How to Turn Email Inquiries into Profits

Does your business get a lot of email inquiries? You know the type I mean - where all the information you have of the enquirer is their email address.

Isn't it frustrating when you reply to the email and hear nothing back? Then you send a follow up email and still nothing! Finally in desperation you send a third email with your best price and nothing… nada… nil response!

You finally give up out of sheer frustration. So how is it possible to turn this type of inquiry into a sale?

Don't give up hope yet as I have some possible solutions. Instead of responding with a sales pitch straight why not ask some questions first?

Possible questions include:

How did you find our company details?
When do you need delivery?
What number can I reach you on?
Who do you currently buy from?
Why are you thinking of changing suppliers?
How often do you place an order?
What are your views on X, Y & Z?

By responding with a question, you can gauge the level of interest and avoid wasting precious time on "tire kickers."

Try to ask some questions that cannot be answered with a straight yes or no. Instead ask leading questions that must get the enquirer thinking.

If your standard response is not working why not try the above approach? To get business from an email inquiry you must get the client communicating and if possible talking as soon as possible. This is the only way you are going to achieve results.

You also need to build rapport with your potential clients, and instill confidence. They need to be persuaded they are making the right decision. By asking leading questions you are demonstrating that you treat their inquiry with respect.

Why not prepare a standard questionnaire to send out to all initial inquiries? If somebody cannot be bothered answering some basic questions then it does not make sense wasting any more time on them.

Another great idea is to hold a weekly conference call for initial inquiries. Some potential clients might not be ready for a one on one chat but would happily attend a tele-seminar without feeling threatened.

Personally I do not like the idea of giving a price based on an email inquiry. If the price is all the buyer is interested in then chances are that you will lose this customer pretty quickly even if you do manage to get their business.

If you do give a price by email and it gets rejected then reply "If price is the only issue then why don't you give me a call? We have some great deals but I would rather we talk first before I send you a quote."

Have you had an email inquiry recently? How much more successful would you be if you could double your conversion rate? Let the games begin!

By: Ian Hales