What are some helpful tips for writing email communications to the sales team?

I tend to keep my communications short, sweet, and to the point while keeping the mentality of "what's in it for them" at the top of my mind. Bullet points and a TL;DR summary help with this. Make sure there is a crisp ask or offering at the end if you are hoping for a next step And as you would with anybody you work with, be respectful of their time!

Clarity is key. With both internal and external comms, I focus on being as clear and concise as possible. And for internal communications, it’s important to make sure your colleagues see you as a resource. I always encourage anyone with questions or comments to reach out to me directly.

When I’m writing an internal email, I think through what I would ask about the project I’m either proposing or reporting on. What is the purpose of this email? Why is it important? What research has already been done? What outstanding questions do we still have? Who does this impact? And never hesitate to ask a colleague to give it a once-over before sending it out to the group.

• Keep it short and simple. Majority of reps (and people) won't read more than a paragraph.

• Use bullets to keep it concise and easy to skim

• Always include a CTA (what do you want them to do with this) and what's in it for them to read it/take an action/use the content etc. Make sure your ask of them is VERY clear and includes any links to resources they might need (i.e. call sheet, list of accounts etc)

• If there is a lot of information to share, start with a 3 bullet TL;DR / exec summary (what they NEED to know) and link to the additional details (for those few who want to read all the details)

I'd be happy to have some back and forth on this, but I'm not sure I fully understand the context of the question. Are you writing emails to sales, and if so, what type of content are you sharing? Or you writing emails for sales reps to send to customers? Feel free to email me back and I can take another stab at answering.

First of all, my sales reps tend to respond better to Slack than email. BUT...that being said, having been a former top-performing sales rep, here is what I would suggest (and what I appreciated when I was in sales):

Keep it Clear and Concise: Sales professionals are often busy and receive a high volume of emails. Keep your messages brief and to the point, focusing on the most important information.

1. Use a Clear Subject Line That Clearly States "WIIFM" (What's In It For Me?): If you want sales to read (and prioritize) your email, make it clear why they should care in the subject line. For example, "Everything you need to know to sell {insert new feature}." or "Increase your deal sizes by doing xyz."

2. Keep it Clear and Concise: Sales reps are always busy and receive a high volume of emails. Keep your messages brief and to the point, focusing on the most important information.

3. Provide Actionable Information: Clearly outline any actions that sales team members need to take as a result of the email. Whether it's attending a meeting, completing a task, or providing feedback, make it clear what is expected of them.

4. Include Relevant Attachments or Links: If there are documents, presentations, or links that sales team members need to reference, include them in the email or provide easy access to them. This ensures that everyone has the necessary resources to complete their tasks.

   1. PRO TIP: Ideally, include things the reps can actually USE right away! Whether that is new slides that have been through design and are ready for external use, or copy that they can simply copy and paste, make it as easy as possible for your friends in sales to use something right away--and explain how!

5. Be Professional and Positive: Maintain a professional tone in your email communications, but also strive to be positive and supportive. Encourage collaboration, celebrate successes, and offer assistance when needed.

6. Proofread Before Sending: Personally, I struggle this, but it is really important. A polished and error-free message reflects positively on your professionalism. Proofreading also includes making sure the message is clear (remove redundant or unnecessary words or phrases). Doing this will ultimately help your messaging as well!

7. Encourage Feedback and Engagement: Invite sales team members to provide feedback, ask questions, or share their insights on the topic discussed in the email. Encouraging engagement fosters a culture of open communication and collaboration within the team--they will appreciate you for asking for their opinions!
   
   
   I am happy to help proofread emails, or provide suggestions for anything you are working on!

Keep it short :) Start with TL;DR, then flush out the key info and link to other docs with detail. Also, I have found it rare as of late to email the field....Slack is where it is at

Depends on what this email is for but generally: Keep it short, and to the point. Make it interesting and fun - humor never fails. You want to frame the benefit for them - that is the most important thing to consider.

