What do you do with leads who opted in to your email list but still haven’t taken action?
Let’s say you’re in real estate and you bump into someone at Starbucks.
While casually chatting they inform you they are considering selling their home in the next 6 months or so.
You make small talk about the market, new businesses moving into the area, the economy and how it may affect future home values.
Your coffee orders arrive and the agreement is made to stay in touch.
About 6 weeks later, at the exact same Starbucks, you run into them again.
How would that conversation go?
Would you jam 13 flyers in their face about homes in the area? Would you hand them a listing contract and a pen and demand their signature?
Of course not…
You’d say something like, “Hey! Are you still considering selling your home?”
Simple and unassuming.
Conversational and human.
Here’s the cool thing: we can do this with our online leads.
When people opt in to our list, we typically use a welcome sequence.
Think of it this way:
Imagine a new friend coming over to your home for dinner – upon arrival you’d take their coat, pour a glass of water, show them where to sit, and say “dinner will be ready in 10 minutes.” Boom. Onboarded.
Email is the same.
First, give them what you said you’d give them (lead magnet, checklist, cheat sheet, etc).
Then, show them around (“here’s how to subscribe to my podcast”) and tell them what to expect next (“on Mondays and Thursdays I send out short emails just like this…”).
Last – clearly articulate how to get more support (watch a training, buy some consulting, etc).
Statistically, most will not buy your product right away but they will stay on your list.
But, they did initially raise their hand and indicate they need help with your expertise.
Enter the Dean Jackson “9-word email”.
It goes like this:
Subject line: their first name.
Body copy: “Hey {Name}, are you still {interested in that thing you said you wanted?}”
It’s called a 9-word email but there’s no 9-word email police. Just reach out, humanly, and ask if they’re still in the market.
Here are some examples:
“Would you like to write your book this month?”
“Are you still looking to sell your home?”
“Are you still interested in building a funnel?”
“Are you still interested in getting your baby to sleep through the night?”
My highest engagement rates are on 9-word emails.
More importantly they get the most replies. Now we’re talking!
Some will say, “no” and that’s OK.
But the ones that say “yes” are ready to have a conversation.
The more humanity we can insert into our marketing, the bigger the payoff.
~ Cody “Humanity” Burch
P.S. Sign up for my daily marketing emails here.
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