Why generic follow up emails don’t work?
Sending a generic, “just checking in” follow up email typically isn’t good enough. You’re probably feeling suspicious!
After all, sales sequences, automated templates, and check-in emails are the gold standard. They’re adored by every seller prospecting and managing a pipeline of SMB-size deals.
Akin to how crutches help a physically challenged person to walk, automated follow-up emails serve as a support system to sellers as they rise through the ranks to tackle more strategic deals.
However, the fact remains that the higher the contract value, the higher the bar for a thoughtful follow-up. The reality is that prospects don’t forget to follow up with you but rather de-prioritize the people who don’t help them get their job done and personalize their interactions.
The reason why most follow-up emails go straight to the spam folder is simply because they read like a series of reminders. When a buyer reads a follow-up email, they automatically run a mental calculation: “Is the value that I’m getting from this interaction worth the time I’ll invest into it?”
So, how do you write a sales follow up email that actually converts your leads?
When should you follow up? How do you maintain contact without being pushy? What exactly should you say in your follow up emails?
We’ll answer all of these questions and more in this blog. Let’s dive right in and explore what it takes to master the art of following up!
Tips to craft forward-worthy follow up emails
The mark of a truly helpful and engaging follow-up email, is that its forwarded around and not deleted.
Use these six tips to help your buyers accomplish their tasks and capture their attention.
- Always introduce new information
Go back to the emails you just reviewed. Were you rehashing what’s already been said or actually introducing new information?
You have a unique vantage point. You see where customers struggle, where the industry’s heading, and what top performers do differently.
All of these insights give you an opportunity to share a new point of view. Use your follow-up emails to create curiosity and a feeling of, “Every time I hear from ___________, I discover something new.”
Think of a kid on Christmas morning, ready to open a present and see what’s inside. That’s the feeling you should strive to create in the minds and hearts of your buyers!
- Use data and insights
Augment everything you say up with third-party statistics and anecdotes from industry thought leaders.
You should also leverage social proof like testimonials and case studies, showcasing the results you’ve generated for clients just like them.
3. Leave them better off
Will your message help your buyer do their job better than they could do it before?
Most times, value to buyers is delayed until the point of purchase when they can start using a product. But there’s an incredible opportunity to make the buying process valuable, too.
People go where value is, so make your process that place. Introduce a template, feedback, data source, or other resource that’s hard to find.
4. Craft a clever subject line
Your subject line should be given more importance than the actual content of the email. After all, one of the first things your prospect lays their eyes on is the subject line.
A well-known research study unearthed the fact that 47% of all emails are discarded by recipients due to uninteresting subject lines! That is a huge percentage you cannot afford to risk.
Your subject line will determine the success or failure of your cold email campaign. Here are some spam triggering words and phrases that you would be well-advised to avoid:
- Exclusive Deal
- Hurry up
- Instant
- Once in a lifetime
- Take action
- Please read
- Urgent
- Pure profit
- 100% free
There are three key rules to adopt while writing follow-up email subject lines:
- Personalize wherever possible!
- Keep it short and to the point
- Include intriguing questions
Optimize the length of your subject line, keep it at 9 words and 60 characters, and ensure it is readable for mobile users. Also, don’t forget to A/B test your subject lines to figure out what’s resonating well with your audience.
5. Add adequate value
As an email recipient yourself, you understand the importance of valuable content. If you receive an email that adds no value to your life then you will most likely ignore it.
The number one reason why sales emails do not elicit responses is because they lack value. Do not send a follow-up email without adding in more value than you did previously and demonstrating your worth.
Sending ‘generic’ follow-up emails will not work in your favor either. The whole ‘catching up’ strategy is antiquated and outdated, and prospects deserve much more than that.
Find ways to delight your prospects in every interaction and make it worth their while. Here are a few ways you can provide value to your prospect:
- Share customer testimonials
- Offer solutions for specific pain points
- Blog posts
- E-books
- How-to guides
- Video guides
- Case studies
- Webinar
- Personalized offers
- Extended free trial
Whatever way you decide to add value, ensure it is relevant to them. In order to open the lines of communication you need to incentivize your prospects and push them to respond.
Additionally, you can also ask them for their opinions about certain things, for example, you can ask your lead if the pricing doesn’t work for them? Or if your product/service is lacking a feature that they need?
This will create a positive business relationship and will make them feel that they are valued and respected, which is extremely important. After all, the fundamental purpose of any business endeavor is to add value and earn goodwill while also earning reasonable profits.
6. Enrich your emails by adding your personality
People do business with people they like or respect. You should always be yourself during the entire sales process, but especially during your follow-ups.
Above all, people bond with people who have a life beyond work, avoid being pretentious and maintain vibrant emotional and mental states of experience.
Nobody wishes to do business with a monotonous, profit-oriented and narrow-minded drone who lacks a larger perspective of life and has nothing to converse about beyond deals, deadlines and financial matters.
Conduct in-depth customer research and dig deep into your customers’ hobbies, pain-points, dreams and aspirations. Invite them for lunch or take them out for a game of golf and build a relationship that transcends work.
Talk to them about movies, music, poetry and any other mutual interests that you share without coming across as desperate. They will not only be willing to do more business with you but evolve into trustworthy friends who will stand by your organization through thick and thin.
In a nutshell
In this article, we’ve only scratched the surface of what it takes to craft perfect follow-up emails that will transform your prospects into brand advocates for your business and organization.
In the next article of this 3 part guide, we’ll explore follow-up email templates that you can use to enchant your prospects and elicit a positive response.
Until then, stay tuned!