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How to Ask for an Appointment in an Email Cold Call - Jill Konrath
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When I got the message below from Daniel McLellan, I had to share it with you. The way he "closes" his emails is much better than what I recommended in my new Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. <Click here to get your free copy!> Why is it better? The person on the other end feels like they're talking to a human being, not a salesperson. It reduces their defensive responses and opens them to actually talking with you -- just like you're talking to them. But enough of my pontificating. You need to read what he wrote: I love your stuff. Your email strategy just paid for my new backyard deck! I used to send a hundred template emails and get no response. Now, I take that same time to send 10 strategic cold call emails with ample research and will get 5 responses. There is one part of your strategy that I needed to substitute though - the action you're driving to at the end. I explain to my sales team that asking people to call you back is a bit obnoxious - even if there is value and reason. When you do that your prospects are left thinking, "Wait, you want me to call you? So you can pitch me? You want me to stop doing my job and search for time in my calendar to give you so that you can sell me? Are you kidding?" Using your strategy increases response rates for sure, but even great emails will sometimes fail. This is why I take a different approach. I try to put as much of the onus on me as possible to connect. Here are some ways that I do that. Example 1: "I have time free on Friday, July 6th at 2:00pm. I'll reach out to you then to discuss. I hope you're able to take my call." With this closing statement, you're: Showing that you are not asking anything from them. Carrying the labor of the continued conversation. Passively trying to connect, not aggressively. Example 2: "I'll reach out to Mary to see if you have some time free to discuss next week." “On the morning of my proposed meeting I'll send an email stating, "As per my message, I'll be calling you today at...I hope that we're able to connect. Please let me know if that time doesn't work."” I love the simple elegance of Daniel's approach. The moment I read/heard it from a customer's perspective, I knew it was much more effective. P.S. Get your free copy of Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. You need to find out what comes before the "closing" comments.
When I got the message below from Daniel McLellan, I had to share it with you. The way he "closes" his emails is much better than what I recommended in my new Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. <Click here to get your free copy!> Why is it better? The person on the other end feels like they're talking to a human being, not a salesperson. It reduces their defensive responses and opens them to actually talking with you -- just like you're talking to them. But enough of my pontificating. You need to read what he wrote: I love your stuff. Your email strategy just paid for my new backyard deck! I used to send a hundred template emails and get no response. Now, I take that same time to send 10 strategic cold call emails with ample research and will get 5 responses. There is one part of your strategy that I needed to substitute though - the action you're driving to at the end. I explain to my sales team that asking people to call you back is a bit obnoxious - even if there is value and reason. When you do that your prospects are left thinking, "Wait, you want me to call you? So you can pitch me? You want me to stop doing my job and search for time in my calendar to give you so that you can sell me? Are you kidding?" Using your strategy increases response rates for sure, but even great emails will sometimes fail. This is why I take a different approach. I try to put as much of the onus on me as possible to connect. Here are some ways that I do that. Example 1: "I have time free on Friday, July 6th at 2:00pm. I'll reach out to you then to discuss. I hope you're able to take my call." With this closing statement, you're: Showing that you are not asking anything from them. Carrying the labor of the continued conversation. Passively trying to connect, not aggressively. Example 2: "I'll reach out to Mary to see if you have some time free to discuss next week." “Giving them enough time (at least a week out) to ensure that they'll have a free spot on their calendar.” I love the simple elegance of Daniel's approach. The moment I read/heard it from a customer's perspective, I knew it was much more effective. P.S. Get your free copy of Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. You need to find out what comes before the "closing" comments.
When I got the message below from Daniel McLellan, I had to share it with you. The way he "closes" his emails is much better than what I recommended in my new Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. <Click here to get your free copy!> Why is it better? The person on the other end feels like they're talking to a human being, not a salesperson. It reduces their defensive responses and opens them to actually talking with you -- just like you're talking to them. But enough of my pontificating. You need to read what he wrote: I love your stuff. Your email strategy just paid for my new backyard deck! I used to send a hundred template emails and get no response. Now, I take that same time to send 10 strategic cold call emails with ample research and will get 5 responses. There is one part of your strategy that I needed to substitute though - the action you're driving to at the end. I explain to my sales team that asking people to call you back is a bit obnoxious - even if there is value and reason. When you do that your prospects are left thinking, "Wait, you want me to call you? So you can pitch me? You want me to stop doing my job and search for time in my calendar to give you so that you can sell me? Are you kidding?" Using your strategy increases response rates for sure, but even great emails will sometimes fail. This is why I take a different approach. I try to put as much of the onus on me as possible to connect. Here are some ways that I do that. Example 1: "I have time free on Friday, July 6th at 2:00pm. I'll reach out to you then to discuss. I hope you're able to take my call." With this closing statement, you're: Showing that you are not asking anything from them. Carrying the labor of the continued conversation. Passively trying to connect, not aggressively. Example 2: "I'll reach out to Mary to see if you have some time free to discuss next week." “I'll continue this for 3x per prospect, then back away.” I love the simple elegance of Daniel's approach. The moment I read/heard it from a customer's perspective, I knew it was much more effective. P.S. Get your free copy of Ultimate Guide to Email Prospecting. You need to find out what comes before the "closing" comments.