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Email persuasion is about what you say (your agency’s message) and when you say it.
Aspects such as the day of the week, frequency of communication, the proper visual content, consistency in tone, and the right amount of simplicity all factor into our ability to persuade via written correspondence. A written correspondence is not usually the most effective way we insurance agents like to sell, because our mouth usually has a much better closing ratio.
Whether you are in sales role, or a CSR (customer service rep within an insurance agency) trying to get a marketing message across, understanding these persuasion factors is paramount to your success.
When You Say It
Yes, when you send an email has an impact on your ability to influence a prospect. Today there are many studies that show emails that are sent on Mondays have the lowest open and response rates. Most people like to get their week off on a productive note, so if it’s a quick, “everything is going well or everything is good on this end … I’ll be in touch further tomorrow or I will be in touch next week,” then that’s okay. I would discourage you from you sending other, more in depth, marketing messages on Monday mornings, though.
Statistically, emails are opened more on a Tuesday in corporate America than any other day of the week. Whether directly related to your open rate or not, it turns out Tuesday is also the best day to inform your prospects. With that being said, you may see Tuesday’s numbers fall as we approach 2016 if people start to get bombarded on Tuesdays, and Wednesdays will probably become the best day for sendouts. For now, Tuesday is still a strong day for high priority delivery.
Persuading someone to take action or make a decision should be reserved for later in the week. Why, you may ask? For instance, providing clients or prospects with an update on Tuesday is effective, but it is not recommended that you attempt to get the client or prospect to agree to a major decision that same day. That is a sales rule our agency lives by, because we believe that in order to make the right decision, you must sleep on it.
When attempting to get a large policy closed, we’ve found that prospects are more receptive to taking action later in the week, i.e. Thursday and Friday. An overwhelming number of studies show that people are most receptive and responsive to emails that arrive around their lunch time.
Regardless of which day you push out your agency emails, less formal is more persuasive, but I’m not saying to be less professional, what I am saying is don’t be pushy in your email marketing. If your insurance agency is more formal, then write a formal, lengthy email, and attach that information in a separate document, because people are persuaded by those whom they can relate to and like. It’s all about building trust within your email.
What You Say
Your choice of words matters. The “because” is in most cases the deciding factor. Understand the power of that “because.” When you ask or make a request, you will be more persuasive when you tell the individual why you are making that request. People want to know “why.” In order to build trust, you need to give them what they want. Studies have shown that using the word “because” in email correspondence is over 31 percent more effective than if you didn’t explain the “why” behind your message.
Stories sell! Tell a short story (yes, and keep it short) about a past client/prospect or co-worker like that individual. When a client or a prospect can relate to a situation, that allows you to keep the correspondence simplistic. While its simple, it also keeps them interested and emotionally attached to your story and the situation. The two key factors to what you say is commitment and consistency. The drive to be and look consistent constitutes a highly potent weapon of social influence (social media and digital marketing).
Good personal consistency is extremely valued in our agency culture and it is a significant weapon of persuasion when dealing with both prospects and clients.
Consistency is not only the key to email persuasion, but also to key to life. Without it prospects and clients’ lives would be difficult and erratic, and thus making it more difficult to win them to your agency’s way of thinking. This is why sporadic email responses without a consistent strategy,or a major tone change from correspondence to correspondence should be avoided. Your agency’s email marketing success is in your strategy and your commitment to consistency.
Final Thought
The only way to get people to do things is to make them want to do it, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a prospect, client, teammate, staff member, or even your children. The deepest urge in mankind is that desire to feel important (or feel accepted). Whether in email or in-person, it is nearly impossible to persuade if the prospect/client thinks you don’t care.
