As you probably know, cold email is a highly targeted prospecting technique. It allows you to personally contact a prospect, while personalizing the content to the maximum.
But here's the thing... Your may not always get an answer.
Have you been ghosted? 💔 No panic!
On average, professionals receive 120 new emails per day, so don't worry: they can't be everywhere at once.
What if I told you that all wasn't lost? Thanks to follow-up emails, you will be able to re-launch the interaction with your contacts. Yes, a polite follow-up email can make a difference. 🔥
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Why you should send follow-up emails
Follow-up emails allow you to reconnect with one or more prospects after a lack of response. So far, you're following me! 😉
Follow-up emails are a central part of your lead acquisition strategy and should not be neglected.
Let's take a look at the various benefits of sending follow-up emails. 👀
1 - Building gradual trust with your prospect
When you send your first sequence of highly personalized cold emails, you create an almost intimate bond with your prospects.
A lack of reply can be very disappointing. However, you should know that the link between you and your prospects is not broken. ⚡️
Sending good follow-up emails allows you to re-launch and warm up your campaign. Yes: a lack of response does not mean that your prospect isn't interested in your service or product.
Sending a follow-up email is actually a new opportunity to reinforce the link with your prospect. Keep in mind that gradually building trust with your prospect takes time and investment. However, once that bond is established, it's stronger than ever. That is achieved through what we will explain below. 😁
2 - Staying in their minds
Sending follow-up emails after no response also allows you to stay in the minds of your prospects.
Many prospects don't answer because:
❌ They haven't had time to formulate a response.
❌ They are hesitant to contact you.
❌ They simply forgot to respond, it happens. 🤷
❌ You didn't send your cold email at the right time. Your leads are sometimes (very) busy.
Sending a good follow-up email allows you to remind your prospect that you are here for them. This way, you remain present in your potential lead's mind, without overdoing it. A good follow-up email guarantees that you will not be forgotten, even if your prospect does not need you at that very moment.
3 - Increasing your conversion rate
The goal of your follow-up emails remains the same as your initial cold email: to convert your target! 📈
Your follow-up emails, if well written, are additional opportunities to increase your conversion rate. A lack of answer does not mean that all is lost. On the contrary! 😉
4 - Standing out from your competitors
Yes: sending perfect, well-targeted follow-up emails is a powerful weapon to set you apart from your competitors. Far too many salespeople neglect follow-up, or just send one or two follow-up emails.
But not you, because YOU are the solution to your prospects' problem. And YOU don't give up.
According to the figures, 44% of sales people give up after one rejection. Make a difference with them! 💪
5 - Bringing additional arguments to your target
Your cold email should be personalized and targeted enough to make your target think: "This is what I need!" or "I need to learn more!".
Your first cold email must catch your target's attention. No answer? Then it's time to go further into the argumentation!
The new arguments you will bring up in your follow-up email will have to be even more targeted and accurate. Sometimes, a prospect needs more information before they decide to convert to your offer.
It's time to showcase your offer even more! 🌟
6 - Getting a clear answer from your prospect
Yes, your prospect may not be interested in your services. Sending them a follow-up email can help you get a clear and categorical negative response from them. And then move on 💔!
Think of it as saving time and energy. You will be able to focus on new prospects and generate more revenue.
👉🏼 In general, keep in mind that follow-up emails are the best way to get a response from your prospects.
How many follow-up emails should I send?
First of all, you should know that there is no predefined number of follow-up emails to send to your prospects.
Indeed, the number of follow-up emails to send will depend on the nature of your lead, your product or service, and the content of your previous emails. As you can see, there must be something to follow up on, otherwise your campaign will be ineffective.
There is no need to bombard your target with too many following up emails: you risk being too insistent and losing credibility. It is imperative that you preserve your image. 🌟
According to figures, most of the sales require 5 follow-up emails before being closed, in addition to the first cold email and the last break up email. Too many salespeople and senders give up on their prospects far too early! 🙁
Actually, there is only one golden rule to respect when it comes to the quantity of follow-up emails to send: give priority to quality over quantity.
How often should I send follow-up emails?
Now that you have defined the number of follow-up emails to include in your sequence: let's look at the frequency of sending! 👀
Note that there is no specific, predefined frequency for your sequence as well. Emails should not be too close together, nor should they be too far apart. It's all about balance. 🤲🏼
However, it is interesting to space out your follow-up emails with a proportional frequency. For example:
- Day 1: First cold email.
- Day 1 + 2: First follow up email.
- Day 1 + 4: Second follow up email.
- Day 1 + 8: Third follow up email.
- Day 1 + 16: Fourth follow up email.
- Day 1 + 24: Fifth follow up email.
