The One Email You Must Send Above All Others

Welcome to Sales Skills For Founders, a weekly newsletter with one actionable skill for sellers who are tired of tips, tricks, and scripts. AI isn’t going to close deals for you so let’s master sales, one skill at a time.

Today’s Skill: The “Control” Email

If you want to stand out and keep deals moving, start sending control emails.

Did you know that 99% of sellers skip this step?

What’s a Control Email

This is an email that provides context into what you just discussed with your prospect and outlines any next steps or action items.

The goal of the control email is two-fold:

→ make sure nothing gets lost in translation

→ show that you are professional and communicative

Why They Are Essential

Control Emails ensure clarity and alignment across all parties. Ever leave a call wondering if everyone really knows what’s happening next? You may have set up a “next steps” call (see the last issue if you haven’t) but outlining all of the things discussed can be crucial to not allowing things to get lost in translation.

Also, they give you a reason to follow up if an action item isn't done on time. This replaces the old "just checking in" email. It is now a more professional, purpose-driven one.

When You Should Send Them

A control email should be sent after a meaningful interaction, like a demo, or proposal call, where you defined some next steps, had several notes from the discussion, and/or have action items that either you or they have to complete.

Pro Tip: Be selective when you send these emails, they don’t have to be after every call. You’ll want to reserve these for more in-depth meetings where several topics were discussed and/or multiple people involved.

What Are The Components of a Control Email?

1. Professional & Cordial: This is a business conversation built on trust and respect. Be yourself but refrain from slang or “salesly” phrases.

2. Recap: Provide a summary of the conversation that is concise and organized. The shorter you can be, the better.

3. Action Items: Clearly specify what each person agreed to do and who handles each task.

4. Timeframe: Include a deadline for each action item, if there is one.

5. Next Steps: Outline the follow-up or next planned interaction.

Here’s a simple template to get you started:

Subject: [Their Company Name] | [Your Company Name] Partnership Next Steps

Tom,

It was great connecting again to discuss the progress of this project! It's exciting that the team has narrowed it down to two vendors and they want to set up a final presentation to go over specific use cases.

I outlined a few of the action items we came up with:

Your action items:

• You will look for available times for the week of February 11th and confirm by the end of this week.

• You’ll work with your team to come up with 2 specific use-cases that we can go through more in-depth on that call and send me at least 24-hours prior to our call.

My action items:

• I’ll send over a calendar invite with Zoom details that you can forward to others on your team once the date is confirmed.

• I’ll take your use-cases and create a more custom demo experience for your team can see how the solution works for them.

If discussing scheduling by phone is more convenient, you can call me directly on my cell, 555-555-5555.

We look forward to meeting some of your team and exploring the partnership further.

Thanks,

Brian

Control Email Takeaways

Many sellers lose control of the sales process, and deals often stall. If this sounds familiar, try implementing Control Emails.

• It’s professional and timely. Sending control emails shows you understand the importance of this business conversation. Communication is key.

• It shows confidence. Confident communication shows trust in your business and services. Don’t shy away from leading the partnership discussions.

• It keeps you in control. Summarize key points and confirm the next steps. This keeps you top of mind and ensures progress. Days turn into weeks and expected action items fade away without staying on top of it.

Give it a try, and you will notice more momentum in your deals with fewer stalled opportunities.

Your Action Item:

Take a recent call and draft a control email you could have sent to the prospect afterward.

→ This is just for practice, so you don’t need to send it unless you want to.

The goal is to step away for a few hours or a day, then revisit the email with fresh eyes. You’ll likely make some tweaks and find ways to make it more concise.

Save this as a template for future follow-ups, and make it a habit to send these emails after important calls. It’s a great way to stay in control of the sales process.

Next week, we’ll work on preparing for one of these key calls by learning how to craft clear, effective proposals.

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