In Tip #26, I talked about why following up is important. Although, I was specifically talking in terms of a Public Speaker, that tip can be used in many avenues… like for instance, when applying for a job and going through the interview process.. when you are reaching out for information didn’t get a response the first time around. I didn’t necessarily break down how you should follow up on speaking leads, and that’s what I’m going to do in Tip #27. What I’m about to tell you is a combination of things I’ve learned on my own and what I’ve learned through other speakers. So let’s get right to it.

When following up, the number one thing you should be conscious of is the time of the day you are sending out your email. I can’t tell you how many times people have sent out emails at 5 or 6 in the afternoon expecting to get a quick reply. You must be reasonable. 5 to 6 in the afternoon is usually the end of most people’s work day and your email will be in the mix with a ton of other emails that will be sent around that time. There could be a chance that your email be the first they see when they check the next morning, but do you want to take that risk. The safe bet is to send it, or schedule to send your follow up email the first thing in the morning. If we take it up slightly, what time of the year are you sending your email? If the conference is in September, then August shouldn’t be when you initially reach out to a representative or even follow up on it. Personally, I would start the conversation in January or February, so that I would have enough time to follow up in case the first email is overlooked. Whatever the case may be, you shouldn’t be following up the month before or week before. That’s simply too late.

You always want to make sure that your follow up is short, sweet and directly to the point. What I like to do is say “Hey, I just want to forward this back to the top of your inbox in case you missed it. Have a great day!” And then copy and re-repast the original email within your new email. I’ve gotten high success rates the second time around when I’ve done this. If you don’t want to do it that way, you can type an entirely new email, but you should still make it short and sweet. You should also reference that you already sent out an initial email. You can do that by saying things like.. “Hey John Doe, in my previous email I sent on <email date>,” or by saying “Hey John Doe, I originally reached out to you on <date> and I simply wanted to follow up to..”. There are many ways you can word this, but those have been some of the most obvious ways I’ve received replies. Once again, remember to keep things short and sweet. If you are long winded, you stand the chance of being ignored.. AGAIN!

Three times is a charm. With that being said, it is ok to reach out a third and final time. No it isn’t overkill, but it takes extreme confidence to do this. I’ve never sent out a third and final email and not been a little nervous about it. You simply don’t know how the recipient will react, but it’s still worth the shot. So for clarity, you send the second email out two weeks after your initial email. For the third and final email, I would send it exactly a month after my initial email and this is what I would say: “Hey <John Doe>, I wanted to follow up with you one last time because I hadn’t heard anything back on my initial inquiry on <Initial Inquiry Date>. I’m highly interested in the opportunity and it would be great to get more information from you. I look forward to hearing back from you. Have a great day!” Now depending on what you are reaching out about, you may not use the “highly interested in this opportunity” line, so you can craft it however you best see fit. The point is that in your third and final email, make sure you referenced that you already reached out and end it on happy note with have a good day or have a great week. Don’t be sarcastic in your final email and don’t hold grudges because you are having to over extend yourself. That’s what it takes sometimes to get things done.

At the end of the day, you should follow up with people because we all lead busy lives. Your inquiry could be very important, but many of us are scanners. Your initial inquiry can be overlooked, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as important as someone else’s. It’s a simple reminder.. one that could open you to new opportunity if you are willing to take it. So I leave you with one last question: What will you do?

Make your next presentation, your best presentation!

Sincerely,

Julian A. Leonard
(Founder of The JLeonard Group LLC)

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