Most emails sent by professional services firms aim to get into conversation with people you can do business with. Unfortunately, many small business owners think of email as an alternative to a conversation rather than the opportunity to start one.
SPEAR: Short, Personal, Expecting A Reply.
A SPEAR email is a personal message that could be delivered to many people but is designed to be easy to reply to and helps you identify potential clients who are ready to engage.
- "Hi Bob, have you chosen a title for your book?"
- "Hi Mary, what business are you in?"
- "Hi Mike, are you retiring in the next 5 years?"
Reason 1: Potential Clients Need Personal Attention
This works for most professional services firms because we typically deal with a smaller number of potential clients who need some personal interaction before coming on board. The sooner we can identify the people willing to engage, the sooner we can build rapport and offer an easy way to help.
Reason 2: They Cut Through the Noise
I know someone who's still excited to get email. They read each one and reply to most. The problem is, it's our son. He's 13 and only gets a handful of emails from school friends each week.
The rest of us get more email than we have time for, and unless it takes the same time to read and reply as it does to mark it unread, a long email will probably go into the neglected "read-later" folder.
A short, easy-to-reply email has a much greater chance of starting a conversation.
Reason 3: They Improve the Effectiveness of Autoresponders
Most firms think of autoresponders as a way to deliver a sales message that automatically converts leads into clients. The better way to think of it is to deliver the message you would send personally if only you had the time (and could be trusted) to send it.
If you were in conversation with someone in real life, would you really just read off the sales letter pitch, or would you ask questions?
In reality, the best approach is a little of both. A SPEAR email is an easy way to connect as part of a series of messages you're sending already.
