Top 10 PolitePersistence Email Templates For Turning People You Meet Into Customers Finally templates that work! PolitePersistence is a great assistance! I love PolitePersistence! Y-M-C-A! Why are we all yelling!?!
TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1) Introduction 2) Turning Contacts Into Customers 3) Template 1: Confirm a Pain Point 4) Template 2: Offer Newsletter 5) Template 3: Give a Survey 6) Template 4: Praise & Engage 7) Template 5: Ask for Intro 8) Template 6: Leverage Their Network 9) Template 7: Set Follow Up Meeting 10) Template 8: Connect Over Hobbies 11) Template 9: Get Feedback 12) Template 10: Keep In Touch 13) Conclusion 14) Appendix: What It Is 15) Appendix: How It Works (Example) Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 2
1) Introduction What Does Being Politely Persistent Mean? The act of being politely persistent is to create and spread ideas, products, messages, etc. in a way that represents a relentless pursuit of your goal all the while taking into account the privacy and respect of those who you are targeting. In other words, PolitePersistence = Gracious Hustling How To Use The Contents In This Ebook First, read through all of the templates in this ebook to understand the scenarios that fit these templates. Second, think about your business goals and what you re trying to achieve when in social settings like meetups, conferences, etc. and know ahead of time what template you will want to use before the event. Third, go home, copy & paste the appropriate template, customize it to your particular scenario and send it to your contact. Why Does It Matter To You? Think of all of the people you ve met at conferences, events, seminars, or anywhere in your daily life. How many of them have you kept in touch with? If you kept in touch with even a quarter of those individuals do you think it would have made a POSITIVE IMPACT on your business or personal brand? I know it takes a lot of time to follow up. This is why we created these templates from our own experiences. Ultimately, you should care because you will be able to: Build a consistent and predictable follow up system that generates growth for your personal brand and/or business. Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 3
2) Turning Contacts Into Customers Before diving into the Top 10 Templates for Turning Contacts into Customers, please consider the following: I am assuming that the individuals who you will email using the following templates are people you ve met at an event, seminar, party, barbeque, conference, festival, ball, etc. These templates are simply guides. Don t feel that you need to copy them word for word. As a matter of fact you should tweak them to fit your writing style as much as possible. If you are confused by the term Tabs in the following templates, turn to the Appendix at the end of this ebook. The goal of each of these templates is to ultimately get a conversation started and induce further human interaction. Have fun and enjoy! Why are all of those people watching us shake hands? I don t know but you have really soft hands Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 4
3) Template 1: Confirm a Pain Point Background: When meeting someone you hear him or her say something that is a pain point for their business. Whatever the pain point, your goal is to provide guidance or assistance to help alleviate that pain point for him or her. Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Nice Meeting You at [place] Great meeting you the other day at [place]. [Reference something you talked about]. I know you mentioned you were having an [issue/problem/concern] with [business area/function/process]. I m curious to know more about your [pain point]. Also, the company you work for is fascinating and I would like to learn a little more about the role you play at the company. I m available to [chat/meet] [personal availability]. What works for you [First Name]? Hope things are well and hope I have the right email. I came across this article [article URL] the other day and it made me think of your [issue/problem/concern] with [business area/function/process]. I hope we can still connect as I am a follower of [recipient s industry] and would enjoy hearing your insider thoughts. I m available to [chat/meet] [personal availability]. Do any of those times and days work for you [First Name]? Best, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+3 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Nice Meeting You at [place] Talk soon, Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Nice Meeting You at [place] It s been about a week since we connected at [place] and I haven t forgotten about your [issue/problem/concern] with [business area/function/process]. [Reference something else you talked about]. I spoke with my team and there is a specific [system/method/process/template] that we ve developed that I would like to share with you. I know you re busy but we wouldn t need more than 15 minutes to cover the important points. How does [specific day and time] sound [First Name]? - Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+14 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Nice Meeting You at [place] I ve been trying to reach you for about a week or two now and we just haven t been able to connect. Here s what I m going to propose: when you are ready to discuss alleviating [issue/problem/concern] with [business area/function/process] please return my contact but if you re not ready, please feel free to not return the contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for you to be of potential benefit to three parties: you, myself and the customers you serve. Here is exactly the kind of benefit I can bring to [recipient s business]: [provide no more than three specific benefits in bullet form] As you go about your normal business and believe you or anyone you know could use my assistance just let me know and I ll take it from there. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward hearing from you Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 5
