to write a whole series of emails you can take it further and address all (or most of) the key barriers in different emails.
When it comes to what those barriers are (or to flip it around, the beliefs people need to have to be ready to buy) they’re obviously somewhat unique to your products. But in my experience, a common thread running through them tends to be:
People need to believe they have a big problem that needs solving or big opportunity that’s worth chasing (otherwise why bother buying a product that helps you with it)
They need to believe that achieving this goal (or solving this problem) is actually possible for someone like them (“OK, I get you’ve helped others to become great presenters…but I’m a real introvert…I bet they’re not”)
They need to believe that doing what they’re doing today is not going to get them to where they want to be (because if they think they’re making good progress already there’s no need to change).
They need to believe your specific approach actually works and has a proven track record
They need to believe your approach is different to what they’ve tried before (because the chances are they’ve probably tried and failed to solve this problem before so they need a reason to believe it will be different this time)
If you’re going to be working with them personally they need to believe the relationship would work
And finally, they need to believe that now is the right time to do this and delaying will cause problems
That’s actually quite a lot (and it’s a simplified version of the full list based on Dan Kennedy’s “Progressive Sequence of Agreements”).
But the good news is you often don’t have to hit everything on the list. Not everyone has all the barriers. And some of your emails may hit multiple barriers.
But based on this list, typically I’d try to write a series of emails a bit like the following, using a course about presentation skills for aspiring executives as an example:
Open the series with an email highlighting how big and important the topic is. This might be about how your ability to present well is one of the key drivers of career success. You could illustrate it with data (assuming it exists) or share personal or client experiences.
Talk about some of the biggest mistakes people make with presentations. This could be illustrated with some of the mistakes you made in the past or that clients (who have since improved) made. Or point out some in the public domain like on videos.
Talk about “the real secret of powerful presentations” - one big important idea or principle you teach that underlies success but is little known. Potentially share the origin story of the secret and how you discovered it.
Do an email on “lessons learned from brilliant presenters”. Ideally this would be people who’ve been through your course or coaching sharing their best tips. But if it’s the first time you’ve done this then cull the best practices from the public domain. Make sure you cover not just their best tips but also the success they got from being a great presenter.
Do an email on “how to get started”. Less about presentation skills themselves and more about how you’d go about acquiring them. Don’t make this completely self-serving. Give your genuinely best advice which might include a mix of learning by watching brilliant presenters in action, getting lots of practice, getting feedback on your presentations, and learning best practices from someone who knows the shortcuts.
I’d close the sequence with a straight sales email with details of what’s in the course and what people would get from it if they bought it - including covering the biggest objections and offering a strong guarantee.
That would be a basic sequence. Each email would have a call to action at the end linking what I covered in the email with the course.
For example, in the email about the biggest mistakes most people make my call to action would highlight how the course shows you how to avoid them. In the email about how to get started, I’d point out there’s a detailed implementation module in the course along with weekly feedback on your presentations.
You could add other emails too. For example, you could add in an email on “I wish I’d known this when I first started presenting”. Or one on “What your next boss wants to see in your presentation”. Or even one on “these out-of-date presentation techniques don’t work any more” that highlights techniques that many courses still teach despite the fact they’re no longer effective - and what your course does instead.
If you read back over that sequence of emails you’ll see there are plenty of opportunities to hit all the barriers I mentioned earlier.
For example, the email on the importance of presentation skills to your career progression will help establish that this is a goal worth achieving. The people whose stories you share with the best practice tips will help your readers see that this can work for people just like them. The “real secret” email will show that your approach is different to the ones they’ve tried before, etc etc.
If all this sounds like a lot of work, it is.
You probably don’t need it all the first time you’re trying to sell a pilot version of your product or service as your most enthusiastic supporters will buy anyway, even if your emails aren’t stellar.
But over time it’s something to work towards and to keep improving to keep getting more sales.
And I’m sure in an email about sales emails you’d be most disappointed if I didn’t point out that I teach all these techniques for writing series and individual emails in my Effective and Engaging Email Newsletter course.
I’m just working on the final “fast start” module right now so the course is priced at just £97 (+VAT in the UK). If you get it now you’ll be writing powerful sales-driving emails by Christmas.
Click the button below to get more details of the course: