How to Re-Engage Your Prospect ~via @MedicalMarcom
Joe Hage is one of the smartest guys I know. My good fortune meeting him at 1800Flowers in 1999 and latching onto his marketing brilliance. Watching him evolve into a great salesperson has been one of the joys of my life. Great advice from him here, advice I have employed in a similar manner for many years. Thanks for a great post Joe... this will be incredibly valuable for all of my readers. - Ted
Recently, a prospect replied favorably to my offer.
I responded.
Then … nothing.
What I wrote to re-engage him.
Subject Line: ?
Body copy: Bill,
Should I interpret your silence as:
(a) “Sorry, meant to get back, but slammed,” or
(b) “Thanks, anyhow, not interested”?
If (a), what’s the best way to get on your calendar?
Respectfully, Joe Hage
I did this twice in the last week. And I got two replies, both apologizing for the delayed response.
Why This Works
Commitment and Consistency. (See Six Ways to Persuade People and Grow Your Business.)
Bill already committed to me with his original reply that he is interested.
Now, I’m calling him on it.
If Bill told me the truth, Bill needs to indicate (a).
If Bill had a second thought, he needs to indicate (b). This helps you prune your prospect list.*
But if Bill committed his interest and then was too rude to give me the courtesy of a reply, Bill looks bad. Bill doesn’t follow up on his word.
Two Suggestions and an Asterisk
1. The subject line is, literally, just a question mark. He only knows me for this one topic. “?” indicates the ball is in his court. The headline is also too vague to decide whether the note is “too insignificant” to “stop what he’s doing now to read it.” He has a basic need to satisfy his curiosity.
2. Go to your Sent box and find the last reply you sent. Open it and “Reply All” so the prior note is below the content we discussed above. Be sure to change the subject line. Don’t use “Re:” and the subject line. It’s lazy and dulls the energy of the conversation.
* You could argue: Why be so black-and-white about it? He might pick (b). Why not “nurture him”? My reply: Look at the results from your nurturing campaigns. How good is your ROI? Find out. Then see if you still feel that way.
