The Follow Up Email That Will Get You the Deal

Ah, the dreaded follow up email. You've just had an exciting phone call with a potential client. You've made a great impression – because let's face it, you're great. But now you need to write an equally exciting, equally great follow up email.

Attempting to recreate the connection you've made over the phone or in person, in written form is hard, if not impossible. It takes time, effort and for most of us, we procrastinate and put it off. Now, the good news is, there is a new style of follow up email that's proving to be incredibly effective.

We are proud to introduce you to, the video follow up!

The video follow up will:

• Save you time
• Increase your engagement levels
• Get you noticed
• Improve your strategy

What is it?

At Hinterview our follow up tool is called Hintro. It's a video introduction/sharing tool that recruiters most commonly use to headhunt candidates or to make new business development introductions to clients. But as we said, what we've found to be a particularly nifty use of the Hintro is as a follow up to conversations with prospective clients.

This blog will teach you how to send the perfect video follow-up and maximise the benefits.

So, why is the follow up so important?

Say you've found a new client with ten incredible jobs, and you pitch them for exclusivity. Chances are, ten other agencies are doing the exact same thing. Each recruiter from each agency will then follow up with a similar generic email. This person's inbox will be busier than the tube in peak hour!

To be successful in this type of deal, it's vital you stand out. What's the easiest way to do this? A charming, informative and snappy video recording sent straight to their inbox. Make sure you let them know there is a video in the email. By using the word video in the subject line, you can increase your open rate by nearly 20%.  

Now you've successfully shone a spotlight on your follow up and made everyone else’s seem even more generic. Go you! Try to send your follow up within the hour of the meeting or phone call, and don't be afraid to send more than one. Just like with a written follow up, it may take a few attempts before you get a response.

So, how do you create follow-ups that will consistently get you more engagement, and more deals?

The last thing you want to do is write and rehearse a script. The person on the other end will be able to tell, and if your video is over-rehearsed, it defeats the purpose. Instead, write down the key points and overall message you want to get across. 

And, follow these easy tips:

• Imagine you're speaking to a friend. When you talk to your friends, you give off a warmer, more relaxed vibe. The more natural you are, the more likeable you are, and as we always say, people buy people. If someone warms to you, there is a higher chance they will buy from you!

• Treat it like a real-life conversation. You've just had a natural in-person or phone conversation, so your video recording should be no different. Avoid looking like a robot by casually moving your eyes around the screen and don't stare directly at the camera.

• Speak clearly and don't babble. The point of your video follow-up is to summarise your previous conversation and highlight the key take-home points or next steps. If you drag out your sentences, mumble or mix up your words, the person on the other end will be left confused.

• Don't be a perfectionist. If you completely mess up your recording, we suggest taking a deep breath and starting over. However, if you just slip up on a word, then keep on going! No-one expects you to be perfect and these little human errors can be endearing.

What About the Nerves?

Do you remember being a brand-new recruiter and feeling nervous as you made your first ever call? Chances are you'll be just as nervous when you do your first video-follow up.

Doing new things is nerve-racking. But, trust us on this one, you only need to do a few before it feels like second nature. Like anything, the more you do it, the better you will be.

As we said at the beginning of the blog, the video follow-up is just one of the ways you can use our Hintro feature. From differentiating, to pitching clients, to follow ups, to video job ads, the uses of Hintro are endless.

So, what are you waiting for!?