In business, 90% of new clients come from referrals. If they had more time, they could generate leads through inbound marketing. If they had more money, they could purchase advertisements, sponsorships, etc.
Since we are constantly faced with both limited time and money, here's a different solution for a follow-up email sequence.
Types of Email Sequences
There are a few types of sequences you can send to engage your prospects:
- Nurturing email sequence: A nurturing sequence introduces the prospect to our company. They may have downloaded an ebook or opted in to a content offer, but they are not sales ready. A nurturing sequence is designed to get them there by providing social proof, handling objections, and establishing value.
- Engagement email sequence: An engagement email sequences uses email to build rapport with them. The idea is to get them engaged with your content to build interest and keep your organization top of mind. This type of sequence might help you identify engaged leads who open, click, and take action on emails so that you can enroll them in other sequences tailored to their specific journey.
- Conversion email sequence: This sequence is used when you're asking something of your prospect (e.g., booking a call or meeting, scheduling a demo).
- Follow-up email sequence: Just because a prospect doesn't respond to a sales outreach email doesn't mean they're not interested. They may need a few "impressions" before noticing and taking action. A follow-up email sequence loops back and touches base with your prospect after a few outreach attempts. This is so sales reps can reduce the number of manual emails they send and admin work they have to do.
Email Sequence Template & Flow
Step 1: Find prospects who are mentioned in the news
A good tactic is finding potential prospects who are mentioned in the news and reaching out to congratulate them. Saying "congrats" warms up the initial email and catches their attention.
There are two methods most used for monitoring the news: Google Alerts and Feedly.
Creating a Google Alert is simple. Type the keyword you want to monitor and save the alert to send to your email address. Type in a keyword or company name you wish to track like "plant closure" or "going out of business", enter your email address and click Create Alert: Google will email you whenever those alerts are mentioned in the news.
Step 2: Send an email congratulating them on their news coverage
With the alerts in place, having an email campaign in place is next to complete. This should be a personalized email and unique to the recipient.
Here's an initial email template:
Good Morning/Afternoon [First Name],
Because I work so much with [targeted industry], I constantly follow industry news. Recently I noticed that you've [insert company action].
Usually when that happens, [insert business issue] becomes a priority. That's why I thought you might be interested in finding out how we helped [similar company] get going quickly in [solution].
Check out our recent success stories/case studies here. If you'd like to learn more, let's set up a quick call. Schedule 15 minutes on my calendar from my email signature below.
Regards,
[Your Name]
P.S. If you're not the right person to speak with, who do you recommend I talk to?
Give the prospect 24 hours to respond. If they do not, a second email via the sequence should be ready.
Step 3: Send a follow-up email with helpful content personalized to their industry
This email template should drive engagement than the first - and that's the objective! With every email you send, you should be increasing the engagement from the prospect at every turn.
For example, if our current prospect is struggling with their business, send them data from the valuations tool used to help clients understand their product's worth.
Here's what that might look like:
Good Morning/Afternoon [First Name],
I'm following-up on my previous email with something I think you'll find interesting.
We've recently had another client going through [insert company action] like you, and we've been able to [insert event metrics] by [how event was constructed].
I'd be more than happy to walk you through how we can help in your situation. Set up a 30 minute call on my calendar from my email signature below. And in the meantime, check out our recent success stories/case studies here.
Enjoy your weekend,
[Your Name]
Give the prospect another 24 hours to respond. If they do not, a third email via the sequence should be ready.
Step 4: Send the third email template of "Trying to connect"
If you continue not to get a response, send this follow-up email again:
Good Morning/Afternoon [First Name],
I'm sorry we haven't been able to connect. Again, I know how hectic things can get at work and with family.
If it helps, I can easily make myself available at any time convenient for you if that's easier for you? I don't mean to bug you, but I do want to help you manage [insert company action] and exceed your goals of [insert custom goals].
To set up a time on my calendar, please click the link within my email signature below.
Best,
[Your Name]
Step 5: Send the final follow-up email template of "Permission to close your file?
If struck with silence after the first three emails, send a final follow-up email asking for permission to close their file:
Good Morning/Afternoon [First Name],
I'm writing to follow up. We are in the process of closing files this month.
Typically, when I haven't heard back from someone it means they are either really busy or aren't interested. If you aren't interested do I have permission to close your file?
If you are still interested, what do you recommend as a next step?
Thanks for your help,
[Your Name]
This email has potential to work well as people tend to want what they can't have. Maybe they think "Oh, I'm never going to hear from this guy again. Maybe I should look into their business …"
This sequence example should be adapted to fit your style. Mix in tasks within the sequence to call the prospect, and having a separate email ready to send if you have to leave a voicemail. Make it your own, and test various elements within from subject line to time between sends. Find what works for you, then make it better each time.