By Sam Browne
Two years ago, I came across a simple little app that changed my business life forever.
If you waste a lot of time and energy manually following up clients via email, it might change yours too.
Using Rebump has led to me being able to triple my conversions. I’m going to show you the exact techniques I used, and still use, so you can reap the rewards that Rebump offers.
BEFORE REBUMP
Here’s how things used to be, before I started using Rebump.
Typically, my first interaction with a prospective client would be when they contacted me via email requesting a quote. I would send their quote along with a little bit of custom text, then make a note that I needed to follow them up a few days later.
I would only make a note to follow up for clients I felt were likely to convert, which meant many clients never received more than a single email. For those that I did intend to follow up, I sometimes wouldn’t get around to it.
At best, my clients would get a single followup email. If they didn’t respond to either of the two emails I sent, that was it – they were gone forever.
Sounds confusing and messy right? It was. And I was leaving a lot of money on the table.
Rebump changed it. No more manually recording who needed following up. No more deciding whether or not to follow up. No more forgetting to follow up good clients with money to spend because I was too busy.
With Rebump, every client received a follow up 3 days after their initial enquiry. Then, another one 4 days after that. Then another. My carefully crafted followup sequence made each client feel like I had given them special attention, professionally touching base at reasonable intervals to see how they were doing with the quote, and if I could answer any questions or offer additional quotes.
And the outcome? I tripled my conversions. Our sales shot up dramatically as clients would respond to the 3rd, 4th or 5th email from me. From the client’s point of view, I had diligently checked in with them over and over again for weeks after the initial email. They were impressed that I’d done so, and none of my competitors had.
Today, I’m going to teach you exactly how I set up Rebump for maximum conversions, and help you to double or triple sales in your own business. You’ll be able to craft a sequence that works for you for years to come.
KEEP IT AUTHENTIC
Rebump is all about creating a sequence of followup emails (known as “bumps”) – that connect with your prospect.
The first rule of creating a great sequence is to constantly ask yourself if it feels authentic.
If you were firing off a quick followup email to a client, would it look like this?
Quote Followup
Dear (name),
By now, you’ve had 4 days to consider the quote I sent you.
I’m reaching out to see how we can move things to the next level from here.
Next Steps
- Let me know how you feel
- Advise if the cost is within your budget
- If not, what do we need to change to address your concerts?
I eagerly await your feedback and look forward to working with you. I will be in touch again in 3 days if I do not hear from you.
Sincerely,
Name
I hope not! This feels templated, inauthentic and aggressive. This will communicate to your client that they are just one of many on a conveyor belt of sales. It will give them a very negative feeling about your company.
Instead, if you were authentically sitting down to write a follow up, it might look something like this:
Hey (name),
Just checking in – what are your thoughts?
Name
This is a great way to start your sequence. It’s so painless for the prospect – all you’re doing is checking in. There’s no pressure, no hard sell, and there’s a question for them to answer.
“What are your thoughts?” invites them to reply with clues as to where they are at with the sale, so that we can address their objection and move them to the next stage, or politely agree that our service is not right for them.
NO FORMATTING
Another important note is that your bumps should have no formatting. Successful business owners do not sit around making titles bold and making long lists of bullet points or inserting images in followup emails. They’re too busy for all that. Instead, they jot down a sentence or two and hit send. Less formatting communicates to your prospect that you are busy. It communicates you have a great business that can be trusted.
GET THE TONE RIGHT
Similarly, your tone should communicate to your prospect that you’d love to help them, but that you don’t desperately need their business.
How does this feel to you?
Hi (name),
We’re ready to start work on your project. I just need your ok along with your signed contract. Can you get that back to me by the end of the week? Get back to me.
Yikes. Very pushy and demanding.
Here’s a better approach.
Hi (name),
We’re excited to work on your project! Let me know if you have any questions at all, and we can go from there.
Casual. Friendly. This email can be ignored, but it gently implies that either questions can be answered, or we move forward with the project.
QUESTIONS NEED ANSWERS
Including a question in your email is great, because it’s somewhat rude of the prospect to ignore it. Of course, we don’t really care if they ignore it because we’re using Rebump to automatically follow up, but from the prospect’s perspective, a human being has sent an email with a question. Ignoring it is bad manners.
Here’s a good example.
Hi (name),
Hope all is well with you and the team. What is your main reason for thinking about switching to our company?
There’s no selling at all in this email, but they’ll hopefully give you a big clue as to why they’re thinking about working with you. Is it price? Service? Features? Integrations? Hopefully, they’ll tell you, and you’ll have them re-engaged in the sales process.
HOW TO SPACE OUT YOUR BUMPS
The time between emails is nearly as important as the emails themselves. How long would you leave it between emails to a prospect? It will depend on your business, but I like to space things out by about 3-4 days for the first two bumps, and then 5 days for the last two.
Here’s my logic – if I was manually chasing up a prospect who hadn’t replied, I wouldn’t relentlessly fire off emails to them every 72 hours without fail. That would feel like automation, and would likely annoy my prospect rather than entice them to buy.
I would send the first followup email 3 days later, one about 4 days later, then 5 days and then maybe a final email with a takeaway close included (more on that later) a week after that.
That’s exactly what I do. And it works.
MAKE THEM COME TO YOU
After 2 bumps with zero response, I change tack. I communicate to the prospect that I’m losing interest in working with them. I am not aggressive or demanding, I just change the tone to what I would realistically say after sending them three emails that they haven’t responded to.
Here’s an example:
Just trying you again. Let me know if you’re still in the market for (service).
Thanks
I don’t even use their name or start with a “hi” at this point. I’m saying, are you even buying at this point or am I wasting my time? If they ARE still in the market, this might be the jolt they need to actually take action. If they’re not, well, you haven’t lost anything in emailing them like this.
Then, if I still get no response, I hit them with the takeaway close.
USE THE TAKEAWAY CLOSE
When I started using Rebump, I was amazed at how many people would respond to my final followup email. Who would have thought it would take 5 emails over the course of several weeks just to get a response? The trick is to finish with the Takeaway Close.
The Takeaway Close makes it clear to your prospect that if they don’t respond, that’s it – no more emails and no more chances to take action and book your service.
It’s so simple, and yet it works incredibly well. Here’s how you can use it:
Thought I’d try you one more time, just in case! Please let me know if you still need (service).
This is implying I don’t even expect a response, and it’s very clear that this is the last email they’ll get. A surprising percentage of my clients respond to this email, and ultimately book my services.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Keep emails short and authentic
- No Formatting
- Keep the tone casual and friendly, with no hard sell
- Use questions – they need answers
- Use space to create authenticity
- Make them come to you
- Use the Takeaway Close
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Sam Browne is a New Zealand based entrepreneur. His websites include Findaband, Find a DJ and New Zealand Venues.