An Email to Send Tomorrow
Here’s a post I saw from David C. Baker last week on LinkedIn.
Of course, he’s completely right.
The most interesting part to me is “We need less strategy, more useful insight”. I think strategy can be useful insight, but I understand his point. You’re more likely to get a thinly veiled sales pitch or a generic perspective reskinned as something revolutionary than something actually meaningful.
I’m going to resist my urge to expound on that and - at least for this week - get down to something practical, useful, and potentially insightful.
An Email to Send Tomorrow
Every agency owner I know is trying to drum up new business right now. Let’s drum up some for you.
Below is a straightforward email template you can send tomorrow to generate new business meetings in the next few weeks. It’s based on a structure that cannot be easily automated - which is exactly why it works.
I helped a client send this to 10 prospects last week and it resulted in 2 booked meetings. In today’s world that’s a fantastic conversion rate.
However, Baker references transparency in his post above. So, I’ll share something that will send many of you running to the hills: it took my client 3 hours to send those 10 emails.
If that makes you uncomfortable, good. Spam away - more for us.
Here’s the template and a filled in version beneath to clarify some of the variables:
Subject: [Client Name] Connection
Hi [First Name],
I'm reaching out from [your agency] - we're the agency [your client] partners with for [the thing you do].
You may be familiar with our work on [project name] or [project name]. We worked closely with [contact name] and [contact name]. I know you’re no longer at [your client], and I’m reaching out to talk about [specific area]. We focus specifically on [the thing you do really well] and have developed an expertise in [the use case you want to talk about].
I would love to introduce you to our team and share some of the thinking that led to the success at [your client].
Would you be interested in connecting live? We would love to learn more and share our approach (and how we complement [observation about what they are already doing in your space]).
Completed Version:
Subject: ACME Connection
Hi John,
I'm reaching out from Bulletproof - we're the agency ACME partners with for anvil content marketing.
You may be familiar with our work on Roadrunner 2.0 or the launch of the steelhead anvil in the southwest. We worked closely with Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny. I know you’re no longer at ACME, and I’m reaching out to talk about the dynamite line you oversee at CYTE . We focus specifically on marketing to cartoon characters and have developed an expertise in how they think about on-screen explosions and accidents
I would love to introduce you to our team and share some of the thinking that led to the success at ACME.
Would you be interested in connecting live? We would love to learn more and share our approach (and how we complement the influencer marketing you’re doing with Porky Pig).
Best,
Ethan
Why It Works
It builds trust quickly: Right from the subject line this email is different from the generic sales messages piling up in your prospects inbox. You reference the company they used to work for. Then, you validate that by mentioning a specific initiative and people who actually worked on it with you. That signals to them that you are both a real person and doing real work.
It shows specificity: Not only are you mentioning detailed names and work, you’re also mentioning a specific area of their business that you want to talk about. You’re showing that you don’t want to waste their time with a general capabilities conversation. For those of you worried about competitive conflicts, this is also where you avoid that. They may have some competitive overlap but you’re specifying that you don’t want to talk about that.
It’s not for everyone: You wouldn’t send this to just anyone. In fact, you can’t. It blows up the entire template. It’s specifically for people who used to work at current or past client orgs.
Good luck…
