Maybe so, but only if you do it right. We asked Tom Sather, senior director of research for New York-based Return Path, an email marketing and intelligence firm, for advice on using email as a sales tool. Here's what he had to say.
Print+Promo (P+P): What are some ways salespeople can use email to either boost or gain sales?
Tom Sather (TS): Building and maintaining extended email campaigns to nurture prospects by regularly providing valuable information about their marketplace, their challenges and the trends that affect their performance is probably the most effective way for salespeople to boost their productivity. It demonstrates expertise and reminds your contacts that you have a solution to important problems, ensuring that when they're ready to act, they know to reach out to you. It can also shorten sales cycles, especially by giving your prospects an easy way to pass your information to their colleagues as they build an internal case to move forward with your proposal.