- Day 1 + 31: Break up email. This is the email that will close your exchanges with your prospect. The point here is to make your lead understand that this is the last moment to grab the opportunity. However, leave this break up email open for further discussion. Who knows, your lead may want to contact you again in a few weeks. Don't completely close the door on exchanges.
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How to write perfect follow-up emails?
Dropcontact will give you some tips on how to write the best following up email possible. Sending a good follow up email is something that can be learned. We all start somewhere 🤓
Ready to reconnect with your prospects? Let's get started! 💪
1 - Catchy subject line
The subject line is the very first sentence that your prospect is going to read.
Moreover, the subject line must not be neglected in any way. It is what will determine the open rate of your follow up email. At Dropcontact, we believe that a good minimum open rate is 70%. Does that sound like a lot? Believe us, it's quite achievable. Just follow some basic rules to improve your opening rate:
- Be concise and minimalist: Just a few words. That's all.
- Personalize the subject line: Address your prospect directly.
- Spark your prospect's curiosity: Your subject line should reflect the content of your follow-up email...Without saying too much. 😉
- Avoid the words "follow-up" or "in response to my previous email". Don't be afraid to be creative to generate interest and boost your opening rates.🌟
2 - Add a reminder about your first cold email
Your follow-up email is a continuation of your first cold email, right? Well, remind your prospect of that. Some of your leads get a lot of cold emails, and you should definitely link to your previous email.
This will allow your prospect to remember your previous email. Think of your follow-up email as a series. The follow-up email is the next part of the story between you and your lead. 📖
3 - Keep it polite and sweet
Politeness and communication are the keystone of all human relationships.
Just imagine: it's raining, it's cold, your lead is having a gloomy day.
And then: you arrive. Your follow-up email brings a smile to his face. It may sound too much, but sometimes a little gentleness and politeness can change an entire state of mind. 🌞
It may seem obvious, but addressing your prospects in the best possible way is the most effective way to gain their trust over the long term.
4 - Make it short and effective
Get to the point. The following up email should be concise, explicit...but not too long to be read in its entirety.
Feel free to add visual elements to replace the words. Such as: emojis, images, diagrams, videos, infographics... Bring your follow up emails to life and say goodbye to fatigue. This way, you will effectively capture the attention of your lead. 💫
5 - Personalization, again and again
Cold email and follow-up emails: same battle! 👊🏼
Personalization is central to this outbound strategy. Your prospect is at the heart of your follow up email. Don't forget to address him directly or to direct your follow-up email according to his needs.
💡 With Dropcontact, your contact information is updated automatically. Dropcontact is definitely the best all-in-one solution to get the current data of your prospects. The personalization of your cold emails and follow-up emails will no longer hold any secrets for you!
6 - Integrate an effective call to action
A perfect follow up email includes a CTA (call to action). This is a clickable link to make an appointment with you, to contact you or to learn more about your offer.
The CTA should be placed at the end of your follow up email, it follows the body of your email where you exchange with your prospect.
The CTA truly allows your prospects to take the next step on their own, without having to switch pages or do additional research. It's a huge time saver for you and for them 😁
It is actually the "end point" of your follow-up email.
7 - It's all about timing
Timing is a variable that should not be overlooked.
Just like your first cold email, you need to send your follow-up email at the right time for your lead.
Don't be stuck with the Tuesday and Thursday rule. Actually, timing is flexible and depends on SO many factors. This Tuesday and Thursday rule is to be avoided. Be aware that the majority of sales are positioned on these days and that your leads will receive all their emails on these two days.
In reality, you can send your follow-up email on a Monday, or on a Friday.
Keep up to date with your lead's changing needs as well. Things can evolve quickly and you'll be there at the right time.
⚠️To stay in compliance with regulations, don't forget to include an unsubscribe link in your emails, even your follow-up emails. Of course, this link can be inserted discreetly. 👀
Still no sale after my sequence. What should I do?
You have sent your entire sequence to your prospect and still haven't received a positive response?
Know that all is not lost.
After your break up email (last email in your sequence), wait a few weeks or months. You can perfectly well follow up with a potential lead after your sequence, but you will have to wait a little to avoid bombarding him.
Remember, you chose this lead for a reason. They meet your segmentation criteria and need (or will need?) your services at some point. It's just not the right time, there is no reason for your prospect to reject your offer. But don't worry: one day, your lead will become a customer 🤜🤛!
In the meantime, there is only one rule to follow: keep up to date with your prospect's professional development. Changes in companies and jobs are very common in your CRM contacts.
⚠️Make sure you always have an up-to-date database.
Dropcontact is natively integrated with Hubspot, Pipedrive and Salesforce. The solution automatically updates all your CRM information in real-time and directly in your database. You save time and you now have a database ready for your campaigns 💫!
