2.7 Seconds To Capture Someone’s Attention?

“According to email provider ExactTarget, people take 2.7 seconds to decide if they will read, forward, or delete a message. These busy people sit with their finger on the delete button…” confirms Jill Konrath in The Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting.

Yikes!

2.7 seconds! That’s it?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did some Internet research and experts guessed that we see an average of 3,000 ads per day. What if they are only half or a third right? 2,000 ads a day? 1,000 ads a day? Regardless, it’s a large number.

C-level Officers, Vice Presidents, and are bombarded with solicitations, offerings, advertisements, specials, etc. all the time. Not only at work but in their personal lives.

How do we cut through the clutter and noise and get their attention?

If you have minimal advertising and marketing dollars, I’d recommend 2 things: Use targeted emails and follow up by telephone.

Here’s a great link and source to guidelines on how to effectively use email prospecting:

Keep your email to around 90 to 100 words and get to the point. Get rid of self promotion and talk about how you can solve business problems and challenges. It works. When we prospect, cold call, and use social media to set sales appointments for technology and consulting companies, we send an email first BUT follow up with a telephone call. If we get their voicemail which we do 90% of the time, we want to drive them to check their email.

Some executives prefer to communicate by email. Others by telephone. Others through a combination of both.

People say that senior executives don’t answer their emails or return calls. Baloney! They do if you have something relevant to say.

Just this week, I emailed the CEO of a $1.16B company in Arkansas. He replied back and pointed me in the right direction and copied the person responsible. Talk about an introduction!

I have numerous other examples of us at Connect 5000 where our first touch was an email that started a conversation that eventually led to the prospect becoming a client. Contact us if you need help.

I’m Ray Ruecker and we specialize in connecting Fortune 5000 decision makers with technology and consulting companies with high average sales through cold calling, prospecting, and social media.