Ever got an introduction to a new business prospect and wondered why they didn’t reply to your email enquiry?
Let us show you how to guarantee they read your message
Scenario: Rebecca (that’s me) introduces you to Jonathan Lewis. Hey, you should meet Jonathan, I’m sure you guys could work together.
What happens next is one of three possibilities
Rebecca emails Jonathan and cc you into the message – this is the best possible next step because Rebecca is known and trusted by Jonathan so he’ll open the message and see the introduction. PLUS you are cc so he gets your email and you see his and can reply direct keeping Rebecca cc if appropriate.
Rebecca says she’ll email Jonathan and ask him to get in touch – this is the worst possible next step because you have no control over whether she does it, what she says, you don’t get Jonathan’s email address and you don’t see the message. AVOID
Rebecca gives you Jonathan’s email so you can get in touch – this is the median situation. Your message will arrive in his in-box but he doesn’t know you, your email address won’t be white-listed and you risk being ignored
How to overcome scenario 3 above.
Your email subject line is critical
Writing this email is important – it’s your one big chance for Jonathan to notice you and make direct contact.
Ready for the perfect subject line?
Subject: Rebecca Caroe
Yes – that’s it. Make the introducer’s name the subject of the message – this will grab their attention and they will surely notice your message. Why is he writing to me about Rebecca? Hey, I know Rebecca maybe that’s news about her?
Dear [First Name]
Rebecca Caroe and I met this week and we were talking about [name the project / expertise] and she has recommended you and I connect. Her reason is that we are [state your business] and we need [state their business].
Can we fix a time to speak. I am available on [name 2 dates and times here – at least 3 days ahead of today].
Very much looking forward to learning more about [name their business].
[your name]
Why this email works
It sets the context quickly – it does all the ‘thinking’ for the recipient.
You should be trusted with one phone chat or meeting because of the mutual connection (Rebecca) and you’ve given them an easy route for the reply message by suggesting the dates.
Go on, try it and tell me whether it worked for you!
September is the time business gets down to work after the summer break. Blair Enns at the Win Without Pitching team say this is the perfect time to clean out your list of prospects and new business opportunities.
Find out which ones are going to buy and which aren’t worth your time chasing further. Blair writes
Below is a simple email template that you can use to raise deals from the dead. It works throughout the year but this week, more than any other period in the calendar, is when it works best.
THE EMAIL
It was taught to me as The Takeaway but I refer to it by the subject line that I prefer: Closing The Loop. Draft it, modify it if you dare, but send it to all those prospects you were talking to over the summer about real projects only for them to disappear on you. That’s the intended purpose of this email – to raise deals from the dead and solicit a response from someone who has been avoiding you over the summer.
Your natural inclination is probably to do the opposite of what I’m about to suggest. Resist. Do not send an overly polite email. Do not make excuses for your prospect’s behaviour over the last few weeks. Do not email in pursuit of a yes or even an answer. No, your mission is to strip away all emotions and matter-of-factly just let your prospect go. Below is how to do this and then what to expect afterwards.
https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2013-09-03 10:00:002020-01-24 01:44:28New business development copywriting: Stalled prospects
Xero is a hugely popular cloud accounts package that has taken much of the Intuit QuickBooks and MYOB business from SMEs worldwide.
Image via CrunchBase
Prompted by an article in Forbes about in-house marketing teams versus external agency use, I remembered a pitch we sent off to Xero.
As a customer of Xero and as a marketer, the things I think are lacking or could be enhanced primarily relate to the ease of re-using content and proactively driving it out to the right audience.
B2B comms for existing customers, in a nutshell.
Since Xero is growing internationally, they increasingly have separate user groups who should be communicated to differently – because they need different things from Xero.
Marketing suggestions – I have lots more….
After signing up, there’s nothing to drive me deeper into using the higher features of your products, unless I search.
