Seal The deal | The Perfect Follow Up Email After A Meeting

Introduction

Follow-up emails are a great way to show the recipient that you value their time.

An email follow-up is a follow-up email sent to someone who has not yet taken action on the original email. In other words, you send them an email, they do not reply, and then you send them another email.

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What is a follow-up email in B2B sales? 

The follow-up email is one of the most effective sales tools that allow you to execute targeted marketing campaigns. It enables you to provide products and services to individuals who have expressed interest in them. It also increases the chances of converting visitors into buyers.

The follow-up is sent to remind the recipient to complete a task, providing clear instructions on how to do it. The goal of the follow-up email is to get the recipient to take action on the earlier email.

Why are follow-up emails important?

Follow-up emails are how you keep in touch with every interested lead, customer, and client. These are not your regular emails – follow-up emails are an exact, step-by-step blueprint which you can use to nurture your leads into customers and your customers into brand advocates.

Following up with your leads is an essential part of any sales campaign, especially when you have a high volume of leads coming in. If you invest the time to nurture those leads into proper prospects through email, you've got a better chance of closing those prospects. 

Additionally, nurturing your leads can change the overall perception that your prospects have regarding your brand or product. Having this in place will help create a lasting impression on your potential clients if you could avoid saying or writing the wrong thing during initial contact. One other benefit of following up with leads over email is it can help to ward off any competitors trying to steal them away from you. To make sure these follow-up emails are effective, keep three main things in mind,

1. Personalization
2. Timing
3. Planning

Follow-up emails play an essential role in closing the deal with your customer since this is where you have one last chance to confirm that they're still interested in your product. Demonstrate value upfront – Before sending them a follow-up email, back up what you say in your first message by giving them some added value related to the topic at hand. 

Though it's best to limit this information to the main benefits of using your product, resist the urge to just go into bragging mode and make sure that what you have to offer is relevant and substantial enough for them to care.

How to write a perfect follow-up email?

A follow-up email is a great way to rekindle the interest of a customer in your product. It's essentially an extension to your original marketing campaign, intended to prompt further interest after the initial exposure. Follow-up emails aren't complicated and don't require a great deal of setup. You can get started as soon as you've built your mailing list, but make sure to follow these guidelines to write follow-ups that will get a response. 

A good follow-up email should provide additional value, allow for interaction with the company, and have a clear call-to-action that links into your primary offer or website whenever possible. It's also worth considering what properties make up a good subject line or message title that causes open rates to shoot up - this will split test different headline ideas against one another.

Here is an example of an email that is personalized and well-crafted that will get a response,

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How do you politely follow up a meeting?

Asking for a meeting isn't as easy as you think it is. You may know that you'll get the meeting because you've sent out your "I'd like to meet you" letter, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy when it comes to contacting prospective clients. You have to politely follow up with your request of making a meeting set or relaxed appointments. 

I see the sales team on LinkedIn send out mass emails asking for meetings with no tact or personal touch, which turn many people off and don't bother responding. Remember, if you want to make a follow-up call successfully, email, or letter, then you need to make the request in somewhat of a personal way,

• Use the person's name in your email subject heading and within the email body (but don't overdo it).
• Mention mutual connections, associations, etc.
• Also, ask them how they are without sounding overly sympathetic but rather caring and concerned about their health.

How do you send a follow-up without being annoying? 

Some businesses are concerned about how to follow up without being annoying. Following up is essential since you eventually want to build a business relationship to sell your products or services. If you're not following up, you're farming for phone calls from cold leads rather than building rapport with warm leads. 

However, if you're following up and the prospect isn't responding, try changing your messaging before sending over another email. You might want to tweak the subject line or even the entire content of your email message if it's still not gaining interest. By doing this, you'll ensure that your prospects read one of your emails instead of just hitting delete every time something comes across their inboxes from people they don't know.

Following up on customer acquisition prospects is a delicate balance between not being annoying and making sure you're remembered. You don't want to be a nuisance, but you also want to ensure that the prospect is still in the buying mindset and has remembered who you are. 

Here are some tips for effectively following up without being annoying. 

• Minimalism - When emailing prospects, keep it brief and concise. Never send more than an email or two since it's likely to go straight to their spam folder, which will annoy them even if they do open your message in the first place. 
• Timeliness of follow-up emails is critical - ideally, no more than a week after having sent the initial communication. Otherwise, it'll look like you've used this tactic before and cause suspicion among interested parties. 
• Personalize your email address - use subject lines with keywords about the projects or person involved 
• Avoid "spammy" language - avoid using sales jargon such as "opportunity" or similar. 