Here are some quick tips:

• Value First: Focus on how your message benefits the sales team and their customers (new product info, sales tools etc.).

• Actionable & Clear: Tell them what to do with the information by including clear call-to-actions (CTAs) and keep your message concise.

• Scannable & Engaging: Use bullet points, headings, and a compelling subject line.

• Helpful & Accessible: Offer ongoing support and provide your contact information.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to crafting effective emails for sales teams—it depends on the purpose. However, understanding salespeople and their day-to-day is critical. As a former salesperson, I can tell you that sales teams are eager for Product Marketing support, but they’re also inundated with requests and communications that can pull them away from their primary focus: working with customers.

Here are a few tips to make your communications more effective:

• Get Close to Your Sales Team: Build relationships with salespeople and sales leaders to stay aligned with their priorities and challenges. This network will help you keep a pulse on what’s top of mind for sales and how they view your work.

• Bottom Line Up Front: Salespeople are busy, and long emails without clear takeaways won’t hold their attention. Start with a quick summary of the key message or action item to ensure they grasp the main point, even if they only skim.

• Frequent/Short vs Periodic/Long: There's a tension between overly frequent comms and overly long comms. Get a sense of how your sales org likes to receive information and tailor it to their preferences.

  • Frequent/Short: Ideal for quick updates that are easy to digest, but be mindful not to overwhelm the team with too many communications.

  • Periodic/Long: Useful for consolidating information into one structured email. Just ensure it’s well-organized to avoid losing their interest.

• WIIFM: Salespeople have a lot of competing asks, so make sure you include what's in it for them. If you're asking without giving something in return, you're likely to be ignored. So, make sure you include the benefit of what you're communicating clearly and prominently.

• Sections/Bullets: Structure your email so that salespeople can easily skim to understand the key points you're trying to convey and move to the sections that are most relevant to them without having to read the whole thing.

Ultimately, there’s no perfect formula. But by staying attuned to your sales team’s needs and preferences, you can create communications that resonate and drive action.

This is a great question. I have a few rules that we try to live by for our comms: 

1. Make it short, sweet, and to the point! 
2. You shouldn't expect your sales team to read every word, so make sure to use bold, underline, colors for items that are most important. 
3. Build a cadence - we've seen more success when our comms are predictable and consistent. 
4. Try to use the rule of 3 when you can - sending an email with 10+ things you need sales to know about now isn't always effective. 
5. Don't be afraid to try new things - we're always experimenting with our internal and external comms. Try using GIFs or video or even switch from email to slack instead. Every org is different but it's always good to test different strategies! 

I’d say it’s not just the sales team, but executives also. The #1 rule to remember is that people are busy so they prioritize based on subject lines and skim on the first pass if they do open your email.

So when it’s an extra-ordinary email that needs action, I follow the below format because it is extremely effective. (I once had a CEO tell me that this was one of the most clear emails he had ever received.)

1. Subject line - one thing I do if I need immediate action or input from an exec is to write it in capital letters in the subject line. For example: “ACTION: attend today’s client call” or “URGENT: need customer reference immediately”. Right there, you have guaranteed that your subject line stands out and that the reader has a pretty good idea what’s needed before even opening the email.
2. Body - in the body, I write bold section headers and add different colors than the rest of the body. Purple or pink are highly effective. This helps section it off and gives the reader a sense of what to expect.
3. Label each header appropriately and don’t use more than 3 section headers. Headers I find very useful are “Situation,” “Background,” and then either “Action for you,” or perhaps “Recommendation”
4. Each section is 2-3 sentences max.
5. If I need to call out someone specifically, I highlight their name to make it stand out.
6. One note of caution – only do this subject line occasionally on truly important emails otherwise it loses its effectiveness. For the body, it’s OK to use this format over and over.
7. Here is an example of what such an email might look like bit.ly/3pEB3eB