Apart from support issues and feature requests, what are the useful things you could be communicating with my business [clues – finding support, accountancy advice, higher level feature uses, plug ins, apps developers, tax questions, work-rounds for bug fixes]
How could Xero be leveraging existing customers to drive improved new business and new trial accounts using member-get-member referrals and other incentives?
Autoresponders – for new users within the trial period and for first few months of use – Xero could have a ‘guide’ much like Kiwibank‘s “Becky” who is there for the user, who acts as a signpost to helpful information inside your knowledge base, who helps check they’ve got the system set up properly.
Why are you using FeedBurner to distribute your RSS feed from the blog? It’s unsupported and you could be leveraging the channel for marketing messages to your active users in order to drive deeper brand engagement and possibly sales (see 2,3,4 above).
Split out your blog into separate streams so that articles automatically send to different groups (e.g. developers and accountants, US versus NZ) Each would get articles designed for that audiences. Create separate news feeds for different audiences, and further use them to drive marcoms to support your business growth goals
The more you blog, the bigger your archive. Readers rarely dive very deep and yet there’s probably heaps of helpful content which is being ignored. Could they be created into “tip sheets”, e-books, training manuals and other support material? These content solutions can be supporting 1, 2 and 4 above.
As Forbes says, it’s great to be an in-house agency – but lifting your head above the parapet and seeking input and inspiration from an external agency team can be very beneficial.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2013-04-05 12:02:142020-01-24 01:44:27Xero Marketing: a pitch & a critique
Here’s a great guide to how to find the best digital agency for your business brand needs.
Getting an organisation who matches your needs and is able to deliver to your brief takes time and careful analysis. Get yourself all the information you need in order to find the best agency and then you have to brief them well.
Writing an awesome creative brief is a challenge and one we can help you out with – even if we’re not doing the work for you. Getting the language and the articulation of your requirements correct will shortcut the selection process of finding the best digital marketing team for your needs.
https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2013-01-23 10:00:002020-01-24 01:44:26Hire the right digital marketing agency - a guide
Persuading people to join your mailing list is probably the most important first step in new business development tactics. A mailing list is a valuable asset for your business. The people who give up their time to join your list WANT to know what you do. They are interested in your business.
The right offer drives more sign ups
Copywriting for new business is a particular skill. You need to be able to put forward the right offer in a manner and tone of voice that makes the biz dev copy persuade the reader to take the action you want.
The words included require these elements:
an offer
a reason
some exclusivity
Case study texts for newsletter sign up
First, Chris Garrett gives away e books – he’s updated these since I first saw them but the offer is still 2 ebooks, he varies them.
Expert copy writing for newsletter sign ups
And from BlueGlass marketing at the bottom of a blog post an offer of insider information. Good use of italics and bold and three strong offers.
Persuasive newsletter sign-up copy
Want to make your newsletter list grow?
Get our experts working on your offer so we can make an irresistible offer to your site visitors.
They will want to sign up and get closer to your business. And that’s step one on the road to a pipeline full of new business leads coming to your business.
Read more articles on Step 1 of the new business development process with Creative Agency Secrets.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2013-01-09 10:00:002020-01-24 01:44:25Newsletter sign up offers: Expert new business development copywriting
Nice information ask here from trend spotters, PSFK.
They call it ‘need to know’ – I hope they do.
It includes a request for twitter id – first time I’ve seen that on an email newsletter sign up form. Interesting that they choose to put it so high up – under your name – the second field to complete.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2012-09-11 09:00:322012-09-12 01:59:32Best Practice email signup form: PSFK
I just bought a pen, a beautiful pen and shared my email address with the supplier – top luxury brand, Mont Blanc.
A week later I got an email, beautifully crafted but inappropriate message. This is not the way to say hello and welcome to your new customers. Launching right in with a sales message…. How about a welcome, a short autoresponder about the brand and explanation setting out expectations for the relationship?
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2012-08-16 09:00:052020-01-24 01:44:25How MontBlanc could improve its email marketing