Best Practices to write a perfect follow-up email

Here are some of the best practices to consider when writing a follow-up email to get a response from your potential client,

1. Have your goal in mind

Like any other email, your follow-up message must have a clear objective. 

For example, do you want to thank a client and offer your help in return? 

Are you going to agree on the following steps to take? 

Would you want to ask for an introduction or feedback?

Defining your goal helps frame the email appropriately and achieve the actual result. If you are not sure why you're writing an email, it is better to avoid sending one at all.

2. Be genuine and specific.

It might be tempting to create one generic email template and fire it up at every new connection you have met. However, if you need to increase the chances of a response from prospects, you need to personalize your message and show them your genuine interest.

Also, specify what you have enjoyed about a meeting, refer to the topics you have discussed, and highlight what you have in common. The email recipient should feel that you really care about them.

3. Keep it short

You need to value your reader's time and go straight to the point. Prune all the long introductions, repetitions, extra details that are not relevant, and everything that doesn't help you attain your goal. That is why you need to have a perfect goal. The shorter your email, the chances of response are more likely to be high.

4. Follow up promptly

Send your follow-up email within 24 hours after a business meeting while you are still at the top of a person's mind.

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Follow-Up Email Subject Lines

Before we discuss the follow-up templates below, let's talk about the significance of including strong email subject lines. Your email subject line is the primary thing a recipient sees when they glance at their inbox. Therefore, you have to create an attractive subject line that will grab the reader's attention and make them want to open your message.

We have compiled the best follow-up subject lines to use after your next networking event, conference, or meeting. These subject lines will help your sales team achieve high email open rates and response rates.

Here are the examples of subject lines based on the type of sales follow-up email you are writing that will engage the prospects to open your message. 

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Sales Email Subject Lines After No Response

• Still any interest in our product/service?
• It takes two to tango.
• Any updates for us?
• Let's cut to the chase.

Sales Email Subject Lines After A Trigger Event

• Discussing your future goals today
• Question about the new product feature
• Ideas for your product launch
• Thoughts about [title of blog post]

Sales Email Subject Lines For General Follow Up

• How can we improve your [business goal]?
• Let's have a quick 10-minute call on this?
• 10 free tactics to increase [objective]
• [First name], quick question
• [First name] recommended we chat

How to send a follow-up email after networking

Now, let's discuss how one can craft an effective follow-up email. First, your message must include the following features, no matter the type of networking you took part in or which industry you're in.

When writing your email, be sure to,

• Craft an engaging and attention-grabbing subject line.
• Mention a specific conversation you had with your recipient while at the meeting, networking event, or conference to provide context for your recipient. Highlighting a discussion will help them remember you.
• Ensure to include details about the value that you provide and how you can help your client? And, Why is this connection mutually beneficial?
• Ask to keep in touch, schedule a phone call, or set up a face-to-face meeting. Make sure to provide at least two dates and times that you are available.
• Express your gratitude and thank your client for their time.
• Sign your email to ensure the follow-up looks professional and personal. Here, you may also hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile or your blog.
• Proofread the follow-up email several times, so your message is perfect and flawless. You would not want potential clients to read an error-ridden message.

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When to send a follow-up email?

Now that you know how to create a perfect follow-up, you should know when to send your follow-up email. Here is the general rule of thumb based on the type of networking,

• Interview, business meeting, deal, conference, or special event - Within 24 hours
• Submission of application or any other type of form - Within 48 hours
• Follow-up after no response about a meeting request or the status of a job opportunity - Within 1-2 weeks
• Catch up with the members of your network to maintain your contact with them - Every 3 months

Note - Allow your email recipients to book follow-up meetings on your calendar with free appointment scheduling software.

Best Follow-up Email Templates for your outreach

Here is a list of the follow-up email templates for sales professionals that can improve the conversion rates and reply rates 

Template 1 & 2 - Follow-up email after Business Meeting

Also, when you send follow-up emails after business meetings, ensure they are as helpful as possible for recipients. 

If the business meeting is exceptionally long or essential, you may even mention a few notable accomplishments in your email. It helps keep everyone motivated while showing them you recognize their achievements.

Subject line - [Date] meeting recap

Template:

Hey [Team Name],

Thanks for another excellent meeting today! Here is a quick recap of what we discussed about, what we have to focus on in the upcoming weeks, and the steps we need to take to achieve our goals.

Objective:

Talk about the monthly growth figures to determine wins, losses, and areas to improve.

