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Email: Your Secret Sales Weapon
Michael ReginaFuneral Decisions Co.
About Me
I grew up in the cemetery business and saw firsthand how far behind other industries we were when it came to leveraging the web for sales and marketing. In 2008 I started Funeral Decisions as a way to help fellow cemetery and funeral home owners use technology connect with more families, increase sales and market more effectively.
Use Search
Engine For I
nfoEmail
Search fo
r a m
ap or driv
ing directi
ons
Check th
e weath
er
Get Info
Before
Purchase
Get news
Go online to
pass th
e time
Buy a product
Watch
a Video
Visit a
government w
ebsite
Social N
etwork
91%88%
8481
78% 78
7471 71
67 67%
What Adults Do Online*
This Gap Represents Over 42 Million Adults
*Pew Internet Research
Mr. Robert Smith123 Main St.Somewhere, ST12345(555) 555-5555
The “Good Old” Days Today
Email Leads Convert at Approximately Same Rate As Phone/Address Leads
Subject: RE: Sales Lead
Body:Mr. Smith,Please give me a call and we can discuss your options.
MichaelExample Funeral Home
Example Email*
What Not To Send
*Actual email sent by a funeral director
Subject: RE: Your Web Request
Body:Mr. Smith,We have many options available here at XYZ Funeral Home for every budget. I’d be happy to go through all of our services with you. Feel free to give me a call at your convenience.
MichaelXYZ Funeral Home
Example EmailThe Usual Email
• Non-Descript/Non-Personalized Subject Line– Your Internet Request– Re: Web Form Submission
• Unknown Sender– Randy Johnson– Bob Smith
• Inadequate Information– A note telling consumer to call– No cost information or anything remotely useful
What Not To Send
Responding To Consumer Inquiries
Steps For Effective Emails
1. Get It Opened!
Getting Your Emails Opened
• Subject Line– Do Not Be Generic Or “Spammy”– Make Sure The Consumer Knows You Are
Responding To Their Request!• Bob Smith Funeral Home Information Request• Requested Funeral Information From Bob Smith FH
• From:– Consider Using Name Of Funeral Home/Cemetery• If not, definitely use name in Subject Line
Steps For Effective Emails
1. Get It Opened!2. Get A Response!
a) Provide USEFUL Informationb) Build Trustc) Show Social Proofd) Ask Questionse) Next Steps
Getting A Response• Useful Information (MOST IMPORTANT)
– Provide information about services/property they think they’re interested in
– Provide information about services/property they could be interested in
– Provide Price “Ideas”• Price ranges for your overall local market• Provide high end offerings of your competitors ("other cemeteries in
the area can charge up to $8,000 for the type of burials you are interested in, however we can work within your budget to give your family..........")
• Provide low end of what you offer/let them know you can work with their exact budget ("we have beautiful burial options that include a wide variety of customization that can fit into any budget....")
– Pictures of property, services, etc…– Does NOT include a link to your general website!
Getting A Response
• Build Trust– Include pictures of yourself– Links to personal Facebook page– Testimonial about you specifically– Teach Something
• Show Social Proof– How many families have you or the establishment
served– How long has it been in business– Testimonials– Links to online testimonial
Getting A Response
• Ask Questions– What has your family traditionally done?– Why are you specifically looking at direct
cremation?• Next Steps– Outline the rest of the process so that the
consumer knows what to expect and what they should do
• Pre-Written Templates– Save Time– Won’t Miss Important Information– Ability to Assess Email’s Effectiveness
Email Secret Weapons
Using Email To Close More Leads (…Old Ones You Haven’t Heard From In A While)
10% Or Greater Increase in Revenue(Source: Gartner Research)
Using Email To Close More Leads
• Segment Leads– Split leads into different “personas”– Example: Individuals who requested information
on cremation who came in via a seminar
Using Email To Close More Leads
• Segment Leads– Split leads into different “personas”– Example: Individuals who requested information on
cremation who came in via a seminar• Create Multi-Part Email Communication– Create a series of 4 – 12 messages (with 3 – 6 weeks
between each), with each building on the previous – Use your current follow-up process as a guide– Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages
Using Email To Close More Leads
• Segment Leads– Split leads into different “personas”– Example: Individuals who requested information on
cremation who came in via a seminar• Create Multi-Part Email Communication– Create a series of 4 – 12 messages (with 3 – 6 weeks
between each), with each building on the previous – Use your current follow-up process as a guide– Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages
• Offer Something Of Value– Each email should offer something of value or an action
step
Using Email To Close More Leads
• Segment Leads– Split leads into different “personas”– Example: Individuals who requested information on cremation
who came in via a seminar• Create Multi-Part Email Communication
– Use mail merge to create semi-customized messages– Use your current follow-up process as a guide
• Offer Something Of Value– Each email should offer something of value or an action step
• Automate– Allow your system to handle sending the emails
Email Secret Weapons
• Pre-Written Templates– Save Time– Won’t Miss Important Information– Ability to Assess Email’s Effectiveness
• Autoresponder– Automatically send emails out at predetermined
times– Allows follow up with hundreds of cold leads
simultaneously– Remember to space out properly…3-6 weeks
Email Recap
• Clear, Non-Generic, Non-Spammy Subject Line
• Useful Information• Add A Personal Touch and Build Trust• Social Proof• Ask Questions• Call To Action
Tools & Resources
• FuneralDecisionsCRM: http://www.funeraldecisions.com/crm
• MailChimp.com• ConstantContact.com• Tips For Writing Emails:
http://thinksimplenow.com/productivity/15-tips-for-writing-effective-email/
• Thunderbird Email Client(Great for templates): https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/
• GetNotfiy.com: Allows you to see if someone opened your email