A prospecting email is a type of sales outreach that a recruiter sends to a potential lead to introduce themselves and the benefits of their organization. So why do we email leads or cold leads asking them to join the military? I would answer that question with a very short response… it’s easy. You can type up templates on a word document or even in your notes on your phone. You can literally fire and forget… until they reply. Couldn’t we just call or text them? Yes, but this is another tool for you to prospect with. Multiple prospecting channels throughout each day/week will give you the maximum reach to contact potential prospects.
Believe it or not, 80% of the public would prefer an email as their preferred contact. That means 80 out of every 100 leads would rather receive an email over a text or a phone call. The average open rate across all industries is 21.33%. Why is that number so low? I would assume that every business out there is trying to utilize every prospecting channel possible while keeping costs down. This one is usually free unless you have some email blast campaign through a third-party advertising agency. You are competing against everyone else for someone to simply look at or even open an email. This means you just have to stand out in different way. I suggest following these simple rules when getting an email ready to go:
Keep it short. 55% of emails are read via a cell phone. 50-125 words max.
Keep it simple. Believe it or not, a third-grade reading level gives a 35% increase in response rate over emails written at a college level.
No acronyms. They don’t know what any of this military stuff even means. Spell it out for them… even your rank.
Use bullet points. They will look at these first over your actual message so be precise and enticing.
Ask questions. Emails that ask questions are 50% more likely to receive a response.
Give them a choice. Remind them that ultimately this is their choice whether they request additional information or not. State that you thank them for reading and giving you their time. This compliance-gaining technique typically doubles the chance that a lead will respond.
Make the subject line captivating. I would avoid all capitalization, but you can get creative with this. Use one of your bullet points as the subject line or Join the XX today. One liners are always the best policy.
Create a template ahead of time to cut down on wasted time throughout your day. Save them in your notes on your phone or on a word document on your computer. Simply copy and paste then send. No time wasted.
Ask them to call you or respond in one way or another. The whole point of the email is to gain exposure and to hopefully encourage them to look further into the military. Put websites, cell phone number, or even attach a QR code. A call-to-action must be glaringly obvious to them and must be easy for them to do.
Answer any and all responses quickly! They responded to you. That’s what you wanted. Now is the time to leap back to keep them engaged with you.
I would suggest emailing COIs (center of influence) and/or VIPs (very important person) at least twice per week. These COIs and VIPs could be teachers, professors, athletic directors, coaches, etc. They are typically the key holders to the places that you want to gain access to. Regarding leads, I suggest 10-20 per week. Keep track of these in your recruiting system (very easy to do). You can obviously do more if your recruiting funnel is extremely low. I would start a routine and follow it. As an example, you can send these 20 emails on Monday right after admin time. This is literally a fire and forget prospecting path. You send them and start your day. Too easy.
I would say that the main “risk” of prospecting via email is the chance that the lead will simply ignore you. That happens and will more than likely continue to happen. You are not the only military branch emailing them. You are not the only sales force trying to compete for their business. Colleges would be a great example of another sales force competing against the exact same target market. They want the same demographics as you do to attend their college. They will setup instant emails with graphics, great subject lines, etc. You can beat them if you follow the advice above. At the end of the day, you only lose a few minutes of your time with this prospecting channel.
My next blog will be on or around February 15th discussing prospecting via area canvassing. It is not a complete waste of your time and I’ll prove it. Until next time.
~ Xpert Recruiting
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