Following up with a potential client or customer is one of the most important things you can do to grow a business. I’ve also found it to be one of the hardest.
I’m nowhere near being a silky smooth salesman. Sometimes I feel like the follow-up process is one long list of questions:
- “How do I follow up without being annoying?”
- “How do I know when to follow up and when to leave well enough alone?”
- “Do I use phone? Email? Snail mail?”
Today I Received a Great Follow-Up Email
I happened to receive a great follow-up email today from CoTweet, an online Twitter application I tried about a month ago, but haven’t used since I discovered TweetDeck. It was so good that I read the entire thing twice – even though I knew it was basically a salesletter. I wasn’t annoyed or impatient. I actually enjoyed reading it.
I thought I’d share the email with you and explain why I was so impressed. There’s a quite a lot to say on the topic, so I’ve decided to split it up into several posts to make for easier reading. If you like part 1, be sure to stick around for future updates!
(In case you’re wondering, I’m not being paid by CoTweet or anyone else for writing this; I was just pleasantly surprised by the follow-up email CoTweet sent me.)
Right. Let’s start at the beginning … a very good place to start. (Bonus points if you recognized the Sound of Music reference!)
Impressive Point #1: A Friendly, Personal Introduction
An Engaging Subject Line
The email started off with an engaging subject line: “Come Back to CoTweet!” If you’re planning on using (or are already using) email marketing, remember that your subject lines determine whether your email gets opened or sent to the junk folder. What makes CoTweet’s subject line good?
- It’s conversational, not sensational. Have you ever gotten an email promising you untold riches and FREE STUFF!!? Chances are, you probably marked it as spam and deleted it. Why? It was too sensational. It sounded like a sleazy salesletter, which immediately triggered your spam sensors. Compare that to CoTweet’s simple subject line. “Come back to CoTweet” – sounds almost like an invitation to dinner from a good friend.
- It’s short and memorable. The subject line stuck in my head immediately. There wasn’t any fluff. No extra words, no excessive adjectives, no rows of exclamation marks. Just a simple, direct message.
- It implies a relationship. Are you more likely to open an email from a complete stranger … or an email from a good friend? CoTweet did a very clever thing with their subject line. Did you notice? They asked me to “come back,” reminding me that I already have a relationship with them. A subtle use of words, but it made an impression on me!
A Personal Message
When I opened CoTweet’s email, I was greeted by some tasteful graphics and a short message. Even though I knew the email was “stock,” I couldn’t help feeling as though it was sent to me by a friend. And that’s a great thing for CoTweet; they successfully connected with me on a personal level.
Here’s how they did it in just a few short lines:
- They addressed me by name. Pretty simple, right? But it works. Instead of calling me something generic and boring, like “Valued Customer” or “Dear Friend,” CoTweet addressed me by name. Granted, it’s not hard to do something like this with a quality autoresponder, but it’s still an important point.
- They used a casual, intimate tone. Instead of starting off with something stiff and formal, such as “Dear Jeffrey” or “To: Mr. Jeffrey Tang,” CoTweet chose a much more relaxed approach: “Hi Jeffrey.” Doesn’t that sound like something a close friend would write? Again, CoTweet is taking every opportunity to build up a relationship with me.
- They gave me a specific reason for sending the email. No beating around the bush here. The first line of the letter tells me exactly why I’m receiving this follow-up email. Why is that a good thing? First of all, it’s straightforward. Honest. Something you don’t find in a lot of sales material. Second, it’s personal. CoTweet is showing me that they are in tune with my unique situation. They know I haven’t logged in for awhile, and they’re just checking in on me, like a good friend would do.
What Can You Learn from CoTweet?
CoTweet has done a good job of setting up their email, using only a simple subject line and a few lines of text. What can you learn from them? How can you apply these techniques in your marketing and follow-up campaigns?
- Always be personal. No one wants to be solicited by a faceless mega-corporation, especially not in the age of social media. When you follow-up with a potential client, don’t approach them using the formal company image. Talk to them like a friend. Be conversational. Even funny. You’ll connect with them on a much deeper, much more productive level.
- Keep it simple. Did you notice that CoTweet stayed away from big words and “corporatespeak?” Learn from their example and keep things simple. Remember, you’re trying to have a conversation with your prospect, not impress them with your mental thesaurus. As an added bonus, you’ll also come off as more approachable and less show-off-y.
- Be honest. If you’re following up with a prospect, be honest and tell them you’re following up. Don’t try to hide your intentions – your prospect will see right through it and get suspicious immediately. Instead, give them a refreshing dose of honesty. Give them a reason to trust and respect you.
- Stop the hard selling. Unless you want to end up in the spam box, stop with the hard selling. Don’t bombard people with the “BUY! BUY! BUY!” message. Remember – if you sound like a snake oil salesman, people will treat you like one.
What Do You Think?
Did you find this article helpful?
- Are there any changes you can make to your current marketing or follow-up strategies?
- What great following-up advice do you have for your fellow entrepreneurs?
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts! I’d love to hear them.
In the next article, I’ll show you some more things you can learn from CoTweet’s great follow-up email. Hope to see you back here soon!