Last week, I got a cringe-worthy marketing email from a stranger, who wrote:
Hi
I hope you are having a great week.
First of all, I was just checking in to see if you have any upcoming projects that I can quote for you? Please call, or email me, with the specs of your project and I will get the quote back to you.
I’m not sure how this email dodged my spam folder, but my immediate thoughts were–Who is this person? And what projects is he talking about?
I was tempted to request a quote to retool the docking bay at the international space station, but resisted the urge. This marketer was probably doing what he thought was right, even though he’s wasting his time (and mine) and his employer’s money.
Of course, it’s not a secret that you’re selling something. And prospective clients expect to eventually hear some sort of sales pitch from you. They’ll put up with sales letters–and maybe buy from you–if you’ve got a track record of keeping the pander-to-value ratio of your emails low.
You won’t find a formula for how much value you need to deliver to those on your email list before you can make an offer. Besides, everyone’s business and tolerance level are a bit different, so rules of thumb don’t apply.
You know your clients and target markets as well as anyone, so imagine that you’re a prospective client. What do you want to learn about? What information would you value? How long would it take for someone to establish enough credibility that you’d be receptive to an offer?
I don’t know any consultants who’d send an email as lame as the example above. Still, it is instructive: Be patient, target your audience, offer value before selling, and don’t waste your resources blasting out emails to people who don’t know you and haven’t asked to hear from you.
