Help! My Consulting Leads Are Ignoring My Followup Emails
Consulting client Geneve is using an email course to generate leads for her high-end photography business marketing program.
So far several subscribers have raised their hand for more info.
Score!
Geneve replies to them promptly, and then the train jumps the tracks:
… they are not returning any of my follow up emails. I think that is really strange. Almost wondering if emails are going into spam or something. People are taking time to fill out survey…I thoughtfully and personally respond, still with no strings attached…and no response back.
Geneve forwarded me a copy of the email she sent.
I could tell that she put a lot of time and thought into her reply.
Seemingly she did everything right:
She was warm and personal.
She responded directly to the information that her lead had provided.
She asked questions to “open a dialog.”
This did NOT feel like a “thank you for contacting Acme Photographic Marketing, your inquiry is important to us” type of canned response.
Exactly the opposite.
In response she received only stony silence.
Well sometimes that’s what happens. People don’t always respond to emails (even if they intend to).
This isn’t an isolated incident though—Geneve is having trouble with *all* of her leads.
Looking at Geneve’s followup email, what jumped out to me was that there was just SO MUCH going on.
The email itself was probably at least 200 words long.
She commented on multiple bits of information that the lead provided.
She asked maybe a half a dozen different questions.
My suggestion:
I’d try to keep it to less than 50 words.
Ideally more like 25.
Make ONE encouraging personal comment, then ask ONE open-ended question to draw them into a conversation.
Example:
Hey Jessica, nice to meet you. Newborn photography can be a GREAT niche if all of your marketing is dialed in right.
How are you getting clients now?
Full stop.
When I do these kinds of emails, I don’t even sign my name.
I just leave that question hanging there, expecting, nay almost DEMANDING a reply.
The goal is to draw the lead out and get her to engage.
She’ll probably reply with something simple like “mostly referrals,” and then Geneve can take it from there.
When you’re using this approach, I’d highly suggest getting a tool to track the back-and-forth exchange—even a simple spreadsheet is fine at first.
If the prospect doesn’t reply in 3-4 days, go back to the email thread and YOU reply again.
Same format—something like:
BTW, I checked out your website. I know a bunch of shooters in Austin—do you find that customers are “price-shopping” you?
I’d follow up at least 3-4 times with questions like this.
Geneve could easily do that just with the content that she put in her initial email.
Doing this gives you multiple chances to engage without seeming pushy or salesy.
If the prospect still hasn’t responded after that, she’s probably not ready.
So it’s back to the start—just keep on sending those engaging emails to your list, and when the time is right, she’ll reach out again.
And you’ll know exactly what to do.