【Survey Results】What are 'liked and disliked' sales emails, according to those with meeting/negotiation experience?
Raks Co., Ltd. conducted a survey targeting 503 individuals with meeting/negotiation experience triggered by sales emails, revealing preferred subject lines and content, as well as disliked expressions. It was found that concrete benefits and business know-how promote deal conversion, while excessive emphasis on freebies and lack of personalization are counterproductive.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 22:10
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 12, 2026 at 00:05 (10h 33m after Collected)
Raks Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takanori Nakamura) provides the email marketing service "Raku Raku Email Marketing" (formerly "Hai Hai Mail"). They conducted a survey on "Actual status of receiving sales emails and the turning point for 'deal conversion'" targeting individuals who have had meetings or negotiations triggered by sales emails in their work.
*The same survey also investigated the reasons for reaching/not reaching a deal among those who had/had not had meetings or negotiations.
https://www.hai2mail.jp/news/2026/20260428.php
Topics
* "Concrete benefits/effects (39.8%)" encourage opening sales emails. Specificity, such as numbers and examples, is key for subject lines rather than abstract appeals.
* On the other hand, "expressions overemphasizing freebies/benefits (31.8%)" are ignored by 1 in 3 people. Promoting discounts was shown to have a counterproductive risk.
* "Immediately useful business know-how/materials (31.6%)" increase negotiation intent after opening. Providing "immediately usable information" influences deal conversion.
* The biggest deterrent to negotiation opportunities is a lack of personalization, with "proposals unrelated to one's industry/issues (30.4%)" and "clearly a mass-sent template (25.5%)" being the top responses.
Survey Overview
* Survey Name: Survey on "Actual status of receiving sales emails and the turning point for 'deal conversion'"
* Survey Period: February 25 (Wed) – February 27 (Fri), 2026
* Survey Method: Internet survey by PRIZMA
* Survey Target: Monitors who responded that they had meetings or negotiations triggered by sales emails in their work at the time of the survey response.
* Number of Respondents: 503 people
* Survey Source: Raks Co., Ltd.
* Monitor Provider: Sacrisa
"Concrete benefits/effects" is the top expression that "catches attention" in subject lines.
When asked about "words/phrases in sales email subject lines that catch attention," the following results were obtained.
"Concrete benefits/effects (cost reduction, operational efficiency, etc.)" gathered the most responses, approximately 40%. This was followed by "concrete case studies/numerical results (e.g., sales up X%, X companies introduced)" at 25.8%, and "industry-specific issues/keywords (e.g., 2024 problem, legal revisions)" at 23.3%.
The top 3 items all converge on "specificity" and "relevance to one's own company." Since "free trial" and similar benefit appeals remained at 7th place (12.7%), it became clear that recipients seek concrete information that they can personalize, rather than just discounts, in subject lines.
Negotiation intent after opening is determined by "immediately usable information" and "highly resolved proposals."
Next, when asked about "characteristics of sales emails that make one want to have a meeting or negotiation after opening," the following results were obtained.
"Immediately useful business know-how and materials (comparison materials, survey data, etc.)" was at the top with 31.6%. This was followed by "content customized to one's company's issues and situation (27.4%)" and "concrete case studies and numerical results from competitors (26.4%)". "Clear cost-effectiveness/pricing structure (26.2%)" also came in a close 4th.
It is clear that individuals with meeting/negotiation experience judge the necessity of a meeting or negotiation based on "highly practical information" that can be immediately applied to their current work, "highly resolved proposals" tailored to their company's situation, and model cases based on other companies' achievements.
Among these, since "immediately useful business know-how and materials" was the most frequent response, providing "helpful content and information" that leads to solving daily business challenges can be a powerful hook for acquiring negotiations.
Over 30% ignore exaggerated/煽り expressions like "completely free" and "urgent" — approximately 30% also reject "Re:" impersonation.
Next, let's explore the characteristics of sales emails that are not read or deter negotiation.
When asked about "words/phrases in sales email subject lines that make one not read them," the following results were obtained.
"Expressions that overemphasize freebies or benefits (e.g., completely free, free invitation)" was at the top with 31.8%. This was followed by "misleading expressions pretending to be past correspondence (e.g., Re:, regarding the previous matter, hope you are well)" at 28.4%, and "expressions that excessively incite urgency/importance (e.g., urgent, important, needs confirmation)" at 27.2%.
