3 Seemingly Trivial Mistakes That Hamper Your Sales Email Conversion Rate

3 Seemingly Trivial Mistakes That Hamper Your Sales Email Conversion Rate



Talking to a lot of customers over the past year has made, one thing clear - nearly all businesses out there - small, medium, or large have had to make a drastic change in their conventional sales approaches due to the covid outbreak. 
 
 The adoption of inside sales has gained momentum and businesses have started utilising technologies and applications on a dime. Businesses state that their email engagement rate went up to 48% higher during the pandemic. Now, as emails hold the power in turning your leads into premium customers, care must be taken to ensure that you avoid these three insignificant mistakes that might decline your sales email deliverability. They are,
  • Lacking a catchy headline
  • Information stuffing
  • No proper call-to-action.

Lacking a catchy headline
​


47% of the recipients open your emails solely based on your subject line. The first 60 characters of your headline line determine your open rate. So it is important to draft a compelling headline that draws your audience's eyeballs and intrigues them to open the email. The words "free", "limited time offer", "alert" have been overexploited which has lowered the chances of clicking your emails. Moreover, using these buzz words has a greater chance of your emails getting marked as spam. Here is a list of words when used in the subject line can land youremail in a spam folder:
  • Exclusive deal
  • Only today
  • Free 100%
  • Apply now
  • Limited time offer
  • Grab the deal
  • Reminder
  • Alert
  • Now or Never
  • Offer expires today
  • Once in a lifetime
  • Get it now
  • Free Membership
  • Guaranteed Return on Investment
  • Congratulations! You won
  • 100% cashback... are some of the blacklisted headlines that are filtered by the email providers before sending it to your customer's inbox.
 Leveraging the headline formula will help you  come up with catchy subject lines for your emails. However, you need to try a lot of variations to spot that sweet one. Here is the formula:



Without using a headline formula: Alert - Don't miss this chance to have a free call to discuss your requirements with our CRM experts
 
Using a headline formula: Schedule a call in less than a minute to discuss your requirements with our CRM experts

Information stuffing:













Opening your email is just crossing a chasm. Now convincing your audience for a sales pitch or enticing them to do your desired action is the beginning part of your acquisition journey. This particularly resides in the content. 
 
As there is a lot of emphasis on delivering value and contextual content, salespeople tend to stuff abundant information in their emails. An optimal email should be crisp, concise, to the point, and not exceed more than 4-5 lines. 
 
To frame the body of the email, consider greeting the recipient first, followed by an acknowledgement. Then, directly state the purpose of the email. And finally, direct them on what to do after reading the email.  
 
Information stuffed email body: 

Hello Sid!
 
Hope you are doing well! Thanks for showing  interest in evaluating XYZ CRM solution for your business. XYZ CRM is used by more than 60,000+ users around the globe. ABC, DEF, use our CRM for seamless integration and increased productivity. We are featured in major publications rewarding XYZ CRM as the best CRM solution for the year. We strive to deliver a remarkable experience to you. So, we would like to invite you to schedule a quick call to discuss your requirements with our CRM experts and see how we can help you further.
 
Without stuffing information:

Hello Sid!
 
Hope you are doing well! Thanks for showing interest in evaluating XYZ CRM solution for your business. We are here to assist you! Quickly schedule a call to discuss your requirements with our CRM expert and see if XYZ CRM fits your business.

No proper call to action



Adding a call to action button instead of a text hyperlink can increase your click-through rate by 2 folds. A prominent call to action button with its bold color automatically captures your audience's attention to click or at least to check what it is. 
 
However, an email's goal is to direct your audience to schedule a call or upgrade the product for which you must get them to click the call to action. Text hyperlinks may go unnoticed but a call to action button stands out. 
 
Text hyperlinked CTA - Schedule/Book your call 

Call to action button -    

Let's now group the above three simple strategies to see how effective it is in increasing your email performance.

Without using the three simple strategies: 


Using the three simple strategies:
​

Making these small changes in the subject, body, and CTA yields  incredible results. For a salesperson, time is money. Automating the email process with email marketing tools such as Zoho Campaigns helps you understand the user's requirements so you can draft an email that is more meaningful and relevant to potential prospects. 



      • Sticky Posts

      • As Sales Person, Here are my New Year Resolutions. What are Yours?

        Being a salesperson, I keep learning from my mistakes and have noted a few changes that I need to make in my approach. I take these resolutions going into 2021, hoping to keep it going for as long as possible :) 1. I will not say "Yes, our product has

      • Once Upon a Sales Meeting!

        It was an awkward silence in the meeting room "Uproar." John Kowalski, the new sales manager, was not happy with the team's performance. After scribbling something in the notepad, he decided to break the silence, John: I cannot believe you guys have been working like this. No reports, delusional forecasting, random targets, and no eye on the ball. Kevin: We followed Richard's orders. John: Well, Richard is not here anymore, is he? John walked up to the whiteboard, and wrote in big bold letters: "TARGET

        • Recent Topics

        • Can multiple agents be assigned to one ticket on purpose?