4) Template 2: Offer Newsletter Background: You met someone who expressed interest in a topic that you cover with your newsletter. You indicated that you run a newsletter on that topic and your contact appeared interested. Your goal is to get him or her to sign up for your newsletter. Hi Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Enjoyed Talking About [Topic] It was great to meet you at [place], and I d love to keep in touch about [topic]. I m going to send you a LinkedIn request, and you can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/yourtwitternamehere. I d be happy to follow you back. [Reference something you talked about]. Take care, and I look forward to connecting again soon [Your name] P.S. I thought you might like to know about our regular [topic] information email as well. The sign up link is: [sign up URL] and you can read a previous edition here [previous newsletter URL]. Also, let me know if you sign up as I would like to thank you for doing so personally. Hope things are well and hope I have the right email for you. I was gathering information for my upcoming newsletter and I came across this article [article URL] the other day and it made me think of our conversation about [topic] at [place]. Given that we share a passion for [topic], curious if you would like a first glimpse at my newsletter before I send it out to my mailing list? If so, just let me know and I ll send over some material. Looking forward to keeping the conversation [First Name]. Kind regards, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+3 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Enjoyed Talking About [Topic] Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Enjoyed Talking About [Topic] It s been about a week since we connected at [place] and I haven t forgotten about our [topic] discussion. [Reference something else you talked about]. Our next [topic] newsletter is coming along nicely. I know you re busy which is why I m following up again. Are you interested in receiving the newsletter when it goes out? If so, I ll include you. Looking forward to your response - Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+14 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Nice Meeting You at [Topic] I ve been trying to reach you for about a week or two now and we just haven t been able to connect. I know you re busy but I hate to give up on communicating with someone who cares as much about [topic] as I do. Here s what I m going to propose: when you have some time let me know what kind of information you would like to see in a newsletter that could benefit you or your business but if you don t have time, please feel free to not return the contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to stay in touch about [topic]. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to staying in touch Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 6
5) Template 3: Give a Survey Background: You met someone who shares an interest with you for a mutual passion or project. Maybe you hint that you are collecting data or gathering responses for a report, white paper, ebook or article that you are going to publish. Your goal is to receive responses from your recipient for your research. Hi Nice meeting you at [place], and enjoyed hearing your thoughts about [topic]. [Reference something you talked about]. As we discussed, I m collecting information in an effort to [goal of survey]. Your input can help me with [goal of survey] and will [benefit to recipient for taking survey]. I estimate that it will take you approximately [# of minutes] minutes to complete the survey. Simply click on the link below, or cut and paste the entire URL into your browser to access the survey. Make sure to let me know when you complete it so I can thank you personally. [Survey URL] It would be great if you could provide your response by [deadline]. Your input is very important to us and will be kept strictly confidential (used only for the purposes of research for this project). If you have any questions you can reply or call me directly at [your number]. Thanks It s been about a week since we connected at [place] and I haven t forgotten about our [topic] discussion. [Reference something else you talked about]. We are gathering a ton of great responses to our survey for [goal of survey]. I know you re busy which is why I m following up again and because [benefit to recipient for taking survey]. Given your interest in [topic] when we spoke, I think your insight and responses to our survey would be valuable. I ve included the questions directly in this email to make it easier for you to respond. It would be great if you could provide your response by [deadline]. [bulleted list of survey questions] Thanks again Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Gathering Info About [Topic] Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Gathering Info About [Topic] Hope things are well and hope I have the right email for you. I was researching [topic] for [goal of survey] and I came across this article [article URL] the other day and it made me think of our conversation about [topic] at [place]. I know you expressed a passion for [topic] so I wanted to make sure your [thoughts/comments/feedback] were included in our survey results for [goal of survey]. I ve included the survey link below again but if it would be easier to give your responses over the phone let s set up a quick 15 minute chat. Just let me know a day and time that works for you and we can give [benefit to recipient for taking survey]. [Survey URL] It would be great if you could provide your response by [deadline]. Make sure to let me know when you complete the survey so I can thank you personally [First Name]. Kind regards, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+3 