It’s never to late to say “Hello, again”

A few tips to help you get back in touch with a client or prospect

For those of you have been subscribers for a while, you may have noticed that this newsletter is a little later than usual. I have to say it’s not late due to my lack of trying. I have been working on my newest edition for weeks now. This is the fourth topic that I’ve chosen—I could not seem to find one that just clicked. Then as I was driving home today, I was thinking about a question that my friend and client, Heidi emailed to me earlier this week. As I thought about it, I realized that anyone could benefit from the advice that I gave her. So here’s Heidi’s the story:

Heidi has a long-time client who has not hired her in a while. She heard that they were starting a large project this summer. She thought the client might need her help on the project. She asked me how get in touch with the project manager to express her interest without sounding pushy or desperate.

Let me start by saying that it is never too late to get back in touch with a client or prospect. The longer it has been the harder it is to re-establish a connection but it is definitely not impossible. Here are a few tips to help you reconnect with someone from your past:

1. Tailor your efforts to the size of job or prospect that you are chasing.

   You do not want to overwhelm a more casual acquaintance with a full-on marketing assault. But if it is a big project or your dream job, then go in with your guns blazing. With that said, I personally believe that it is better to err on the side of overdoing your marketing than under doing it. The more money and effort you put into it the more business you will get. And with marketing you can never be too pushy or desperate if you do it right.

2. Create a sense of value in whatever you do.

   Do not try to reconnect with someone by sending your same old, canned brochure. It is boring, tells your prospect that you are only interested in making a sale, and comes off as extremely fake. Add a personal touch to whatever effort your make. I suggest sending a little gift (food is always good) along with a handwritten note saying how much you appreciate their business and enjoy working with them.

   In Heidi’s situation, I suggested that she send a food item (like a fruit basket) that can be shared around the office. Because her client’s office is small, word-of-mouth spreads fast. A food item that could be shared by the whole office was guaranteed to get everyone talking about her.

   Resource: If you are looking for more easy ways to get people talking about your business check out Andy Sernovitz’s book Word of Mouth Marketing. He is an expert at getting people talking. If we’ve talked about marketing lately, I have probably mentioned this book to you. Trust me it is THAT good!

3. Fake it until you make it.

   The key to not sounding desperate is to make it sound like you have projects already lined up (even if it’s not true). Being busy (or at least sounding like you are) also creates a sense of urgency for your prospect. If they wait too long to contact you back, then you might be booked up by all of your other opportunities. People love to work with someone who is busy—it says how good you are!

4. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.

   Now that you have gone through the time and effort to get in touch with your prospect do not let your efforts be wasted by losing touch. Keeping in touch does not need to be anything big. A follow-up email or call about a week after your swag is delivered and a “how are you?” email every few months is perfect. All those little touches keep you in front of the prospect. If they do not need you right now, they will be thinking about you when they do.

Now that you have a few ideas on how to get in touch with a someone that you have not talked to in while, why not write down the names of a few people with whom you would like to reconnect.

On the subject of email newsletters, I subscribe to an email newsletter on get this—email newsletters. I just got the latest edition this morning and the advice confirmed what I was already thinking. When it comes to email newsletters keep it simple. This edition took me less than an hour to write because I had already written most of the answer in my response to Heidi. If you are also struggling with your newsletter, look to the client questions that you answer everyday for inspiration. You already know the answers and chances are that at least one other client has the same question.

Good luck reconnecting and writing your next newsletter!