          Is it possible to assign one ticket to two or more agents at a time? I would like the option to have multiple people working on one ticket so that the same ticket is viewable for those agents on their list of pending tickets. Is something like this currently

        • Recruit paid support?

          Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting to

        • Related Lists filter

          I have Contacts showing in our Accounts module. I customized the Contacts module with an Employment Status field, with the following picklist options: "Primary Contact", "Secondary Contact", "Active Staff(not a main contact)", and "No longer employed".

        • Standalone custom function not generating logs

          Why dont't standalone custom functions generate logs when the're called from another function? I have some functions (workflow, buttons and blueprint) that have common parts, so I put that part in a standalone function which is called from the others.

        • Automated log-out/session end

          I'm concerned about security of our data. Is it possible to set an automatic time-out for user sessions on Zoho CRM, after a certain period of inactivity or when the session reaches a certain duration (12 hours perhaps)? 

        • Add "Reset MFA" Option for Zoho Creator Client Portal Users

          Hello Zoho Creator Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement related to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for client portal users in Zoho Creator. Currently, Creator allows us to enforce MFA for portal users,

        • Support Bots and Automations in External Channels

          Hello Zoho Cliq Team, How are you? We actively use Zoho Cliq for collaboration, including with our external developers. For this purpose, external channels are a key tool since they work seamlessly within the same interface as all of our other channels

        • Urgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,

          Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) available

        • Creator HTML page refresh

          Hi, I have added around 5 different html snippets in single creator page. I understand, I can refresh the entire page from page script using Navigational URLs https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/creator/developer-guide/others/url-patterns/articles/navigational-urls

        • Zoho Desk - Custom Module Related List Columns on Tickets

          I have a custom module in Zoho Desk called Asana Tasks, each task has a lookup to a Ticket. On the Ticket I want to see the columns of the Asana Tasks in the related list . Is there a way to do this? Right now it just has the name of the record and I

        • Google Analytics import data inaccurate (as of October 11, 2025)

          We have Zoho Analytics connected to GA4 to import daily event data. This has been running without issue for a couple of years. However, a month ago we started noticing discrepancies. All data until October 10 lines up perfectly - October 11 onward is

        • What is your opinion of the new UI?

          Hi Everyone, I would like to see what everyone thinks of the new Zoho One Dashboard. I don't get it, but perhaps I'm missing something. What are your thoughts?

        • What are the OAuth scopes needed to access the Zoho MCP server?

          I think I'm authenticating with the MCP server endpoint successfully using a bearer token but I can't successfully initialize an MCP session. I'm using the official MCP Python sdk (https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk). I get as far as here

        • Support Uploading YouTube Videos Longer Than 60 Minutes

          Hi Zoho Social Team, How are you? We would like to request support for uploading YouTube videos longer than 60 minutes directly through Zoho Social. Your support team informed us that Zoho Social currently cannot upload videos over 60 minutes due to “API

        • Account blocked for IMAP use

          Hello, My email client (Evolution) can't sync mail anymore. It gives the error: "Your account is temporarily blocked for IMAP use. This may happen if you exceed the maximum number of simultaneous IMAP connections allowed. Kindly try again after some time."

        • Is SMTP included in the free plan?

          My client has a Zoho Mail Free 14 day trial that ends tomorrow. She has set up a domain email address with SMTP on a third party app and is wondering if it will continue working once her plan downgrades to the free forever plan. Thanks

        • Zoho mail issue.

          I have verified my domain ohhoexpress.online by adding necessary TXT and MX records. But when I am sending email to any external email id, it is showing as zohomail.com. Also while I am sending mail to internal mail id, it is saying user not found whereas

        • My email is blocked from sending

          I get this message when I try to send any message .. > Unable to send message, Reason 554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked We have urgent emails to send and the issue continues to persist from yesterday. Please help us with this issue as soon as possibl

        • [WEBINAR] Smooth year-end closure with Zoho Books (KENYA)

          Hello there, This webinar is for all Kenyan businesses looking to wrap up their financial year smoothly! Join our free session to learn how Zoho Books can simplify your year-end process. What to expect from this webinar: - All the latest updates in Zoho

        • cannot recieve or send emails

          we are not recieving or cannot send emails.Shows sysytem error

        • Zoho Sites - contact us form

          I have added a contact us form to my website. I wanted to change the layout so I deleted the section of Contact Us form. When I again try to add the section of Contact Us form, it shows error that "This form already exists on this page."  I am unable

        • Setting checkbox value on template in Sign from Creator

          Good day, Please help me understand how do I set a tick from a checkbox in Creator into a checkbox on a Sign template. Below is the only values on the Sign template and the code from Creator, "field_boolean_data": {}, "field_date_data": {}, "field_radio_data":