It is clear that recipients show aversion to excessive "free appeals" and "incitement of urgency," which can be considered common phrases in sales emails.
It became clear that frequently using these expressions in an attempt to make emails stand out can, on the contrary, be counterproductive.
Particularly noteworthy is that approximately 30% of individuals with meeting/negotiation experience reject expressions that pretend to be past correspondence.
*The same survey also investigated the reasons for reaching/not reaching a deal among those who had/had not had meetings or negotiations.
https://www.hai2mail.jp/news/2026/20260428.php
Topics
* "Concrete benefits/effects (39.8%)" encourage opening sales emails. Specificity, such as numbers and examples, is key for subject lines rather than abstract appeals.
* On the other hand, "expressions overemphasizing freebies/benefits (31.8%)" are ignored by 1 in 3 people. Promoting discounts was shown to have a counterproductive risk.
* "Immediately useful business know-how/materials (31.6%)" increase negotiation intent after opening. Providing "immediately usable information" influences deal conversion.
* The biggest deterrent to negotiation opportunities is a lack of personalization, with "proposals unrelated to one's industry/issues (30.4%)" and "clearly a mass-sent template (25.5%)" being the top responses.
Survey Overview
* Survey Name: Survey on "Actual status of receiving sales emails and the turning point for 'deal conversion'"
* Survey Period: February 25 (Wed) – February 27 (Fri), 2026
* Survey Method: Internet survey by PRIZMA
* Survey Target: Monitors who responded that they had meetings or negotiations triggered by sales emails in their work at the time of the survey response.
* Number of Respondents: 503 people
* Survey Source: Raks Co., Ltd.
* Monitor Provider: Sacrisa
"Concrete benefits/effects" is the top expression that "catches attention" in subject lines.
When asked about "words/phrases in sales email subject lines that catch attention," the following results were obtained.
"Concrete benefits/effects (cost reduction, operational efficiency, etc.)" gathered the most responses, approximately 40%. This was followed by "concrete case studies/numerical results (e.g., sales up X%, X companies introduced)" at 25.8%, and "industry-specific issues/keywords (e.g., 2024 problem, legal revisions)" at 23.3%.
The top 3 items all converge on "specificity" and "relevance to one's own company." Since "free trial" and similar benefit appeals remained at 7th place (12.7%), it became clear that recipients seek concrete information that they can personalize, rather than just discounts, in subject lines.
Negotiation intent after opening is determined by "immediately usable information" and "highly resolved proposals."
Next, when asked about "characteristics of sales emails that make one want to have a meeting or negotiation after opening," the following results were obtained.
"Immediately useful business know-how and materials (comparison materials, survey data, etc.)" was at the top with 31.6%. This was followed by "content customized to one's company's issues and situation (27.4%)" and "concrete case studies and numerical results from competitors (26.4%)". "Clear cost-effectiveness/pricing structure (26.2%)" also came in a close 4th.
It is clear that individuals with meeting/negotiation experience judge the necessity of a meeting or negotiation based on "highly practical information" that can be immediately applied to their current work, "highly resolved proposals" tailored to their company's situation, and model cases based on other companies' achievements.
Among these, since "immediately useful business know-how and materials" was the most frequent response, providing "helpful content and information" that leads to solving daily business challenges can be a powerful hook for acquiring negotiations.
Over 30% ignore exaggerated/煽り expressions like "completely free" and "urgent" — approximately 30% also reject "Re:" impersonation.
Next, let's explore the characteristics of sales emails that are not read or deter negotiation.
When asked about "words/phrases in sales email subject lines that make one not read them," the following results were obtained.
"Expressions that overemphasize freebies or benefits (e.g., completely free, free invitation)" was at the top with 31.8%. This was followed by "misleading expressions pretending to be past correspondence (e.g., Re:, regarding the previous matter, hope you are well)" at 28.4%, and "expressions that excessively incite urgency/importance (e.g., urgent, important, needs confirmation)" at 27.2%.
It is clear that recipients show aversion to excessive "free appeals" and "incitement of urgency," which can be considered common phrases in sales emails.
It became clear that frequently using these expressions in an attempt to make emails stand out can, on the contrary, be counterproductive.
Particularly noteworthy is that approximately 30% of individuals with meeting/negotiation experience reject expressions that pretend to be past correspondence.