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Gathering Info About [Topic] Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+14 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Gathering Info About [Topic] I know you re busy but after meeting you at [place] I hate to give up on communicating with someone who cares as much about [topic] as I do. Here s what I m going to propose: when you re ready, let me know the easiest way to receive your responses for our [goal of survey] but if you don t have time at that moment, please feel free to not return the contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. Since our deadline is [deadline], if I don t hear back from you before then I ll assume you aren t interested. However, I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to incorporate your [ideas/thoughts/opinions/etc.] If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to helping you [benefit to recipient for taking survey]. Thanks in advance Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 7
6) Template 4: Praise & Engage Background: While at an event you meet someone who has accomplished something significant or maintains a stature of pseudo-celebrity for which you wish to connect. Your goal is to continue the conversation about his or her achievements by asking engaging questions. Hi Nice meeting you at [place], and enjoyed learning a little bit about [recipient s company name]. [Your accomplishment/your company s accomplishment] of [actual accomplishment] made an impression on me I ve found myself thinking about your company a fair amount since then. Here s a(n) [publication name] article that thoughtfully [does something related to recipient s company] [article URL]. Am I reading this right? [Question about how the article impacts recipient s company]? Hope you find it interesting [First Name]! - Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Follow Up From [Place] Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Follow Up From [Place] Last week I sent you an article from [publication name] on [topic] because it seemed to be relevant to your situation. Now that I follow your [company/blog] I noticed you shared [blog update/press release/whitepaper] recently. Congratulations to you and your team on [the launch/receiving exposure/improving the industry/etc.]. [I know/i can imagine] how hard it is to build something from scratch. After going back over the materials you posted, I had two questions: 1. [A genuine non-self-serving question about how it works] 2. [A question about how it could intersect with your company's product or service] The reason I m asking is that my company [makes/performs] [whatever it is your company makes or performs]. I m always trying to find new applications and to learn new approaches for our work here. Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+14 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Follow Up From [Place] Hi Hope that article from [publication name] on [topic] was beneficial from about two weeks ago. Let me know if you were able to glean any actionable insight. I ve been doing some thinking about your company, and I was wondering if you know [a personal contact of your own]? [He/She] is the [title] at [personal contact company name] and may be a potentially interesting [customer/prospect] for you. I d guess that with their [your contact s company s focus or specialty] and your accomplishments in the same, you guys might enjoy talking. Want me to make an introduction [First Name]? - Interested to hear your thoughts Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+21 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Follow Up From [Place] I know you re busy but after meeting you at [place] I hate to give up on communicating with someone who cares as much about [topic] as I do. I m still very interested in hearing your responses to some of the questions I posed in previous emails. Here s what I m going to propose: when you have a moment, let s connect [over the phone/in person] but if you don t have time at that moment, please feel free to not return the contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to keep the conversation going from [place]. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to learning more about your business Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 8
7) Template 5: Ask for Intro Background: You meet someone who is connected to someone else for whom you need to communicate. During your initial face-to-face interaction you confirm that he or she knows or is connected to your target contact. Your goal is to be introduced to your target contact. Hi It was a pleasure meeting you at [place] and enjoyed our discussion about [topic]. [Reference something you talked about]. You mentioned you [had contacts in industry/were connected to target contact]. As we briefly discussed, I was hoping to get introduced to [target contact] from [company/project/affiliation]. Not sure how well you re connected to [him/her], but if the relationship is strong, I d really appreciate an intro to chat about ways we can benefit each other, specifically with [be specific in one sentence how you can benefit target contact]. Please let me know if you feel comfortable doing this and I ll forward over a proper request for introduction that you can forward to [him/her]. Thanks [First Name]! Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Request for [Target Contact] Intro It s been almost a week since we met at [place] and I quickly wanted to follow up as I know how busy you are with [contact s company]. I subscribe to a lot of industry publications and this [publication name] article came across my inbox the other day. Thought it was relevant for you. [article URL] Also, curious if you had any thoughts on how I might be able to connect with [target contact] from [company/project/affiliation]? I know [he/she] would be interested in connecting because [be specific in one sentence how you can benefit target contact]. I am also happy to provide you an intro email which you can simply forward over to [him/her] if the connection is strong enough. Thanks in advance and hopefully we ll be able to meet up again at the next [event name] [First Name]. - Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+5 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Request for [Target Contact] Intro Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+10 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Request for [Target Contact] Intro Hi Hope that article from [publication name] on [topic] was beneficial from about a week ago. Let me know if you were able to glean any actionable insight. I wanted to quickly follow up and see what you thought about making the intro to [target contact] from [company/project/affiliation]? If the connection with [target contact] is not strong enough that s fine. Just let me know so I can make note to cease following up for introduction to [him/her]. Otherwise, I know you re busy and to respect your time I am happy to send you an introduction email that you can simply forward to [target contact]. Would that work for you [First Name]? Thanks in advance, - Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+15 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Request for [Target Contact] Intro I m hoping we can reconnect since we met about two weeks ago at [place]. [Reference something else you talked about]. I still think connecting with [target contact] makes sense but here s what I m going to propose: Regardless of what happens with [target contact], if you come across anyone who can benefit from [benefit you can provide] please send them my way. I ll continue to do the same for you, but if you don t know anyone at the moment please feel free to not return the contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to compliment our respective networks. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to staying in touch Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 9
8) Template 6: Leverage Their Network Background: You meet someone at an event who shares the same niche as you but possesses a larger network of followers. You determine that you need to leverage their network to grow your own. Your goal is to connect with this contact in order for him or her to share your content with their network. Hi Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Support [Recipient s Company] It was a pleasure meeting you at [place]. I enjoyed our conversation about [topic]. After parting ways, I reviewed some of the material on your [website/blog/whitepaper/etc.] and was particularly interested in [title of content]. What s funny is I agree with your article 110% although some people may not. I ve come across my own research which [supports/proves/justifies] that your [title of recipient s article] is accurate in every way. This research was conducted by [institution or organization that conducted similar research] and I think you ll enjoy it. Here s the link: [URL leading to an article on your personal website or blog citing this research]. Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+5 Days) Subject: Re: Support [Recipient s Company] Just wanted to follow up again and say nice work on publishing [title of content your recipient published that is different from the article referenced in your Initial Email]. I m glad we met at [place] because I ve truly enjoyed reading and following your work. I ve liked it so much that I actually referenced your [title of content] article in a recent [blog post/social media post] [URL of what you posted]. I obviously wouldn t mind if you wanted to share that article with your followers Thanks - Let me know what you think after you read it [First Name]. Talk soon, Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+10 Days) Subject: Re: Support [Recipient s Company] Hi It s been almost two weeks since we connected at [place] and I ve enjoyed following your work since then. Wanted to follow up and see what you thought of the two articles I sent you previously. I listed them below as reference: [URL to blog post from Initial Email] [URL to blog post from Second Follow Up Email] I also noticed you [don t have a guest post policy but/have a guest post policy and] wanted to see what you thought about me submitting a guest post for [their blog/site name]. Happy to provide a guest post sample. Would that work for you? Thanks Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+15 Days) Subject: Re: Support [Recipient s Company] [Specific compliment here about a recent post, article, etc.] I know you re busy so I wanted to go ahead and submit a guest post to [name of blog]. The post s headline is [headline here] and the article is below this email. I ve noticed articles on this topic are particularly popular with your readers. I ve previously written for [names of other blogs you've written for or names of blogs/sites that have featured you]. I am proposing to continually send you relevant, insightful and intriguing guest post articles. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to share unique and entertaining content with your readers. If this is OK, please consider my guest posts. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to your feedback [First Name]. Thanks [Include the guest post below this email] Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 10
