Follow up Emails

brendonv

brendonv

Tree Hugger
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
7,152
Location
Oxford, Connecticut
So I've tried the follow up call on bids, a few times about a week later. Half the time they are confused who I am, what do I want, then I just get annoyed.

I want to put together an e-mail I can send those I quote, just something simple.

I was thinking along the lines of.

Dear ___________,

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to quote the tree work project.


Further to the quotation we supplied on ______, we are eager to answer any additional questions you have regarding the job, and look forward to receiving your business.


Sincerely,

___________________ ___________________





Any suggestions, ideas?
 
Do you always get their email at the appt?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
I will now. :)

I just can't get over the awkwardness when I did the follow up calls. I'm just not a good speaker.
 
If I were you, Bren...I'd get that pretty lady of yours to make the followup calls. Bet she'd be able to close a few, ya think?
:)
 
Like the idea of a follow-up. If you could throw in a link to a blog that shows photos of work done recently, I believe it would have positive impact. I say a blog rather than a website, because the free templates and hosting services available are more than adequate to show what you want, and very easy to upload to yourself. it wouldn't need to be very fancy, you could have something up very quick. More than adequate isn't really the best way to put it, some of the blog set-ups are excellent. People might even be enthusiastic to get their work onto your blog. Photos of the home owners themselves might not be a bad idea, unless the mob is looking for them. Another happy customer thing....
 
Ya know, I agree with the follow up call feeling. I always feel like I am acting needy or forceful. I wish i didn't feel that way because I would be a follow up calling mofo. I know I would seal more deals too.
 
Just consider it a part of the service you offer...save them from having to call you to answer any questions, talk about any changes they may have thought of since you were there, and finalize the work order.

Some customers don't look forward to sitting down and making calls after working all day any more than you do. Help them out.
 
I never make follow up calls. Never even thought about it, don't door knock either. I assume if they don't call back they don't want to use me, pretty simple....

Never have been much of a businessman.....
 
I wonder if mentioning to the customer after giving the estimate, that you will be giving them a call in a week or two if not hearing back, if that might help things along? It seems like they at least might remember you better that way. Kind of polite too, save the potential customer from bothering.
 
I like the idea of a link to a blog. In addition to that you could ask past customers to write a short testimonial about the work you did for them and ask them if you could publish that testimonial in your blog for future perspective clients to read. New customers eat that shit up.


I rarely did follow ups myself, I simply wrote to many bids, and didnt have the time. I feel I sold myself well enough on site, and the decision was in their hands. I maintained a 8-10 week backlog just doing that.
 
Burnham said:
Just consider it a part of the service you offer...save them from having to call you to answer any questions, talk about any changes they may have thought of since you were there, and finalize the work order.

Some customers don't look forward to sitting down and making calls after working all day any more than you do. Help them out.
Click to expand...

Well said:thumbup: I think your template is spot on. As with the blog link.
 
Following up is good, either way. Bear in mind that you might end up in the Spam folder, due to filter.

Some people lost their bid sheet, and would call you but can't find out what you bid and how to reach you, so they go to choice #2.

A blog or website is good. My website has a Guestbook, where people can add feedback. When I'm reviewing the bid with the customer before leaving, I point out the website address at the top of the sheet, and mention the Guestbook. After the job, I ask for a Guestbook entry.

"Well I'm very happy that you're so happy. It would help me out a lot if you'd take 2 minutes to go to my website's Guestbook to write a quick note about what we did for you, how we did it, and if you felt it was a good value. A happy customer is the best advertising. Some new customers don't know me from Adam, so you'd be a great help. Thanks again for letting us take care of you're trees."

A follow-up thank you email can have a link to your feedback page.

My website allow an email to be sent whenever I have a new Guestbook signature. I monitor to be sure its not the occasional Viagra-type spam, as well as to see what people said.

My self-designed from templates website is paid, but has a free option with ads. You can start with ads, then upgrade. I think other people have listed good website builders in other threads that might be better.

A simple web address on the side of our truck can be easier to remember by passers-by than a phone number.
 
My website is on the top line of the lettering on the dump bed. It can be seen across every parking lot, basically, as well as other obstructions closer to ground level. Can be seen over traffic on the highway while driving, too.
 
I would say it has been very well worthwhile.

I don't know exactly how my sold-bid this morning found me on the web, but the guy was probably 65-70 y.o.

Anymore, everybody is on the web, demographically speaking.

With free websites that have easy to use builder templates, it only seems sensible to have one, even if its only a homepage.

It seems to give a more professional feeling to the company.


By the way, as a visual aid of sorts to the earlier post... truck lettering with web address
P1000921.jpg
 
I can only see a website or blog, gaining more importance as time goes along. Still a lot of consumers that don't rely on it, but that is definitely changing. The younger generation, the web is like a life blood, including shopping. Probably best not to be too late in getting hooked up into it, if you plan to be in business for years to come.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #25
I used the above quote to follow up an estimate from last week. She called today, wondering what we can do to lower the price. I'm fine with working with people, and I feel this will make it easier for them to ask for so. I know it would be for me being the consumer.
 
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