Sales emails have existed for decades and remain powerful today. Despite this, crafting effective emails that reflect your brand and deliver results is challenging for many sales reps.
Email templates are an invaluable resource for building alignment and ensuring consistency in sales teams. They are also a great training tool for new sales reps.
The benefits of sales email templates
With a comprehensive library of sales email templates, you can:
- Save time/bandwidth for the sales team: Writing a good email takes time and effort. An email template reduces both factors, allowing your sales team to manage more prospects, nurture more opportunities, and close more deals.
- Eliminate human error: Spelling mistakes and poor grammar makes you look unprofessional. An email template eliminates these mistakes by reducing the amount of human input required.
- Improve brand alignment: Your brand tone and company messaging take time to learn and emulate. Email templates provide a framework your team can follow to maintain consistency.
- Improve success rates: Several elements go into crafting an email that your prospects will open and take action on. Email templates ensure these elements are present in all of your emails.
- Improve response time: The early bird gets the worm. An email template can help your team respond quickly to opportunities, giving you an edge in a competitive business environment.
- Improve customer satisfaction: Consistent, professional, and timely interactions all contribute to better customer experiences.
Writing sales emails — 4 best practices
The following considerations can help you create emails that escape the void of the inbox or trash folder.
- Subject lines: A good subject line is short and sweet (so it can be read on a mobile device) while providing a hook to pique the recipient’s interest. Using the recipient’s name can help your email stand out, as can a clever joke.
If you want to include an offer in your subject line, avoid phrases like “free” and “limited time offer”, as these buzzwords can trigger a trip to the spam folder.
Lastly, be authentic. Stay away from catchphrases and marketing lingo, as these are likely to be mistaken for automated emails and quickly passed over.
- Body: A good sales email should be concise and direct, without flowery language or marketing bloat. The average corporate employee spends around 2.5 hours a day reading or responding to emails, so emails containing large blocks of text will be seen as a burden more than a boon.
Try to limit the body of your sales emails to 3-4 sentences. The first sentence should provide context, the next should provide the pitch, and the last should be your call-to-action.
To make your emails easier to read quickly, leave a space between each section (context, pitch, CTA) and highlight any links with a bold color.
- Call to action (CTA): Every sales email you send should have a clear purpose and an obvious call to action. You want your CTA to be as simple as possible to perform, so links or embedded buttons are ideal.
For example, if you request a meeting, provide a link to your calendar with a list of available times.
Avoid including multiple CTAs within a single email, as this can get confusing, and your CTAs can get lost in the shuffle.
- P.S. line: Wrapping up a sales email with a quick P.S. is a great way to sneak in some extra info or provide links to some support materials. Like the rest of your email, your P.S. should be short and purposeful and provide value to the recipient.
4 types of sales emails
Sales emails can be broken down into four categories, each with a unique purpose and goal.
- Prospecting emails: Prospecting emails are sent out to potential customers to introduce your company and products/services.
Prospecting emails are perhaps the most challenging emails to write because they are sent to a potential customer with whom you have no prior relationship. This puts a lot of emphasis on the subject line and requires you to provide obvious value right away.
- Follow-up emails: Follow-up emails are sent to prospects who have not responded to our previous contact attempts; to request a meeting or additional information; or to position our offer another way.
Follow-up emails may be the most undervalued emails in your template library. Research has shown that around 80% of deals require five or more touchpoints before closing, but 70% of email communications end after only a single email.
- Feature/product highlight emails: Feature or product highlight emails are usually sent after a new product or feature launch or as part of a marketing cadence that accompanies a trial or demo period for an offer.
The challenge in writing a feature or product email is trying not to sound “spammy”. To avoid this, try and relate the new feature or product to the recipient directly, highlighting the benefits in a way that applies to them.
- Post-sales emails: Post-sales emails are like the cherry on a sundae; the finishing touch that leaves a lasting impression. This can be a simple thank you, a gentle handoff, or feedback request.
Prospecting email template examples
The following templates are examples of prospecting emails you can adapt for your needs.
1. Intro email
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and your intro email is it. You want your intro email to sound informed about your prospect’s business and demonstrate the value you could bring.
The more research you can do before sending this email, the better, as this can help you speak to your prospect’s needs directly.
