How To Write A Sales Introduction Email (With Template + Example)

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When you work in sales, you need to know how to connect with potential customers in person, on the phone, and via email. Writing a sales email that will actually get read is no easy feat, which is why we’ve put together this guide on writing sales introduction emails.

In this article, you’ll learn tips and tricks for crafting your initial email, as well as how to follow up with prospective customers after you reach out the first time. We’ve also included a sales email template and example for you to use as a reference.

Key Takeaways:

• Make sure your subject line is personable and free of buzzwords.

• Focus on what your product or service can do for the customer.

• Always close with a call to action.

How to Write a Sales Introduction Email

To write a sales introduction email, start with a clear subject line, a personalized greeting, and an engaging opening line.

1. Craft a clear subject line. People don’t tend to open emails with mysterious or jargon-filled subject lines, so make sure you’re making your intentions clear right off the bat.

2. Write a personalized greeting. Whether “Hi Amy” or “Dear Ms. Wilson” aligns more closely with your brand’s voice, use the recipient’s name in the greeting. This helps engage them more quickly than a generic “Hello there.”

3. Hook them with your opening line. This first line acts as the topic sentence of the whole email, and it shouldn’t be you introducing yourself. Instead, write something that focuses on the customer and their problem or need.

   Something like, “I saw that you are the new marketing director,” or “Have you ever struggled to engage your customers on a personal level at an exhibition?” is good.

4. Introduce yourself. Now it’s time to explain what you’re all about. You shouldn’t need more than a sentence or two to do that, though. Your focus should still be on what you can do for the reader, so only include information that furthers that.

5. Mention a connection you share. If you got their information from a referral, coworker, or another contact, mention that here. If you met them or got their information at an exhibition, mention that as well. This will spark a more personal connection in the reader.

6. Explain the reason why you’re contacting them. Again, you shouldn’t need more than a few sentences for this, be concise. Explain what you have to offer and the value it would add to their lives or business. Use numbers whenever you can paint a picture of your product or service’s effectiveness.

7. Close with a call to action (CTA). This puts the ball in the reader’s court and helps them clearly understand what their next steps are.

8. Say thank you and sign off. This is the simplest way to close an email professionally and leave the reader with a positive impression. Remember to add your title and contact information under your name as well.

How to Write a Sales Email

To write a sales email, start with an informative subject line and an engaging opening line before moving to the body paragraphs.

1. Write an informative subject line. Your subject line should be short, interesting, and devoid of buzzwords. Think about what would make you click on an email — probably not something that sounds just like one of the other hundreds of brands spamming people’s inboxes with “Final Reminder About Our Annual Sale!” and “Unique Solutions at a Discounted Price!”

2. Craft an engaging opening line. Again, write this as if you were writing to a person because you are. Engage the reader immediately by addressing them personally as you would in conversation, not by launching into your sales pitch. “I noticed your company recently published an article about a new class you’re offering — congratulations!” is a good example.

3. Write your body paragraphs. This is where you’ll lay out what you have to offer, but keep it related to what you can do for your client — don’t just go into why you and your company are amazing. Asking questions and telling (short) stories can be a great way to do this.

4. Include a call to action. Don’t sign off without providing a call to action, whether that’s an invitation to ask more questions, schedule a meeting, or simply let you know if they’re interested.

5. Sign off. A simple “Thank you” is all you need, followed by your name and phone number. You can also include a link to your company’s website if appropriate.

How to Write a Cold Email For Sales

To write a cold email for sales, write a clear and engaging subject line and introduction, briefly pitch your product or service, and add a call to action.

1. Think through your email subject line. This is the first thing your recipient will see, and it’s what helps them decide between deleting your message unread and opening it. So, avoid vague buzzwords and write a subject line that you would find interesting and worthwhile. If the subject line sounds like something you would send hundreds of people, it probably isn’t going to be effective.

2. Write your hook. This is the first line of your email and your one chance to convince the recipient to keep reading. You should personalize it to show that this isn’t just a mass email (just don’t get too specific, or you’ll sound creepy). Ask a question, give a startling statistic the reader will relate to, or mention how you got connected with them.

3. Present your pitch. This pitch should be only a few sentences long and should focus on the value your product or service brings to the customer. As you write, change your mindset from bragging about your product to showing how you can help the recipient solve a problem, keeping it as conversational as possible.

4. Give a call to action. Don’t just pitch your product and leave — give the recipient a next step for them to take if they’re interested. Don’t make this too complicated or require too much information or effort from the customer — you want to put up as few hurdles as possible in these initial stages of funneling them in.

5. Include your contact information. Sign your name as you usually would, and if you don’t already have an automatic signature, add your phone number and any applicable links. These could take the prospect to an informational landing page or to your social media, where they can reach out.

6. Keep it brief. A cold sales email shouldn’t be long at all — around 200 words should be enough. No one has the time or mental energy to sift through a wall of text that they didn’t ask for, so respect this by keeping your message short and including plenty of bullet points and bolded words to make it easy to read.

   The recipient will appreciate this, further solidifying your rapport with them.