9) Template 7: Set Follow Up Meeting Background: After meeting someone at an event you realize there is need for a follow up meeting with this individual. You leave off the conversation with a promise to connect over email. Your goal is to set up a follow up meeting in face or over the phone with this contact. Hi It was a pleasure meeting you at [place]. I enjoyed our conversation about [topic]. [Reference something you talked about.] Let s keep the conversation going. Are you available on [specific range of dates] at [specific time] to meet at [location convenient for him or her]? [OPTIONAL: insert one or two sentences on the core value you can provide to your contact if they are to meet with you. Focus on the benefits.] I would love the opportunity to learn more about what you are working on as well as tell you more about [your company] [First Name]. Sincerely, Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Follow Up [Topic] Meeting It was a pleasure talking with you at the [place] earlier this week. I enjoyed learning about your work since then. I had a few questions about [something relevant to their website, industry or content they have produced] At [place], you expressed an interest in learning more about my work with [whatever it is you work on] and it would be my pleasure to tell you more about it. I will be in your area again on [range of dates] and perhaps we can schedule a meeting. What times during those days work for you? you may also be interested in my [blog/whitepaper/website], in which I cover [relevant topics] [URL]. Sincerely, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+3 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Follow Up [Topic] Meeting Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Follow Up [Topic] Meeting Hi Given our shared interest in [topic] I wanted to share with you an article I came across the other day that is related to [their business or industry]. The interesting thing about this piece is [highlight one main takeaway or important point that is relevant to your contact s business]. [Article URL] As discussed at [place], we both share a passion for [topic] and I would love to hear more about your business and how we might be able to work together. [OPTIONAL: insert one or two sentences on the core value you can provide to your contact if they are to meet with you. Focus on the benefits.] I will call you on [specific date and time] to confirm a meeting time. Thanks Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+12 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Follow Up [Topic] Meeting I ve been trying to reach you by phone and email for about a week now and we just haven t been able to connect. What I want to talk with you about is this: [be specific on how you can add value to your contact s business or personal life in one or two sentences]. Here is what I m going to propose: When you have a moment to meet please take a second and return my contact. But if you are still busy when you receive my emails please feel free to not return my contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every 10 days or so to check in. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to stay in touch and work together when the time is right. If this is OK, let me know a time at your convenience that works for us to have a quick meeting. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. I look forward to following up from [place] and keeping our conversation going [First Name]. Sincerely, Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 11
10) Template 8: Connect Over Hobbies Background: You meet someone with whom you share a hobby. You and this contact can potentially have a mutually beneficial professional relationship and you want to keep in touch. Your goal is to keep the conversation going about your hobby while setting the stage for a professional relationship. Hi It was a pleasure meeting you at [place]. I enjoyed our conversation about [hobby]. [Reference something about the hobby you talked about.] [Ask one or two questions about your hobby. These can be questions that gauge your contact s opinion about the hobby or you may have a question about how something works or maybe a new trend/release within your hobby niche.] Looking forward to keeping the conversation going [First Name]. Best, Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Great chatting about [hobby] ----------------THIS LINE AND BELOW IS NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR EMAIL--------------- Had this article sent to my inbox the other day from a [hobby] website that I subscribe to and it made me think of our conversation at [place]. [Article URL] It s an interesting article because [state one or two reasons why your contact should care]. A few of the [hobby] blogs I follow are: [List two or three blogs you follow and their URLs] How do you stay up to date on the latest [hobby] news [First Name]? Best, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+3 Days) Subject: Re: Great chatting about [hobby] Whether it be this email or any of your follow up emails, if your contact gets back to you and answers your questions then be prepared to follow up with a suggestion of another time the two of you can meet up for a drink, a meal or even to share in your hobby if possible. From this meeting you can begin to build the friendship which can be leveraged for a professional relationship. Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+7 Days) Subject: Re: Great chatting about [hobby] Hi I was [playing/messing/tuning/etc.] with [hobby] and remembered what you said at [place] about how you [like/do/watch something related to the hobby]. Here is a [pic of/link to] [something related to your hobby that you took a picture of ideally. Maybe it s a link to someplace you ve been or something you own online]. I think [I am/a group of us are] going to [partake in hobby] at sometime in the near future. Do you want me to keep you posted when [I/we] do [First Name]? Talk soon Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+12 Days) Subject: Re: Great chatting about [hobby] I know it s been tough for us to connect since we met at [place] but I just wanted to let you know that [I am/a bunch of us are] going to be [partaking in hobby]. Let me know if you re interested. Also, here is what I m going to propose: I ll continue to let you know of different [hobby] related events and if you re available just let me know. If you are not able to partake when you receive my emails feel free to not return my contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every time a [hobby event] is coming up. If this arrangement works for you then great as I would love to keep the conversation going about [hobby]. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. [Reference something you talked about related to the hobby as a closing remark to keep it personal.] Talk soon Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 12