        • Zoho Forms - Improve the CRM integration field to query data from more than one module

          Hi Forms team, Something I get stuck on regularly is pre-populating a form with data when that data is spread across 2 or 3 modules. For example Contacts, Accounts and Deals. I don't want to duplicate the information in CRM so I end up writing a function

        • switching from POP3 to IMAPI do I need to change settings in Web email?

          hi so I am using Outlook with My Zoho mail, also have Verizon email /AOL. they no longer support POP3 and said imapi is much better, so I want to switch my ZoHo to imapai. I googled and it said i need to change it in my account....i looked at my account

        • What functionality is new in the Z025 Spaces UI dashboard compared to the previous Zoho One dashboard?

          My company is interested in creating a revamped dashboard this coming year, and are trying to weigh different platform options. The new Spaces UI is said to be a more "feature-rich" dashboard experience than the previous. Could a developer please explain

        • Collections Management: #5 Convenience on Offer, using Self-Checkout

          "Is this the right page? Oh, now, it wants my address again. Why am I being redirected?" These were the exact thoughts running through Karan's mind as he tried to subscribe to an application he genuinely liked. He clicked "Buy Now", expecting a quick

        • Uploading a signed template from Sign to Creator

          Good day, Please help me on how to load a signed document back into Creator after the process has been completed in Sign. Below is the code that I am trying, pdfFile = response.toFile("SignedDocument_4901354000000372029.pdf"); info pdfFile; // Attach

        • Tip #50- A Closer Look at the Unattended Access Dashboard- 'Insider Insights'

          Having complete visibility and quick access to everything you need certainly makes managing multiple remote devices a lot easier, and that is precisely what the Unattended Access Dashboard in Zoho Assist is designed to offer. Once you go to the Unattended

        • Super Admin Logging in as another User

          How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

        • Zoho CRM Portal User Timeline History Unavailable

          Hi Support Team, We have noticed a feature limitation in the Zoho CRM portal. We created a portal for our vendors to edit records directly, but when vendors make updates, the Modified Time and Date fields are not being updated. Additionally, these updates

        • New in Smart Prompt: Record Assistant for contextual assistance, and support for new AI models

          Smart Prompt helps teams stay informed and move faster by providing relevant suggestions where work happens in CRM. With this update, Smart Prompt becomes more adaptable to your organization’s AI preferences. You can now choose which Large Language Model

        • How to update custom multi-user field in Zoho Projects?

          I'm trying to update custom multi-user fields in Zoho Projects via a Deluge function in CRM. The code I have so far is below. It works for updating standard project fields and single-line custom fields, but it does not work to update multi-user fields.

        • Tip of the Week #75– Manage your social media messages from a single shared inbox.

          Are you tired of jumping between apps or browser tabs to reply to your business's Facebook and Instagram DMs? Handling customer messages on social media might seem simple, but switching between multiple platforms can easily lead to lost messages, duplicate

        • Zoho Map integration tasks have changed - you need to "Locate all instances of Zoho Map integration tasks in your Deluge scripts by searching for the v1 marker... before 16 January 2026"

          The Zoho Map deluge integration task has been changed (as at 21 October 2025) to provide a more structured, JSON-like response. This change affects all three Zoho Map integration tasks (Geocode, Reverse Geocode, and Distance Between). More details can

        • Using files from Zoho CRM in Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude

          Hi all, I’ve got subscriptions to Gemini and a few other AI tools which I use for tasks like data enrichment, email composition, etc. In our workflow, we often receive various documents from clients — such as process workflows, BRDs/requirement documents

        • Zoho Analytics & Zoho Creator - Modified Time value

          I'm trying to use the Zoho Creator system field 'modified time' in Zoho Analytics, but it's consistently showing 12 hours 'out' In Zoho Creator In Zoho Analytics Is this a constant difference that I just need to correct with a timezone change - or is

        • Zoho CRM - Option to create Follow-Up Task

          When completing a Zoho CRM Task, it would be very helpful if there was an option to "Complete and Create Follow-Up Task" in the pop-up which appears. It could clone the task you are closing and then show it on the screen in edit mode, all the user would

        • Portal For Different Apps

          I found some older threads on this but didn't see anything very recent. I'm new to Zoho One so forgive me if my terminology is off a bit. I was hoping set up a single point of entry into Zoho One. So, many of the apps could be found in one single place

        • Calls undetected

          Zoho Voice records indicate my last call ended at 6:00 PM. All incoming and outgoing calls occurred between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

        • Zoho Projects - Project Details on the Project Menu

          Hi Project's team, I've helped may businesses setup and use Zoho Project and one thing I see time and time again is confusion on where to find the Project Details information. I would be much more intuitive if Project Details was on the menu before Dashboard.

        • Next Page