I’ve never been a fan of selling. Something about it feels a bit icky and pushy, and it just sets my teeth on edge. So, for the longest time, I would respond to enquiries in the least salesy way I could muster and then… nothing. Sure, sometimes I would hear back from people and go on to book them as clients. But, for all the ones that didn’t respond, I was left wondering. It took a good number of years before I learned about following up, and I immediately noticed a real difference in my bookings when I started doing it! Here’s how to write the best enquiry follow up email ever, even if you don’t like selling or being too “pushy”.
Why Follow Up?
It’s easy to come up with a dozen reasons why you wouldn’t send a follow-up email.
‘I don’t want to sound to salesy.’
‘I don’t want to come across as a pest.’
‘I’ll just wait and see what happens.’
I can tell you now, I had all those thoughts and a lot more back in the day. But I also had a lot of confidence issues and worry, wondering if my work was good enough or if I was charging too much. And not following up didn’t help those thoughts!
What cemented the thought of following up was the idea that my initial inquiry response emails weren’t even being read. I discovered that a few people hadn’t even heard back from me, that my responses were landing in their junk mail. I was missing opportunities, and I didn’t even know it!
So I tentatively sent out a few follow-up emails to my newest batch of enquiries. And the results were quite surprising. I was booking more consults and, as a result, booking more clients. And I was immediately convinced of the power of following up. Which I know you will be, too!
Writing the Best Enquiry Follow Up Email
Ok then, how do we write this follow up email that will increase your opportunity to move people from enquiry to booking?
Of course, a good enquiry follow up email starts with a good enquiry response email. You need to lay the groundwork by writing a response to their query that gets them interested in what you do, with clear instructions on how to get in touch with you.
With that foundation in place, whether they see it or not (darn junk mail!), you have taken the first step in reaching out and giving them all the information they need to make a decision about jumping on a call with you.
So, the first thing to remember is that a follow up to that enquiry doesn’t have to be long and drawn out. In fact, something succinct is definitely preferable.
My enquiry follow up email is a couple of paragraphs long. I want it to be a quick in and out so that it works in a couple of different ways.
Firstly, it jogs their memory if they have already read my original response and just haven’t got round to answering me yet.
And, secondly, it piques their interest enough to get in touch, especially if they didn’t get the original email.
So, what should the best enquiry follow up email include?
#1: A Brief Introduction
You’ve already done the full intro in your initial response. Keep this brief but let them know who you are and why they’re seeing your email.
#2: Respect Their Time
Acknowledge that you know they’re busy, which might be why you haven’t heard from them yet. And let them know you’re going to keep this email super brief.
#3: Open Up The Floor
Ask them if they have any questions about your previous email. It could be they have some things they’d like clarified before they decide to jump on a call with you.
#4: Remind Them Of Next Steps
For me, I offer a video call to all enquiries because that’s the method I’m most comfortable with. But I know not everyone enjoys it! So I offer reassurance about this method by letting them know I get super nervous meeting new people too. Just in case this is one of the reasons why they haven’t got back to me.
#5: Release Them
Finally, make it clear that you understand if they’ve decided to go another way. I like to let them know that it’s totally fine, and I won’t keep pestering them with follow-ups. It’s essential to be clear here. I also explain that I’ll close their inquiry down if I haven’t heard from them within a specific time. And then I wish them lots of luck for their businesses, whatever the outcome!
How Many Follow-Ups?
The only way to answer this is to say, ‘What’s your comfort level?’ Personally, one follow up email is enough for me because I don’t like being too pushy. But you may prefer to do a couple or even a series of follow-ups. It also differs in each industry. So, think about what will work best for you and design your follow-ups based on your preferences.
And there you have it! How to write the best enquiry follow up email ever. It really shouldn’t be that hard, and I bet you’ll definitely notice an improvement in your conversion rates!
Need help writing your enquiry follow up (and a bunch of template emails to go with it)? Drop me a line, and let’s get your emails up to scratch!