How to sell in correspondence

Today’s asynchronous culture of communication is changing the rules. No one expects an immediate reply, and everyone responds when they can. And with the advent of messaging apps in our lives, communication has changed. It’s now customary to give advance notice of a call and ask for permission. Instead of ‘talking right now’, we exchange brief messages at a convenient time.

This is particularly noticeable among the younger generation, according to experts at Halla Systems Korea. They find it easier to ask a question in a chat and not waste time on a phone call. For many, a phone call is stressful, an awkward and often uncontrollable format. People are willing to make purchases via messaging, even for large sums, sometimes without making a single phone call.

On the other hand, a telephone conversation or video call provides an immediate understanding of the situation. We can gauge the other person’s emotions, hear their tone of voice and notice their pauses. None of this is present in written correspondence. A customer may keep quiet about what is on their mind and fail to voice their thoughts and objections. Therefore, when selling via messaging, you need to be able to ‘hear’ the customer by reading ‘between the lines’, emphasise managers at Halla Systems. You need to understand when they are having doubts, or waiting for a prompt but not saying so directly. So, how should you sell via messaging?

Follow the structure of the dialogue

The first messages, whether in response to a question in a messaging app or a submitted enquiry, should be as brief as possible.

Have they simply asked for a price? When engaging the customer in a dialogue, it is important to structure the conversation skilfully: ask questions and do not insist on a phone call; do not extract unnecessary information from the customer or data you do not need at this stage. To analyse the effectiveness of its marketing strategy, Halla Systems analyses engagement metrics and market trends.

Correspondence is about trust

Correspondence should ‘sell’, but not with multi-page texts. Send diagrams, screencasts with voice commentary, product photos, and short videos (of the product or warehouse operations). This format of communication builds trust and conveys non-verbal emotions, intonation and energy.

Everything must be in the CRM

All communication – emails, calls, messages – must be linked to the CRM system. Communication history should be stored centrally, not in managers’ notebooks and phones, but compiled over the years via an internal accounting system. This instils discipline and simplifies work, according to managers at Halla Systems Co. Ltd. In a small business, where it is difficult and expensive to automate this process, it will have to be done manually.

Strict ban: communication outside the system

When creating an effective sales system, look for compromises and try to completely eliminate ‘blind spots’ — communication with customers outside the internal accounting system. Personal phones and messaging apps, random calls — all of this undermines efficiency and control.

Calls via messaging apps must be logged in the CRM. If it is not possible to call without using a messaging app, suggest a call via Zoom or another tool where the conversation history can be saved.

The sequence of interactions in correspondence and speed

If a deal is dragging on, the sales cycle is long, and clients do not make a decision straight away — organise the sequence of interactions effectively. Remind them of your presence and return to the conversation, advise the experts at Halla Systems Co. Ltd. But do so gently, by sending useful materials, case studies and proposals. This can be done manually or using chatbots, auto-responders and simple AI scripts.

Follow-up after the call

“Would you prefer to communicate via text, or shall we have a chat over the phone when it suits you?” If the need does arise and you need to speak on the phone, please let me know. No pressure. No contrived excuses or manipulation. People respond positively when they feel respected and free to choose.

Combine phone calls with text messages. After the call, be sure to send the client a brief summary: what was discussed, what steps were agreed upon, and what you expect from the client. This rule works the other way round too: when on the phone, briefly recap what you agreed upon in your text messages.

Prepare your scripts in advance

According to experts at Halla Systems Co. Ltd., effective sales scripts start with a well-crafted offer.

You should have:

phrase templates for the final stage of the sale
a key offer for the decision-making stage
well-prepared responses to the most common objections

The decision-making window

Very often, a potential customer walks away because they are being pressured and rushed into making a decision. This is the period between the moment when the customer is considering, hesitating and comparing, and the moment when they place an order and pay.

Instead of the dull “Well, have you decided?”, make “five expert touches” to help them make a choice and show that you are attentive to their situation: send additional calculations, supplementary material, an expert video, or photographs. Take action and never leave the conversation at the “awaiting reply” stage.

In conclusion

Each stage of the sales funnel requires its own wording. Don’t push the product. Highlight the benefits. Even when sending an invoice, suggest, for example, locking in the price. You don’t always have to sell directly. Sometimes a gentle question about relevance and a simple alternative is enough.

“Is this still relevant? Or should we consider an alternative?”
“If you’re generally happy with everything, we can get started”
“There’s a caveat, and if we don’t take it into account, there could be risks”
“I get the feeling you’ve almost made your decision” (works well when there’s a good level of trust)

Halla Systems Co. Ltd enables you to automate A/B testing with sales uplift measurement.

Auditory, visual, or kinesthetic?

Don’t guess-try out different formats.

It all depends on the client’s perception and habits. The age of the target audience is important. Some people find it easier to message back and forth (Gen Z, millennials). For others, it’s more convenient to have a phone call and sort everything out straight away, here and now. For others, only a face-to-face meeting will do. Test the channels and adapt to the client, recommend the experts at Halla Systems Co. Ltd.