If you email a client about a project and never hear back from them, it might be because your email leaves things too open-ended. To make it easier for the recipient to reply, suggest the next step.
Photo by Patrik Nygren.
Over at the InVision blog, freelancer Robert Williams explains a common problem freelancers have with clients, but it can apply to other work situations, too:
Inevitably conversations with new clients would reach a point where we needed to discuss solutions, and I thought by letting the client dictate what they wanted from me, I was allowing them to get exactly what they were looking for.
But the reality was this was a steaming pile of crap. By ending my emails like this, I was dropping a wheelbarrow full of work on my client’s desk and saying “Here. You deal with it.”
For a better chance of a reply, Williams suggests sending emails that end on an action:
This next step was different for every email, but it always followed the same 2-step structure. I would include:
- My suggested next step
- What we could do in the event they don’t want to do that
…A good rule of thumb: if a client can just reply “sounds good” to your email, you’re right on.
Again, it’s mostly aimed at freelancers dealing with tricky clients, but it’s a good rule of thumb for sending work emails in general. Check out the full post at the link below.
The right way to end an email to a client [InVision blog]
Comments
One response to “Send More Effective Emails By Ending Them With These Two Steps”
I like this idea. Another tip I have picked up on is to avoid using the word “just”. So if you do need to follow up, DON’T start with: “Just following up…” as the “just” part is a condemning word that draws attention to the fact that you might be annoying. Stay strong and just say: “Following up on this email…”.