Every once in a while in a sale, people stop responding to my emails. No matter what I tried or hoped for, I couldn't get an answer from them.
At first, I didn't know what to say next. So I started testing various emails and came up with one that actually works. I call it the "Permission To Close Your File" template.
Close File Email Template
This sales email template has a 76% response rate. And no matter how many variations I try, I can't match the results.
I only pull out this email when I follow up with someone two or three times and don't hear back. If used incorrectly, it may come off as threatening.
The goal here is to re-connect with prospects who have completely halted communication with you, you shouldn't use it when you're trying to start a relationship.
Breakup Email Template
I use this breakup email template after any conversation or proposal where I've lost touch with the prospect. It's the opposite of a typical follow up. The email tells the person that I gave up; it tasks their permission to close their account, and never hear from me again.
In my experience, roughly 25-30% of people are still very interested in working with you -- but haven't had the chance to connect.
This email creates the urgency they need to hit reply.
But that means a decent portion of people will say they're no longer interested. And that's a good thing.
Think about it objectively - when you don't know what to do in a conversation, your goal is to figure out the next step. And if the other person has stopped responding, chances are they aren’t interested. The worst thing I can do is waste my time on someone who won't buy. I’m better off knowing where I stand.
So, what happens when someone says no?
If you were in their shoes, would you like someone to keep selling you after you told them you weren’t interested?
No. Of course not. You'd want them to accept it and move on.
So, I save myself a lot of grief and spend my time finding people who are interested in my offer.
Does that mean that you're done?
Not really ...
If a prospect doesn't want to work with me, I still have the opportunity to learn if it was a mistake I made or something about my product that needs tweaking. So, in pursuit of constant improvement, this is the email I send:
If they don’t respond, I move on, but it's a big bonus if I can learn from the sale.
Sending the right "close the file" email is important. Use these templates carefully -- and find more for any situation here.
