5 tips to book more meetings with previous customers
Tip 1: Include 7 touch points in your outreach
From our research, it takes at least 7 touch points with a prospect to book a meeting. We suggest a mix of the following touch points in each outreach sequence:
- Emails
- Calls
- LinkedIn Actions (Connection request, commenting on posts, message etc)
- Gifts
Sample Sequence
Day 1: LinkedInView profile, comment on new job announcement and send connection request with note.
"[Name], just saw you moved to [New Company] - congrats on the new gig, will miss you at [Previous Company]!"
Day 1: Email 1
Adjust depending on segment (see tip #5) and include linked e-gift
Subject Line
"Coffee's on me today!"
Body
"Hey [Name],
Just saw the update on LinkedIn so wanted to reach out to say congratulations on your new job and of course, send over coffee on me as promised! ☕️ [Hyperlink e-gift card]. You were an amazing asset to the [Previous Company] team so they’re lucky to have you.
[Insert Personal Note e.g. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s the new house? Hope you’re settling in and finally finished furnishing everything” OR “Last time we spoke you just got a new puppy - how’s dog-mom life going?” etc.]
I noticed [Insert Indicator of Need for Your Product] so I figured I'd let you know about the promotion we're running for previous users at the moment [Insert Promotion Details].
Let me know if you're open to a call!
Best,
[Your Name]"
Day 4: Call
Reference previous email, leave voice message if no answer
Voice Message
"Hey [Name], It's [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I just wanted to call to say a big congrats on the new job! We're going to miss working with you at [Previous Company] but I know you're going to do great things at [New Company]. Anyway I know the first few weeks can be pretty hectic so I sent over a gift card for a coffee on me to keep you going - hope you got it and let's talk soon!"
Day 6: Follow up Email
Reference gift and provide value (e.g. share a resource, extend an invitation to an event, include them in a free beta test, offer them free tickets to a conference etc.)
Body
"Hi [Name],
Just wanted to make sure you redeemed this coffee gift-card before it expires ☕️ [hyperlink e-gift card]!
I trust you're settling in at [New Company] and showing them how [Function] is done! :) I actually have a few tickets to [Insert Relevant Industry Conference e.g. Saastr] if you and perhaps one of your new colleagues would be interested in attending? I'll be there representing the [Your Company] team and would be great to see you there!
Let me know if you'd like to join but either way would love to stay in touch!
Best,
[Your Name]"
Day 8: Call
Reference previous email, leave voice message if no answer
Voice Message
"Hey [Name], It's [Your Name]. Our marketing team gave me three free [Insert Conference] tickets to give away and I thought you might be interested in coming? I'll be there representing [Your Company] and it would be great to see you there so let me know if you want them!"
Day 14: LinkedIn
Interact with relevant post
Day 15: Email
Check in email and include new feature or value offer
Body
Hi [Name],
Checking in one more time to see if you want these [Insert Conference] tickets?
I also wanted to share [Your Company]'s newest product feature [Insert details]. We're running a free trial for new customers if [Insert New Feature's Value] would be valuable at [New Company]?
Talk soon!
[Your Name]
Tip 2: Include a small gift in your sequence
A small gift (even at the price of $5) can go a long way when it comes to standing out in someone's inbox. Plus, the more personalized, the more genuine the outreach will feel.
Stuck for ideas? Here’s a few
- Coffee
- Lunch
- Wine
- Something thoughtful - you have a past relationship with this person, leverage it! Did they just have a baby? Include a newborn hamper. They just got back from the Paris? Hello French champagne!
Tip 3: Drive collaboration between the Previous Account Managers and New Biz Reps
If possible, pair each AM with one New Biz Rep so they can take a collaborative and personalized approach to their outreach. If there aren’t already incentive programs in place, we recommend offering the Account Manager a ‘referral fee’ to compensate their time spent on this program if it's outside of their normal scope and goals. This can also help ensure quality collaboration.
Tip 4: Leverage the context you have
Personalize your outreach with the historical insights you have at your fingertips. A few recommendations:
- Have the previous Account Manager give a full debrief to the New Biz Rep on the history of the account and contact to support a more customized approach to their outreach
- Include relevant stats about their previous success with your product or service in emails and calls
- Highlight new product features that launched since they last used you, pay special attention to anything specific they showed interest in previously
- Avoid adding prospects into an existing outbound sequence, especially if it includes language around a demo of your product or explains the basics of your platform. Remember - these people know you and your product, they don't need a rundown of what it is and doing so could have adverse effects.
Tip 5: Segment your Outreach
Take a more strategic approach to your outreach by segmenting your audiences to yield better results. Not sure where to start? Leverage the 6 playbooks we created to implement an outreach plan that hits the nail on the head every time.