Hi [prospect’s name],
We’re hearing from others [job title] like yourself that [challenge] leads to [negative impact].
At [your company name], we help [job titles] [jobs to be done] to [positive outcome].
Would you be opposed to learning more about this?
P.S. Here’s how we helped a similar company, [company name] to improve [important metric]: [link]
Best,
[your name]
2. Triggered email
A triggered email is sent to a prospect in response to an event such as a website visit or asset download.
These emails should call attention to the action performed by the prospect and offer assistance in answering any questions they may have.
Since the prospect you are reaching out to has already shown at least a passing interest in your company, this is a good opportunity to start building rapport.
Asking questions about the prospect’s company/role or requesting feedback on your website or asset are good ways to get the ball rolling.
Hi [prospect’s name],
[Your name] here, from [your company] — hope you’re enjoying the [downloaded asset].
If you have any questions around [topic], I’d be happy to answer them for you.
P.S. I looked up [prospect’s company name] on LinkedIn and it sounds really interesting. Could you tell me a little bit more about how you [prospect’s company’s value prop]?
Cheers,
[your name]
3. Intro-request email
In sales, you always want to be speaking to decision-makers. Unfortunately, you won’t always know who the decision-makers in a company are. In cases like these, don’t be afraid to ask.
An intro-request email is a polite and professional way to find out who you should be talking to.
Most people don’t want to waste time any more than you do, so putting you in touch with the right contact is not the biggest ask.
Hi [prospect’s name],
[your name] here — I run [position] at [your company name].
I‘m trying to find the best person at [prospect’s company name] to talk to about [a value prop you offer].
Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?
Thanks,
[your name]
Follow-up email template examples
The following templates are examples of follow-up emails you can adapt to your needs.
1. No-response follow-up email
Few prospects respond to an email the first time, but this doesn’t mean they are not interested. People are busy, and it sometimes takes several reach-outs to receive a response.
A no-response email is a gentle nudge intended to keep us in the prospect’s mind. It is also a good chance to try out different value props to see which ones resonate.
Hi [prospect’s name],
Got a chance to look at the Customer Story I sent you? Including it here [link] just in case you missed it.
I also wanted to let you know [your company name] just made G2s most popular list in our category for the 3rd straight year!
I’d love to sit down for a few minutes and see if we would be a good fit for [prospect’s company name].
Here’s my calendar [link]; feel free to book some time with me when you get a chance.
Talk soon,
[your name]
2. Booked a meeting/demo follow-up email
When a prospect requests a meeting or demo, make the most of the opportunity. An email detailing the process and outlining what will be covered in the meeting or demo sets expectations and gives your prospect a chance to prepare.
This is also a great opportunity to ask what the prospect wants to learn so you can tailor your content accordingly.
Hi [prospect’s name],
Looking forward to our meeting on [meeting date and time].
We try to keep these meetings brief to respect your time, so I have a short presentation I’ll share and we can jump right into your questions.
If there is a topic you’d like to discuss specifically, please let me know and I can prepare something in advance.
P.S. If you would like to invite anyone else to the meeting that you think might benefit from the information, please feel free to do so.
Looking forward to meeting soon,
[your name]
3. Free trial follow-up email
If your company offers a free trial of your product or service, check in after the free trial starts to ensure your prospect has all the support they need.
This email should welcome the prospect on behalf of your company and provide relevant resources they might need along the way, including any links to your knowledge base or support channels.
Hi [prospect’s name],
Happy to see you have started our free trial. I know you’re going to love it.
We are excited to have you on board and want to ensure you have everything you need.
Here’s a [link to our FAQs page] if you get stuck anywhere.
If you have any questions, you can access our 24/7 chat support here [link] or [outline other way to contact support].
You can also just reply directly to this email with your questions.
Best,
[your name]
Feature/product highlight email template examples
The following templates are examples of feature or product highlight emails you can use as a reference when creating your own email templates.
1. New product/feature email
Not all sales emails are directed at prospects. A new product or feature email is generally aimed at existing customers with the goal of selling them on a new offering, though these emails work great for remarketing campaigns as well.
Depending on your customer management capabilities, you may have a lot of information about the target of this email, and you should use that to position the new product or feature.
Hi [prospect’s name],
Did you know that [your company name] now offers [new product or feature]? It’s true!
