 A triage checklist for wayward communications
Your hot new prospect asked you to check in with them at the end of the month. So you send them an email, acceding to their request. And then nothing happens. What do you do? What’s the most effective way of following up and getting new business? In this article, we’ll outline what to do, and when—and when you should simply make other plans. Note that everything we’ll describe here applies to both clients and prospects. Professional paranoia Whenever we send something to a client, we always end the email with a polite little “kindly confirm receipt.” Sure, some email programs and networks will allow for that as a function of their software, but many others don’t. You could argue that this is simply a case of CYA (Cover Your, um, Butt), but it’s really an element of client service. You want to make sure that they got what they needed, and you’d promised them, on time. Without that little confirmation, you can’t be sure. Have you ever had an email that simply vanished into the ether? Never? Really? Contact us. We’d like to know your secret. Of course you’ve had emails go wonky on you. And they’re wholly unpredictable: you’ll never know which one will fail. Worse, you can’t automatically ascertain whether the problem was at your end or the client’s. All the more reason to politely ask for a reply, confirming receipt. That one little step can save you lots of agita down the line. A matter of degrees As we’ve suggested many times in these articles, put yourself in the client’s shoes. Just how urgent was that email from you… in their eyes? Was it the essential documentation they needed to show leadership at tomorrow’s meeting? Or was it a “Hey, didn’t you say that you might need some help around this time of year?” Certainly, there’s a continuum of urgency, so don’t freak out—or annoy your client—by frantically following up on something that they’ve pushed to the back burner. Consider your timing. If the email from you wasn’t too urgent, give it a day or two, and simply drop a follow-up note: “Hey, I wanted to make sure you got my note of the other day. Any feedback?” That’s what you can do for an existing client. For a new client or prospect, it’s quite possible that your relatively-unknown email address got trapped by their spam filter. If that’s the case, you may need to phone their assistant and get some intervention to clear the clog. And don’t forget about vacation bounce messages—because other people often do. It would be nice if everyone used them, but honestly, how many times have you gotten a reply, a week later than you’d expected, with the prefacing comment: “Sorry, I was away all last week…”? It happens. Be patient. (And take advantage of the Guilt Points you just earned when that reply arrives!) The tease In a related story, we recently had a prospective client email us and ask to push back their initial meeting with us. That’s okay, assuming their fire-fighting excuse was legit. But we shored up our bet in our email reply: “By the way, we took the liberty of reviewing your existing website and marketing materials, and have some detailed feedback which we think you’ll find interesting.” It’s true. But it was also a hook/an enticement. It will help ensure that the bumped meeting doesn’t get bumped again. Increasing urgency If you’re being entrusted with a deadline, handed to you by your client, the dynamic changes radically. Because now their butt is on the line if they don’t get what you’d sent them. So follow up. Mark ensuing messages as “Urgent.” Pick up the phone. Call the assistant. Send a text message. Do what needs to be done. Because after a certain point, you’re not being annoying. To the contrary: You’re helping to save the day. An oddball exception: We have a client who’s so busy, that they’ll often get something from us without confirming receipt… and we’ll know that they got it, simply because they didn’t call us screaming that they didn’t! Don’t use that example as a rule! When to give up Sometimes you’ll get a seemingly hot new prospect who simply vanishes into the black hole: You’ll be able to reach the assistant, you’ll be able to send emails, but nothing comes back. This is when the word “seemingly” takes on all-new significance. Some prospects, well, aren’t. Reminds us of a great line from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross: “They just like talking to salesmen.” If that’s the case, move on. This is why business development is an ongoing, and never-ending, activity. Got a black-hole story to share? Send it our way. And ask to confirm receipt.
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