January 23, 2023 Hi! I think one of the most awkward parts of adulthood is making friends. As kids it was so easy, right? All you had to do is have the same colored shoes or the same type of sandwich in your lunch box or swing as high as the other kid and BAM! Friend made!  But as an adult, it gets a little weird. We let our insecurities get in the way and feel like we need a 5-point argument for why this friendship is worthwhile to all parties involved. Maybe you’ve even found yourself sweating as you ask someone to just meet up for coffee or lunch and you’re thinking, “it’s not like this is a date!” Rest assured, you’re not the only one and it’s not only in friendships that we make this more awkward than it needs to be  In fact, contacting new prospects for your business can feel quite like that new friendship you’re unsure about, but luckily, while there may not be a way to make new adult friendships less weird, there’s a solution to your new prospect problem! Ready to go make new (business) friends? Let’s do this!  I don’t know many marketing ideas that scare people more than cold calling… or cold emailing… or cold… anything! There’s something so intimidating about contacting someone you’ve never met and asking them to engage with you and buy from you. But it doesn’t have to be scary! In fact, without cold calling, there is an entire audience out there that you will never reach, and THAT is what is scary to me. So today I am going to help and encourage you to do two things: 1. Go out and buy leads 2. Contact those leads with a simple email that does NOT sell to them, but instead seeks to engage with your new leads. First off, buying leads. Contrary to what people think, buying leads can be done with minimal cost, even with the assurance that they are quality leads. If you’re not sure where to start, you can go here to check out where to buy leads. And now for the fun part… You now get to reach out to those leads! I have written a simple template of an email that you can use no matter what your business is about or who your ideal client is. Here are some things this email will achieve: 1. Make a first point of contact – you have to start with something! 2. Introduce yourself – somehow people leave this out. Make sure your leads know who you are, what you do, and why you are contacting them. 3. Introduce their pain points – No one will trust you if they don’t believe you know what they’re going through. If you have determined who your avatar is then you know what your audience’s pain points are. 4. Give them the chance to talk to you – In order to have good relationships with prospects who will want to work with you, you need to take some time to let them get comfortable with you. One thing this email does NOT do: This email does not try to sell something. Trying to sell on the first point of contact is a disaster waiting to happen. Build trust first… sell later. Here’s the email you can use as you reach out to your new leads: Hi [RECIPIENT’S NAME], [Start with a question… make it fun or relate it to a pain point you know they have.] You may not know me but I am [YOUR NAME] and I am a [YOUR POSITION] at [YOUR COMPANY]. Over the last [# YEARS YOU’VE HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS] years, I have helped countless clients service you offer, making it easier for [TYPE OF CLIENT] to Something that would make their life better. Because I have seen so many people struggle through a pain point you help with – and an example of what comes as a result of that struggle – I am passionate about share your heart for why you do what you do. If having questions or if even struggling through what you help with describes you, I would love to chat with you and answer your questions! You can click reply with any and all questions or issues you have about your service. Or you can also reach me at [YOUR PHONE #] or [YOUR EMAIL] Want to chat with me instead? You can [click here] to schedule a Zoom call – face-to-face is my go-to favorite way to work with my clients anyway. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear from you, [YOUR NAME]  Another great way to connect with those who would fit well into your audience is to collaborate with those who are already reaching your audience (more on that next week!) But in order to do that, you need to know who those people are! Today’s content prompt has two motivations: Get to know your audience better, see who they’re following, and gain a better understanding of what interests them. Learn about others in your space who you can reach out to and work with! So today, on social media or in an email, you can ask your audience: Your favorite blogger or podcaster to follow? And of course, tell them who you like to follow also!  4 Data-Driven Reasons to Work with Micro-Influencers – What is the difference between a macro-influencer and a micro-influencer and why should you care? Turns out micro-influencers can move the needle for your business in ways you hadn’t thought of before. Read More How an Instagram dinosaur comic tells stories, makes shareables, and sells merch in a single post – Although no one has seen a dinosaur since long before the internet came into existence, somehow these prehistoric friends of ours are having a big effect on Instagram, marketing, and merchandising. Find out how you can apply the ideas that come from them to your business also! Read More What Is Domain Authority and Why Is It Important? – If you want to improve your SEO score, you also need to be paying closer attention to Domain Authority. Learn all about it, why you should care about it, and how you can improve it too. Read More I can’t wait to hear how your week goes as you reach out to your new leads and build relationships with them. I promise… it really is worth it! |