Many of our customers have been requesting this for a while, and we are really excited to share it.
I know [prospect’s company name] does a lot of [something the tool can help with], and I think this will be a game changer for you.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions. I’d be happy to help.
P.S. Here’s a link to the promo video our marketing team made. I’m a little biased, but I think it’s great.
Talk soon,
[your name]
2. Features-to-benefits email
Prospects may struggle to see how a list of features or products could impact their day-to-day life. A features-to-benefits email can translate your most relevant features into tangible benefits.
You can send a feature-to-benefits email cold, providing generalized guidance on how a particular feature can help with a common business issue.
However, these types of emails work best as a response to a challenge shared by the prospect in a previous communication.
Hi [prospect’s name],
It was great talking to you [yesterday, this morning].
You mentioned dealing with [challenge]. Our [feature or product name] can [describe how the feature or product can overcome the challenge].
I’d be happy to dive a little deeper into this when you have some time. Here’s my calendar [link].
P.S. We have a really great
[video, blog]that can provide some perspective on how this works [link to resource].
Cheers,
[your name]
3. Special offer email
When your company is running a promotion or special offer, you want to shout it from the rooftops.
The challenge is that promotional emails typically end up in the spam folder. To prevent this, avoid buzzwords in your subject line.
Also, don’t send promotional emails to people who recently purchased your offering at full price.
You also want to keep these promotions limited to avoid devaluing the perception of your product.
Hi [prospect’s name],
Did you know [your company name] is offering [special offer]?
There has never been a better time to [sign-up, purchase, join]!
You can get all the details here [link to promotional page/materials].
P.S. If you have any questions or want to take advantage of this amazing deal immediately, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Best,
[your name]
Post-sales email template examples
The following templates are examples of post-sale emails you can adapt for your needs.
1. Thank you email
A thank you email sent after a purchase is a great way to conclude a relationship that your sales rep has been building during the sales process.
A thank-you email does not need to contain a CTA or offer a value proposition. Its sole purpose is to make your new customer feel appreciated.
Hi [prospect’s name],
I’m thrilled you have decided to go with [your company name, product name, or feature name]. I know it’s going to be a great fit for your business.
It was a pleasure getting to know you and learning about [prospect’s company name]. I’ll still be around to help you succeed.
Cheers,
[your name]
2. Hand-off email
A handoff email is a nice way to transition a new customer from the sales team to your support and success teams (here are the best customer support email templates).
It is also a nice way to bid your new customer a fond farewell. Be sure to CC the team member who will be taking over.
Hi [customer name],
I’d like to introduce you to [team member receiving the handoff].
Going forward, they will help you with [account set-up, implementations, post-sales support]. I have already briefed them on the details of your [account, purchase].
It was a pleasure working with you, and I wish you all the best in the future.
Best,
[your name]
3. Survey request email
A feedback survey is a great way to gather input about your sales process and individual performance.
Sending a survey request right after a sale is ideal because the whole sales experience is still fresh in your new customer’s mind.
Hi [prospect’s name],
It was great working with you. I hope you are enjoying [purchased product/service/feature].
Would you mind taking a few minutes to fill out a brief survey about your experience? [link]
This helps us improve in future.
Thank you in advance,
[your name]
Managing your template library
Creating a sales email template library is just the beginning. To leverage it to maximum effect, think about how it will be managed.
- Expanding your template library: The example templates above are intentionally general so you can adapt them to your own sales needs.
You’ll probably need a more comprehensive template library than what we provided, so start by talking to your sales team.
Your sales team speaks to your customers every day and can identify common email topics to standardize and templatize.
As you add new templates to your library, refresh older templates for tone, accuracy, and relevance.
- Storing your email template library: An email template library is only effective if it is accessible. While it is possible to store your library as a series of shared spreadsheets or documents, this is not the cleanest or most secure option.
The best place to store your email template library is a CRM. A CRM offers secure access to your library and can streamline the process by allowing your team to send these emails from the same system.
FreeAgent can help you store, manage, and improve your email templates
FreeAgent CRM helps you store and automate your sales email templates. What’s more, FreeAgent helps you analyze your email templates’ success (open rates and clickthroughs) for future refinement.
Try FreeAgent CRM today and discover how we help sales teams win more deals, foster better relationships, and focus on what matters.