11) Template 9: Get Feedback Background: You meet someone who is interested in your business, product or service at a conversational level (i.e. he or she hasn t indicated that he or she is a potential customer nor do they want to be). However, you believe this individual could still provide valuable feedback. Your goal is to elicit this feedback. Hi It was a pleasure meeting you at [place]. I enjoyed our conversation about [topic]. [Reference something you talked about.] Given your [expertise/knowledge/interest/passion] for [industry/niche] I wanted to follow up like we discussed briefly about [topic]. Feedback is vital to any [product/business/service] and although you are not a customer of [your business/product/service] I would still love to hear your professional feedback on [URL to your business/product/service/website/whitepaper/landing page]. To make it simple to provide your thoughts, I provided the feedback questions directly in this email below. Thank you in advance for your time and, of course, please let me know if I can ever offer feedback for [their company name]. Thanks Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X) Subject: Love to Get Your Feedback Hope things are well. Just wanted to follow up from almost a week ago from [place] and see if you had a chance to take a look at [URL to your business/product/service/website/whitepaper/landing page]. Given your experience with [related product/business/accomplishment], your feedback is taken into high consideration. I know you are very busy but I also wanted to share with you an article I came across that is related to [recipient s business or company]. [Article URL] I thought you would appreciate this article because [in one or two sentences provide the benefit to your recipient for reading this article]. Let me know what you think when you have a chance [First Name]. Best, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+5 Days) Subject: (2 nd Attempt) Love to Get Your Feedback [List no more than three feedback questions.] Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+10 Days) Subject: (3 rd Attempt) Love to Get Your Feedback Hi Hope [name of recipient s business is going well]. Let me know if I can ever be a sounding board for a new product or idea. By the way, I mentioned your business to my friend, [name of a contact of yours who may be a potential customer for your recipient s business], and he sounded interested in what you offer. Should I make the introduction? Also, since our conversation at [place] I have made some [tweaks/additions/updates] to [URL to your business/product/service/website/whitepaper/landing page]. Here are the quick couple of feedback questions again. [List no more than three feedback questions. Ideally, keep them the same questions as your initial email] Really do appreciate this in advance Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+15 Days) Subject: (4 th Attempt) Love to Get Your Feedback I know it s been tough for us to connect since we met at [place] but I hate to let our conversation die given your interest in [your industry/niche/product/etc.]. [Reference something you talked about that s different from your initial email.] Here is what I m going to propose: I ll continue to keep you posted of any [tweaks/additions/updates] to [URL to your business/product/service/website/whitepaper/landing page] and when you have a moment you can respond and provide your feedback. However, if you are not able to provide feedback when you receive my emails feel free to not return my contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note every time I make a [tweak/addition/update]. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to stay in touch and share feedback on each other s initiatives. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. Looking forward to sharing feedback Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 13
12) Template 10: Keep In Touch Background: After meeting someone at an event you can t think of any immediate way that either of you can benefit each other but you know you should keep in touch. Your goal is to stay on this individual s radar so when the time comes to set a meeting or make an ask they will not have forgotten you. Hi Tab 1: Initial Email (Day X+30) Subject: Follow Up From [Place] in [Month] It was a pleasure meeting you at [place]. I enjoyed our conversation about [topic]. [Reference something you talked about.] Just simply wanted to check in and say that I hope things are going well with you and [name of their business]. Any new updates? Product launches? New announcements? Things are going well on this end. [Provide a one or two sentence update of your business or life is comfortable. Be sure not to come across as sale-sy ] Hope to hear all good things Can t believe it s been two months since we met at [place]. Hope things are still going well. I was going through some older email the other day and I came across this article, it made me think of you and your business. It s by [publication name] and it covers [something relevant to his or her industry/business]. Hope it s of some value. Any new updates on your end [First Name]? Best, Tab 2: First Follow Up (X+60 Days) Subject: Re: Follow Up From [Place] in [Month] Tab 3: Second Follow Up (X+90 Days) Subject: Re: Follow Up From [Place] in [Month] Hi It s been awhile since [place] about three months ago. [Reference something you talked about.] I like to keep in touch with those who share an interest in [niche/industry/or other topic you talked about]. Let me know if you ever want to share thoughts or plans for [industry/niche]. Always good to get feedback from someone who isn t living or breathing your product, business or service. Has [their company name] produced any new content worth taking a look at? Hope all is well otherwise. Talk soon Tab 4: Continuous Email (X+120 Days) Subject: Re: Follow Up From [Place] in [Month] I know we haven t communicated since we met at [place] awhile ago but I hate to let our conversation die given our shared interest in [your industry/niche/product/etc.]