Everything starts with the subject line. This is the first and sometimes the only thing the recipient of your e-mail will see. If you are not already convincing here, the e-mail will most likely end up in the trash. The aim is to pique the interest of the recipient. Rhetorical questions, for example, are suitable for this. However, subject lines that address the recipients’ concrete problems or goals are also particularly apt. Make it clear in the subject line that you have a solution to offer. In this respect, the follow-up e-mail differs only a little from the cold e-mail you write to try to make first contact.
Otherwise, the wording of the subject line depends heavily on the level you are at. Is this the first attempt or have you already sent several e-mails without success? After a few unanswered messages, you can ask yourself if it’s worth trying something new. Good subject lines for different situations can be found in our model sales follow-up e-mails.
The following applies in terms of content: as short as possible, as detailed as necessary. You can assume that your contact doesn’t want to spend much time wading through e-mails. Long messages are a deterrent. But if you get to the point within a few sentences, your message will be like a breath of fresh air among the pile of unsolicited e-mails.
Clear instructions make it easy for potential customers to reply to your message. You want people to answer you directly. If, on the other hand, the reader still needs to think long and hard about how best to write back, he or she will put off dealing with the e-mail and then forget about it altogether. You can achieve rapid feedback with clear questions or instructions (without issuing commands).
In addition to the content, the time of sending is also decisive for the success or failure of your message. If the e-mails come too thick and fast, the messages can be seen as annoying; if spaced too far apart, any interest sparked will already have disappeared again. As a rule of thumb, wait three to four days between two e-mails. The gaps can grow from e-mail to e-mail. This will give the other person enough time to write a reply, if that is what he or she had in mind. The best time for sending depends on the recipient’s habits. It is difficult to make hard and fast rules here.