• by Jess Nelson , December 28, 2015

Salespeople predominantly consider the phone to be the best channel to close a deal but favor email during the sales process, according to a study released last week by enterprise software provider Intelliverse. 

Salespeople are leveraging multiple communication channels during the outbound prospecting process, including email, phone and social media. Among respondents, 54% said they used at least two channels to communicate with leads, while 25% responded that they used three or more channels, according to the Intelliverse survey of 250 sales professionals.

Although sales professionals are utilizing cross-channel communication tools, the Intelliverse report identifies that they may not necessarily be using the optimal channel for closing a deal.

About 80% of respondents identified the phone as the best channel for closing a deal, yet only 45% of salespeople use a phone for making initial contact with a qualified prospect. Email is the most preferred communication channel used, with 49% of salespeople favoring email during the outbound sales process.

The report also identifies key issues with how salespeople are using email. While nearly half of salespeople predominantly use email, 37% do not measure the effectiveness of their email marketing campaigns and 77% don’t use an email tracker of any kind.

“Email is the most common outreach method for salespeople, yet many of them have no idea how their email is being received – it’s like sending a message out into a black hole,” states Sean Gordon, CEO of Intelliverse. “Yet this technology exists for them. Email Trackers, which provide otherwise unknown insights, like how many times an email was opened, where and on what device, helps take the guesswork out of email.”

Measuring email campaigns is a critical component to email marketing as it not only pinpoint best practices, but it also grants an opportunity to change strategies that may not be working with an intended audience.

Incorporating data analytics can increase the ROI of email marketing by as much as 500%, according to a recent Aberdeen Group report.