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Bypass the Gatekeepers,
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and you’d like to interview the
business owner for it. Or, interview Fresh Tactics for Effective Follow-Up
them as members of an association to
include a quote. Use the interview as
the trigger in your email. Whether it's for a job interview, a sales call or a meeting recap, we send follow-
up emails every day. It's usually a hassle to write a follow-up email, because you
7. Ask a question about a comment
you read related to the company want to get your point across but don't want to be too pushy. That's why we often
on social media. This could be a start with those words that tend to devalue the message—"I'm just following up
comment made by the company or to ..." And if you are the recipient of a follow-up email, it's easy to avoid sending
about the company. Mention where a response.
you saw the comment and use the
information as a launching point. Here are five tips for effective follow-up strategies from Avery Blank, contributor
8. Ask for their opinion. It could to Forbes.com.
be related to their business: a new
product, service or price change. Or 1. Share an article or update. Use your follow-up to educate the receiver and
it may be specific to their industry. stay relevant. For example, share a relevant and timely article that you came
For example, parts of the United across, or send an update about a project that affects their work or industry. Blank
States and Canada are experiencing says that staying top-of-mind can trigger the person to remember to respond to
an economic downturn due to the
drop in oil prices. You may want the your inquiry.
business owner’s input on how they’re
seeing their customers adjust their 2. Make your communication personal. Get noticed by taking a personal
businesses. approach. People like to talk about their personal interests and accomplishments,
Source: 8 Tips to Bypass the Gatekeepers Blocking so acknowledge that in your email. If you learned that your client's son just
Your Emails. Kendra Lee. KLA Group. May 13, 2016. graduated from college, send your congratulations. If your client is training for a
marathon, wish her luck. If your client has just returned from vacation, ask about
the trip and for recommendations in case you travel to that location. To re-engage
the person, first identify what excites them.
"You can close more business 3. Flex your social media skills. Try to engage with the person through another
in two months by becoming form besides email, such as social media. Send a message via LinkedIn or another
interested in other people form.
than you can in two years by
trying to get people interested 4. Pick up the phone. There's the good ol' traditional form of contact—the
in you."
telephone. Don't hide behind email. Instead, pick up the phone, and call your
-Dale Carnegie, contact. It's much easier to interpret the direction of a conversation by hearing
American writer & lecturer the person's voice than by interpreting an email.
5. Catch them in person. Finally, make personal contact face-to-face. If you see
the person at another meeting or industry event, say hello, ask how things are
going and give the person the chance to respond to your request.
Blank suggests that in these situations, you can follow up without saying,
"I'm following up." The next time you catch yourself writing these words, take
a moment and ask yourself whether there is a more impactful way of getting
answers and adding value.
Source: Fresh Tactics for Effective Follow-Up. Avery
Blank. Promotional Consultant Today. July 20, 2017.
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