There are two problems with 98% of email follow-up techniques I see cross my desk. Failing follow-up messages are usually:

1. Templates that never get delivered. The follow-up is removed by spam filters before gets into a prospects’ inbox!
2. “Adding value” in ways that sabotage: pushing pain-points in ways that posture and attempt to persuade.

Persuasion is the devil. Especially in sales prospecting email messages. If a prospect truly believed your solution might potentially double productivity—or increase revenue by 30%—would they delete your message thinking “I don’t have time”?

No. They would make time.

When a prospect deletes your first, second or third follow-up email it’s not because they’re thinking “I don’t have time.” It’s because you made it easy for them to decide “This is not worth my time.”

Because you tried to convince them—just like all the other messages in their inbox.

The trick is to help prospects feel an urge to consider if you are worth their time—not to convince them you are!

Also, if you’re using the “bubble up” follow-up template techniques–or one of the other popular email follow-up templates, stop. Here’s what to do instead.

Let your outbound email strategy drive your follow-up technique. The three options are:

1. Tailored: you conduct research on a specific person or company and craft multiple, highly-personalized messages to the decision-maker;
2. Targeted: you segment contacts based on similar characteristics and develop messages that focus on broad priorities, issues or challenges, and
3. Templated: you create cut-and-paste, mass marketing style templates about your great solution and blast messages out to everyone on a list.

The latter of which is not recommended in a sales context.

With a Tailored (one-to-one, personalized email) approach, your email follow-up technique demands higher levels of personalization. You cannot get away with “I saw this on your LinkedIn profile.” (even if you did, you should never reveal the source of your insight!)

Bottom line: If your follow-up is not personalized to the CEO, VP or Director level decision-maker it’s instantly seen as cut-and-pasted spammy junk.

Below is an example of how to apply primary research in a follow-up context. This tends to earn higher response rates—because it proves you are not cutting-and-pasting templates to C-level decision-makers. You’ve done the homework. Readers cannot miss it.

Subject: sorry

Hi, George.
Noticing how you developed an enterprise energy management program delivering $2.65 million in 3-year energy savings to an ABC Corp. facility. Amazing.

Did you see the below message? Sorry to nag.

Mary

Notice above how the first line describes Mary’s observation about George. She made this observation using primary research on George, who is one of 50 key account targets Mary has for the quarter. Notice also how this type of follow-up technique is repeatable—so long as Mary has other research observations to use.

This provides a highly customized, personalized feel to the follow-up. It’s not spammy, it’s not a template!

And not trying to add value. Because 95% of the time this results in persuasive, marketing-like messaging… and fails!

Tailored follow-up techniques are best used with higher lifetime value (LTV) / average contract value (ACV) customers. This kind of email follow-up technique is also best when targeting hundreds of conversations over the course of a year—as opposed to thousands.

Targeted follow-up techniques cannot use personalization given the one-to-many (thousands) nature. A Targeted technique is best used for lower LTV / ACV customers and when targeting thousands of conversations. Effective Targeted follow-up messages often use geography, industry and industry-based issues to strengthen relevancy. This gives the message a less spammy, more focused feel.

These are the kinds of insights found in our “insiders” community… where we work on effective follow-ups together.

We hear a lot about “adding value” when writing follow-ups… and generally in sales outreach. The theory behind this technique is simple: Each message adds value to the prospect. (or you don’t send it!) This tactic is all about helping prospects feel an urge to respond—by providing valuable, new information. But in practice the “add value” technique encourages you to work against yourself.

The “adding value” tactic usually results in pushing information at prospects. 

Even if information you’re putting into email follow-ups IS truly valuable you are pushing it. You’re trying to persuade rather than amplifying the provocation within your original message.

Think about it: If your first email didn’t provoke the prospect why would follow-on messages would? This is the value of other, better, more current options we learn in our community.

Bottom line: Think twice about adding value. You might be adding yourself to the spam bin. This is the root of the challenge.

Use of spam filter trigger words (such as “bubbling up”) is a no-no. Even if you pass the technical spam wall you’ll get deleted by the human being you’re trying to converse with.

Others include “I reached out to you” and “I had written to you.”

There are more. These are just a few. Want to see more? Give me a shout at jeff@communications-edge.com or join our community.  

Better yet, let us help you. We’ll make your specific challenge ours—and write effective cold and follow-up messages with you… along side of you.  

Otherwise, what has your experience been? Let’s chat in comments below.