How to Start a Sales Email

To start a sales email, open with a personalized greeting. “Dear Mr. Russel” or “Hello, Donna” are both appropriate, depending on your branding and company’s voice.

Then, open with an engaging line. This is a good place to ask a question or mention how you got connected with the recipient. Don’t launch into an explanation of what you do just yet — keep it focused on the recipient to hook them into reading the rest of your message.

How to End a Sales Email

Always end a sales email with a call to action. This could be as direct as, “I’d love to tell you more about this opportunity — when would be a good time for me to give you a call?” or as simple as, “If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to respond to this email. You can also call or text me at 222-333-4444.” Whatever you say, the goal is to leave the reader with a clear understanding of what their next step is.

Once you’ve done this, close with a simple “Thank you” or “I look forward to speaking with you,” followed by your name and contact information.

How to Write a Sales Pitch Email

To write a sales pitch email, open with a personalized subject line and greeting, move into the body of your pitch, and close with an invitation to further action.

1. Personalize the subject line and greeting. The recipient should feel like you’re talking to them individually, not a mass audience you’re sending an email blast to. This requires more than just using their name, although that’s a good place to start. Write a subject line and greeting that sounds like how you would speak to them in person or that you would send to a coworker.

   This could include a mention of a past conversation you had, a question about how they’re doing with a certain task or area, or even a statistic you know they’d find interesting and relatable.

2. Give your pitch. Your pitch should include the basics of any sales pitch: Identify the problem you’re trying to solve, point out the stakes of not solving it, and highlight how your product or service could fix that problem. You should also tailor your pitch to the recipient as much as you can.

   This part of your email should be brief — two short paragraphs at the most. Remember to include bullet points and bolded headers whenever you can to make it easy to read as well.

3. Provide a next step. This could be inviting them to discuss the product or service with you over the phone or asking them if they have any questions. Then, sign off with a brief “Thank you,” “I look forward to talking with you,” or “Regards,” and your name. Don’t forget to include your contact information after your signature.

How to Write a Follow-Up Sales Email

To write a follow-up sales email, explain that you’re following up in your subject line, explain why you’re following up, and do something to remind the recipient about what you offer and make it easier for them to take advantage of it.

1. Don’t hide the fact that you’re following up. Your subject line should make it clear that you’re following up with the recipient about something. This means you can say something like, “Are you still interested?” or even as straightforward as, “Following up on my last email.”

2. Explain why you’re following up right off the bat. Your first sentence should be the reason why you’re sending the email. If you tried to call but missed them, say so, and if you’re following up on an email you sent a few days ago, say that, too. Here is an example:

   “I sent you an email a few days ago about our new paper products and wanted to follow up — would you like me to send you some samples?”

3. Make it easier for the recipient to take action. Remove as many barriers as you can by letting them know they can call or text you even outside of business hours, linking to a web form that allows them to ask for samples or more information, or simply including more specific information about your product (like pricing packages) in your email.

4. Keep it short. Remember that your follow-up email is meant to remind the recipient about your offer, not annoy them with additional advertising. Because of this, this email should only be a few lines long. If you are too long-winded, you run a higher risk of annoying the recipient, which definitely won’t help your sales.

5. Follow up quickly. Give the contact enough time to reply, but don’t wait too long to follow up. If you’re following up on a cold email, give them around three days to reply. If you were able to talk to them on the phone and are waiting on them to get back to you, one or two days is more appropriate. This helps keep the ball rolling rather than having to start the whole process over.

How to Respond to a Sales Rejection Email

To respond to a sales rejection email, be understanding and respectful, provide additional information, and keep the door open.

• Be understanding. You have no chance of getting that sale in the future if you are rude or unempathetic toward the prospect. Showing empathy for their situation and respecting their wishes is key to responding to a sales rejection email, and it doesn’t mean you have to entirely roll over or let it go, either.

• Provide additional information. After showing that you understand and respect the prospect’s decision, give it one more helpful push. This could look like asking to discuss custom pricing or pointing out a key benefit of your product that sets you apart from other solutions.

  Remember that you’re in the business of solving people’s problems, so solve their problems with purchasing your product as best as you can.

• Keep the door open. Just because someone says no now doesn’t mean they will never say yes in the future. That doesn’t mean you should keep pestering them, but it does mean you should close on a polite note and make sure they have all they need to contact you if they change their mind.

  Make your last interaction a positive one, that way, if and when you follow up again in the distant future, they’ll be more receptive to it.

How Long Should a Sales Email Be?

A sales email should be about 200 words long or three to four short paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to scroll to read the message on a desktop computer, it’s too long.

You should also always include bullet points, headers, and bolded words to guide the eye and make your email easier to read. A wall of text is confusing, intimidating, and entirely unnecessary, so avoid this.

You should also avoid including images or graphics, as these slow down load times and tend to look spammy.

What Are Email Subject Line Examples for Sales?

Email subject line examples for sales include:

Sales Email Template

Here is an example of a sales email template:

What Is an Example of a Sales Email?

Here is another example of a sales email:

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia where she has written 140+ articles that have reached over 1 mil viewers as of June 2023. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research.