Whenever I download an ebook or white paper, I typically get a cold call or follow-up email that sounds something like this:
Example 1: Cold Call
[Company] “Hi Josh, this is James Browdy from ACME Inc. How are you doing today?
[Me] “Fine, James Browdy from ACME Inc. How are you doing today?”
[Company] “Great, thanks for asking.”
Awkward pause.
[Company] “The reason I’m calling is to see if you have any questions about the the whiz-bang white paper you downloaded.”
[Me] “Nope, no questions.”
[Company] “OK, Josh have a nice day.”
[Me] “You too, James.”
Example 2: Email
Hi Josh,
I noticed that you download our whiz-bang 47 tips ebook. As you know, ACME Inc. is the market leader in whiz-bang technology.
I’d like to schedule a 30-minute call to learn about your business and show you our whiz-bang. Please let me know what time works best.
Regards,
James
Have you ever received a follow up like that after you opted in?
Did anything in this follow-up help you to be more awesome?
Follow-ups like this are forgettable and typically end up in the recycle bin.
The purpose of following up is to determine if your potential customer is open to exploring if you can help them kick more ass.
With that in mind, here’s a phone script and email template to improve your follow-up response rate:
Kick-Ass Follow Up Phone Script (call within 24 hours of the resource being downloaded):
[Company] – Hi Lisa, this is Josh. I was hoping you could help me out for a moment.
{Pause}
[Prospect] – Sure.
[Company] Our little marketing robot told me that you recently downloaded our ebook aimed at helping you turn more sales conversations into revenue. Does that ring a bell?
[Prospect] – It does. (If it doesn’t, say something like “No problem Lisa, often times these things end up in the matrix aka your spam filter. Would you be OK if I sent it to you?”)
[Company] – Fab Lisa. Thanks for downloading it. Let me ask you, what piqued your interest?
And bam, you’ve now asked a question that starts the conversation. Dig in here. Get to the why. Be genuinely interested. I love the phrases “tell me more” and “why now?”
Here’s another option . . .
[Company Option 2] – Fabulous. The reason I’m calling is that we’ve helped other Marketing Directors in the tech industry convert more meetings into revenue. Lisa, feel free to say no, but does this sound interesting?
Then, if you think you can help based on what you heard, say something like this:
[Company] Lisa, let me summarize what I heard. You folks are . . because . . . and you’re looking to . . . Did I understand you correctly?
[Prospect] – You got it Josh.
[Company] Lisa, based on that, it sounds like it would make sense for you to have a conversation with Jim. He can share some insights that will give you some different options for (whatever problem/pain/desired outcome you learned about).
Is that something you’d be open to?
Notice how I’m not mentioning anything about my product or “pitching” a demo. Why? Because it’s the first date. Give first, before getting. Educate them on their options. Teach.
The rest of the conversation is learning how to diffuse objections (check out my free resource on how to diffuse objections here).
Kick-Ass Follow Up Email (send within 24 hours of the resource being downloaded):
(Hat tip to Tim at Exact Target for the template.)
Subject: Lisa, did this help you be more awesome?
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for downloading {name of resource}.
Usually folks that grab this resource tell me one of three things:
- “Thanks for the resource Josh; however, at this time I’m just educating myself on lead generation best practices.”
- “While I’m educating myself on lead generation best practices, I’m also open to learning more about ACME Inc.”
- “Please call as soon as possible. I’m looking at my lead generation strategy and would like to take a look at what ACME Inc. has to offer.”
Which one of these buckets do you fall into, Lisa?
Your response will allow me to better gauge your interest so that I can help you be more awesome.
Thanks again for checking out {name of resource}.
Josh
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