. [Reference something you talked about that s different from your initial email.] Here is what I m going to propose: I ll continue to touch base every so often because you never know how we might be able to help each other down the road. When you have a need that you think I can assist with let me know. However, if you don t have time to chat or don t need my assistance at that time feel free to not return my contact. This way I won t feel uncomfortable dropping you a note a couple times a year. I m hoping you will agree that this is a minimally invasive way for us to stay in touch and on each other s radar. If this is OK, then just keep me in mind. If this is not OK just reply by email and let me know it s not working out for you. Looking forward to keeping the conversation going Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 14
13) Conclusion Everyone you meet is a potential lead. This person does not necessarily have to be a potential customer. Leads come in all shapes and sizes. Some may lead you to feedback, contacts or partners. It s true that the majority of people you meet might not be able to help you in anyway. But if that is a concern of yours you need to rethink the mission of your business and why you work so hard. If you re not willing to do whatever it takes to spread your message and reach out to countless numbers of people you have to ask yourself, How important is the success of my business? The excuse I don t know who to reach out to. or I don t have anyone to reach out to. is unacceptable. You are now equipped with 40 different emails that each have the ability of getting a conversation started to advance your business one step closer to your goal. Itching to use these templates? Here s what you should do: 1) Sign up for meetup.com and find local meetups in your niche. 2) Google [YOUR NICHE] trade shows in [YOUR AREA] or [YOUR NICHE] events in [YOUR AREA] 3) Ask around. We all have contacts that we work with, have worked with or share an industry with. Ask them if they know of any related industry events worth attending. 4) Use your Top 10 PolitePersistence Email Templates for Turning Contacts into Customers on the people you meet 5) Let us know how it goes by joining the small group of us over at our Google+ community called Polite Persisters (clever name, I know) Best of luck and looking forward to hearing from you. -John Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 15
14) Appendix: What It Is What is the PolitePersistence Product? PolitePersistence is a customizable proactive auto responder built for Gmail, as a browser extension, that will allow people to spend more time with family and friends than with their inbox by automating email follow ups. Competitors are grouped by: (1) Powerhouse Email Marketing Tools & (2) Follow Up Reminder Tools. We created PolitePersistence because: We didn t want to pay crazy money for an email marketing tool nor did we want to set a bunch of follow up reminders because we would eventually have to manually follow up anyway. First, you would click the PolitePersistence logo to access the tabbed interface. Second, you would compose your emails by selecting the appropriate tab. Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 16
STEP 15) Appendix: How It Works (Example) You compose your initial & all follow up emails from same compose screen once. Initial Email Sent 1 st Follow Up Automatically Sent 2 nd Follow Up Automatically Sent 3 rd Follow Up Automatically Sent 1 2 3 4 Day X Day X+3 Days Day X+7 Days Day X+15 Days Day X+23 Days Day X+19 Days Day X+16 Days Day X+16 Days 8 7 6 5 1 st Follow Up Automatically Sent You send your recipient PolitePersistence again to keep the conversation going You thank him or her for responding Recipient Finally Replies PolitePersistence automatically turns off all future follow up emails for that recipient. I ll have to get back to you. Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 17
AUTHOR: John Genovese, MBA Chief Emailologist PolitePersistence LLC John Genovese is a marketing technology strategist and business development professional for a top tier global management consultancy. He is also co-founder of PolitePersistence, a customizable proactive auto-responder that saves people a ton of time by eliminating their need for ever having to manually follow up by email ever again. John specializes in working with C-Level execs and entrepreneurs to communicate more effectively with their customers and grow their business using the latest web technologies. @JohnGenovese He has worked with clients from the Fortune 500, Wall St. and as well as major advocacy groups. He has spoken at Princeton and other public venues on business and technology startup topics. John also coaches startups on utilizing his polite persistence methodology to grow their business and strategic influence. Copyright 2013 PolitePersistence LLC // Page 18
Want to Know More About PolitePersistence? Sign up at www.politepersistence.com for launch updates (if you haven t already). Join us on social media: Twitter my Facebook and I ll give you a G+ Know a 501c3 non-profit who could benefit from using PolitePersistence in their organization? We are giving the first 35 non-profits that register here 6 months FREE when we launch!