Conversation items:

New channels struggling to maintain retention levels

Missed target - increase upgraded users by 7%

Hiring needs - 3 additions to growth team, 7 additions to the development team

Action items:

Restructure the support team to increase retention rate and customer satisfaction [Owner]

Implement A/B testing on premium products [Owner]

Start job board posting and internal outreach for open positions [Owner]

Next meeting - Monday, 06/21 to review learnings from CRM beta

Email Signature

Subject Line - Keep it up! 

Template:

Hey [Team Name],

I am so excited about the progress we have all made. I wanted to take a moment to recognize a few key accomplishments,

- Name the key accomplishments and describe why it matters.

Further, I wanted to recognize some key players in making the above happen smoothly.

- [Team Member Name 1]: Describe key accomplishment and why it matters.

- [Team Member Name 2]: Describe key accomplishment and why it matters.

Thank you!

Email Signature

Template 3 - Follow-up email after a conference or networking event 

Sending a follow-up email after a conference or networking event is an excellent way to remind a person about who you are and how you can be helpful to them. 

For example, if you had agreed to share some relevant resources with a person or introduce them to someone in your industry, do it in your follow-up email. It is an excellent way to stand out, and your new connection will also appreciate your help.

Subject Line - Thanks for the meeting at [the event name]! Here is the list of tech media for you

Template:

Hi [First Name],

It was great meeting you at [the event name] yesterday. I particularly enjoyed learning about the upcoming launch of your startup. As promised, here is the list of journalists covering your industry - [mention the link]. I would suggest reaching out to them a month before the launch.

If you need an introduction to anyone in tech media, let me know. I am happy to chat more about PR for startups.

Thank you for an insightful meeting. Let us keep in touch!

Best,

[Your name]

Template 4 - Follow-up email after meeting a potential employer

Have you met someone you would love to work with? Use your follow-up email as an occasion to provide value for a potential employer. If you've any ideas that can benefit their business, share them in your email. It is a great way to strengthen your connection with a recipient and tell how you can help them.

Also, you can mention your relevant experience in the industry, but keep it brief. It is not your CV, so avoid adding all your skills and projects there.

Subject Line - Thanks for the meeting! I would love to contribute to your website.

Template:

Hi [First Name],

Thank you for meeting with me today! It was great to know more about your news media [Website name]. I especially enjoyed your recent blog on EdTech startups and shared it with my network in this industry.

I remember you mentioned looking for journalists, and I would love to contribute to your website. I have been writing about privacy and data protection for five years, and my articles appeared in [mention the media names]. Here's the list of my best texts - [link].

I have got a few article ideas for [Website name], and I would love to discuss them with you. Would you like to meet this weekend?

Best,

[Your name]

Template 5 - Follow up email after meeting a potential customer

In your follow-up email, show a prospective client how you can solve their issue and why you are a good fit for them. Also, mention customer feedbacks from competitors or similar companies to build trust and relationships among your new connection.

Subject Line - Thank you for the meeting! Can we help you with the Chinese market?

Template

Hi [First Name],

It was a great pleasure to meet you yesterday and learn more about [the prospect's company name]. I was much impressed with how you grew from 20 to 200 team members in just a year.

As you promote your application on the Chinese market, I would like to share our client's success story, who grew their Chinese customer base by 200% - [link].

Their company has many similarities with yours, and I believe our team can help localize the app and implement the best ASO practices.

Would you like to jump into a quick call to chat more about it?

Best,

[Your name]

SmartWriter

SmartWriter is an AI-powered tool to generate cold email templates for your outreach campaigns. Email personalization is the secret sauce behind your successful sales email outreach campaign. To create effective sales emails, follow these steps,

Step 1 - Sign in to your account or Sign up with SmartWriter to create effective cold emails for outreach campaigns.

Step 2 - Pick an existing project or create a project to start with.

Step 3 - Select Create Copy or Compose Copy and choose the category as Cold Email Outreach.

Step 4 - Choose the Intention from the available categories.

Step 5 - Now, enter the details and the prospect URL or upload CSV to generate cold messages for your outreach.

Step 6 - Now, you can select the best cold email copy from the templates generated with the tool.

Step 7 - You can edit the details and create a new set of templates with the Edit Prompt & Try Again.

Conclusion

Following up is essential to an effective outreach strategy. Sending a follow-up email after a great meeting can help seal the deal. If you are wondering about whether to send one, do not hesitate - just do it. You will be glad you did. 

As we have seen above, writing such an email is not as complex as it seems. Just keep the goal in mind, show your genuine interest, and provide value to your new connection.