Mike Taber: Follow-Up Emails – Talk Recap – FemtoConf 2018

The FemtoConf 2018 Notes and recaps can be found on the central hub page.

Full title: Following up… without looking & feeling like a complete dirtbag
Website: Bluetick.io
Twitter: @singlefounder
Slides: 

• When you email people it is hugely important to you, but barely registers with them
• Clarification: Follow up email!= Cold email
• Why follow up? 
  • Was it received? 
  • Did they make a decision? 
  • Did they inform you of that decision? 
• If they don’t answer those questions, you have an open loop
  • Follow up is about closing the loop!

Email Black Hole

• There are 4 common reasons
  • #1: They never received it
    • Mail server issues
    • Wrong email address
    • Filtered as spam
    • Out of office/vacation/traveling
  • #2 Received, but dismissed
    • Email filters or rules
    • Irrelevant subject line
    • Skimmed & made “wrong decision”
    • Gatekeeper said “Nope!”
    • Wall of text
  • #3 Received with best of intentions
    • Traveling, working remotely or mobile device
    • Mailbox flooded / Email Bankruptcy
    • Dropped off their radar
    • Something on fire
    • Guilt from not responding sooner
      • BONUS: Follow ups give permission to reply
    • Popular misconception: 
      • If it’s important to them, they’ll reply
      • ==> Follow up more than feels comfortable. It works.
  • #4 They hate your guts
• #1 Incorrect Value Association
  • The value of an email is measured in 2 places
    • The Recipient: What does the email do for them? 
    • The Sender: What does a response mean to them? 
  • The value of a response does not feel measurable at the time an email is sent
• #2 Time Constraints
  • Feels like busy-work
  • Because… deadlines
    • I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make when they pass by. 
• #3 Your Emotions Will Get the Better of You
  • Sending follow up emails is emotionally painful
    • You feel like you’re repeating yourself
    • Variable rewards schedule
    • Negative emotions disproportionally outweigh positive ones
• #4 We are afraid
  • Terrible emails

Does Following Up Work? 

• 52.8% average open rate
• 5.9% average reply rate
• Average of 11.3% subscribers block tracking pixels – you don’t get “open rate” stats for those!

Successful Follow Ups

• When: Select situations where it makes sense
• Action: Clearly define the single action you want the person to take
• Automation: Templates, software, reminders, Zapier, outsourcing, etc. 
• Personalization: Use their name, use your own domain, reply to previous emails, etc.
• Pass along first name, last name, and email address when redirecting people to Calendly/etc!
• First email in sequence requires users (your!) approval, all steps after that are fully automated

-Christoph