“The longer your email, the harder it is to respond.”
If you remember nothing else about email prospecting, remember this.
Long emails create friction.
Long emails are easy to put off.
And long emails can work against you.
I riff on this plus give examples, common mistakes, and exceptions in today’s video — plus what to do when your prospect responds and you actually want to continue the conversation.
If you want to start a conversation with your prospect, you need them to respond.
And the best emails for starting a conversation with your prospect are short enough to read and reply to in 2 minutes…
And contain just enough to START the conversation that will lead you toward the sale.
Your prospecting emails should also be an inquiry into THEIR needs…
Frankly, too many prospecting emails are too focused on the sender, and barely on the recipient.
The best emails are the other way around.
They seek to start a conversation ABOUT and WITH the prospect.
What THEY want and need.
And from that, there’s an opportunity to find a fit.
To have that conversation.
And, if appropriate, to make an offer tailored to fit.
(Long prospecting emails are almost never tailored to fit — and they’re often far off target.)
Done right, you can avoid many of the biggest prospecting mistakes…
First, many people think they’re selling themselves. But the longer their email, the more they’re selling AGAINST themselves.
Second, I’ve seen too many attempts to be relevant feel more relevant with every sentence added to the email.
And third, I’ve seen too many people invest hours (or days) in writing just the right prospecting email, to send it to someone who has ZERO opportunity to offer them in that moment. All that time, wasted.
You can avoid these mistakes and so many more following the advice in this video on a simple rule for email prospecting.
Are there exceptions?
Sure. In the video, I even share one that landed me a $10,000 project — and a client worth far more than that. It was actually a very long piece of writing (relatively), sent as an attachment. (I share why that worked, too.)
And actually, today’s advice is contradicted by the email I sent to get my first client (detailed in my book, The Copywriter’s Guide to Getting Paid).
Yet in the VAST MAJORITY of cases, heeding the advice for short emails gets you more prospects in less time.
Two more quick notes…
First, examples. I’m sure you’re curious for those. They’re in today’s video. You’ll have to watch to get them.
Second, what to do when they reply? Well, this is in Milestone 2 of The Client-Getting Blueprint. You need a minimum viable funnel designed to move your prospect from interest to on the phone with you, having a discussion that leads to you making your offer. Done right, it’s a smooth and natural continuation of that conversation.
As usual, you’ll get the most value by watching the full video.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
