How much should you follow up with potential prospects?

[spirit]

I've been sending cold emails to business owners to see if they're interested in a website.

For ones that get no response, should you communicate further, or just move on?

If a follow up is a good idea, how would I do it in this situation? I was considering calling them by phone after a cold email gets no response. But, I don't know what to say, and I don't want to seem too intrusive.

 

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[WJK]

Are you aware that it takes an average of 8 contacts before people know who you are? You need a selling plan for your services. You need to create a word-of-mouth campaign. You need to get your foot in the door.

 

[Itizn]

Sequence
1 - call
2 - email
3 - follow up email
4 - follow up email
5 - follow up call
6- follow up emai

You catch the drift, but make it your own after enough attempts.

Teach/educate/inform the prospect with every outreach, all the while pursuing the close.

Don't just reach out to say "can you pay me?" (Which is what most follows up look like, and have virtually no success)

 

[Ivan sntr]

I've been sending cold emails to business owners to see if they're interested in a website.

For ones that get no response, should you communicate further, or just move on?

If a follow up is a good idea, how would I do it in this situation? I was considering calling them by phone after a cold email gets no response. But, I don't know what to say, and I don't want to seem too intrusive.

Depends on the quality of the leads. If they are low quality I wouldn't waste too much time.

Generally 3x phone calls, 3x emails, then disqualify if there is no interest in the product.

 

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[spirit]

I've been sending a cold email first. But the thing is, I'm not sure how to follow up exactly.

How do you continually educate and inform the prospect?

Here's my cold email, though I've posted it elsewhere:

Title: Quick question

Hello.

[Personal comment of seeing their local business]

I went online to find out more about [their business], and I noticed that your website [problem, ex. outdated].

Would you be interested in a website that would showcase how awesome your business is?

I’m starting freelance web design, and I’m looking for the right first client. I will do my best work, and will strive to make sure you love your new website. You won’t have to pay much, and there is zero risk. If you don’t like the website, you don’t have to use it, and you’ll get a full refund.

Please let me know how you’d like to further discuss this.

Nice to meet you, and thanks!

Would the book Fanatical Prospecting be good to learn more on this subject? I am a total newbie, and I figured I could just read something instead of asking a ton of questions.

 

[Itizn]

Are you aware that it takes an average of 8 contacts before people know who you are? You need a selling plan for your services. You need to create a word-of-mouth campaign. You need to get your foot in the door.

Wanted to expand on this for the OP:

Most business-owners focus on existing clients, clients in their pipeline, new clients, their managers, their employees, their family and loved ones, their business partners, just to name a few. Their time is over-booked and even if at first contact you offer something that makes their ears perk up, realize they are BUSY and people within their circle (as listed above) along with outsiders (people like you) are vying for their precious time.

People are afraid of following-up, and being persistent, but that's how you advance from attention to interest from the buyers perspective.

This is all taking into consideration you can actually help them, don't bug people otherwise.

 

[spirit]

I'm still unsure of how to follow up to a cold email that goes unanswered.

It was mentioned above you should continually inform or educate the prospect with each contact, but I don't know how to do this exactly...

My cold email is above.

Is there a good book that will teach me all of this? I've heard of Fanatical Prospecting.

 

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[Itizn]

You don't need a book man.

You need to step to the plate, and take a million swings and learn along the way.

You don't know how to inform or educate your prospects? Then why are you selling to them?
When they give you money how do you expect to help their business?

It's O.K. to not know exactly what you're doing, but I get the impression you are moving at a snail's pace.
You shouldn't be pondering over what to say over an email to one prospect, you should be pondering how to get in front of one hundred people.

 

[spirit]

You don't need a book man.

You need to step to the plate, and take a million swings and learn along the way.

You don't know how to inform or educate your prospects? Then why are you selling to them?
When they give you money how do you expect to help their business?

It's O.K. to not know exactly what you're doing, but I get the impression you are moving at a snail's pace.
You shouldn't be pondering over what to say over an email to one prospect, you should be pondering how to get in front of one hundred people.

Good point.

I guess I do know how to inform them, I was just unsure of how to keep the conversation going after it goes dead.

I'll keep sending cold emails.

 

[spirit]

By the way, these are the types of prospects I'm cold emailing:

Asphalt
Waste Management
Construction
Junk Removal
Woodworking
Auto repair
Lawn care
Carpet cleaning
Landscaping
Pest control
Window cleaning
Recycling
Air condition repair
Plumbing
Roofing
Gardening
Lawyers
Dentists

Am I missing anything, or should anything be changed? I'm aiming for websites that could actually help businesses. I considered real estate, but those sites are much more complicated (ex. they would have to update it with listings of homes).

 

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[spirit]

OK! I thought of a solution to unresponsive cold emails.

I will email this:

Hello again, I didn't hear back from you. Do you have any questions about getting a website?

This article might interest you:

LocaliQ | Growth Marketing Platform

Find, convert and keep customers with LocaliQ’s fully integrated growth marketing platform.

thrivehive.com

OR

Hello again, I didn't hear back from you. Do you have any questions about updating your website?

Do you feel your website is effective for your business?

This article might interest you. It is about websites that get great results for businesses:

LocaliQ | Growth Marketing Platform

Find, convert and keep customers with LocaliQ’s fully integrated growth marketing platform.

thrivehive.com

 

[WJK]

OK! I thought of a solution to unresponsive cold emails.

I will email this:


OR

OK. I'll bite again. How many web sites have you built? How many free ones have you offered to any of these businesses? How many face-to-face meeting have you had? Who have you helped so far?

 

[Steeltip]

Are you aware that it takes an average of 8 contacts before people know who you are? You need a selling plan for your services. You need to create a word-of-mouth campaign. You need to get your foot in the door.

@WKJ is absolutely right, the more exposure that potential clients have to you the better. Being pleasantly persistent is the key. Also, cold emails are ok but actually get your feet in someone's office.

Drive around your city and go to strip malls. Look up every business in that center on the internet and check out their website. If it's shit, you have your first selling point get in there and ask to speak to a decision-maker. If not there or the gatekeeper not letting you through then exchange business cards. Write the name of the DM on the card and then when you get back home you have a new prospect. Cold call for appts and cold email. If you do that every day you will get clients guaranteed.

 

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[Private Witt]

Ive been getting a lot of these mails lately to my business email for both SEO and website building and they go right in the garbage. But they are sometimes entertaining and I love when they get to the third one and above, and the language they start to use. And while I do need a new web developer as parted ways with mine of five years recently and SEO services I would never even consider one of these cold call emails. Id just go to Freelancer.com or other site and vet through other ways. Cant you just establish yourself on these platforms?

 

[Black_Dragon43]

I've been sending cold emails to business owners to see if they're interested in a website.

For ones that get no response, should you communicate further, or just move on?

If a follow up is a good idea, how would I do it in this situation? I was considering calling them by phone after a cold email gets no response. But, I don't know what to say, and I don't want to seem too intrusive.

How many businesses have you emailed, and how many emails do you send to one before giving up?