Email Swipe File

Grant Baldwin - www.bookedandpaidtospeak.com

Email marketing is still one of the best ways to connect with decision makers for
events. Below you’ll see a variety of different emails I send out for different contexts,
but here are some general email marketing rules I try to follow...

1 Subject Lines - I prefer to keep my subject lines short and generally in all lower
case. Those are the types of subject lines you’d get from a friend and not someone try-
ing to sell you something :)

2. Send At The Right Time - Make an educated guess as to when the best day and
time would be to get your email opened and read. Generally speaking, Monday morn-
ings and Friday afternoons are not good. People are either really busy or just starting
to check out. I prefer middle of the week (Tu, Wed, Th) between late morning and early
afternoon.

3. Make It Personal - Don’t just mass spam a bunch of people. When possible, include
first name in your greeting. Also, any time you can add 1-2 personal lines, do it. For ex-
ample, if you see in your contact’s bio they have the same number of kids as you, grew
up in the same area, are fans of the same teams…those type of things I’ll point out.
Remember, this is a relationship business, and your goal is to connect with the other
person on a human level.

4. Use A Tool - You can do a lot of copy/paste to send out a bunch of emails but it’s
simpler to use a tool. We use SerialMailer (http://www.falcon-ware.com/SerialMailer/)
for mass email merge. This will run through your personal email account (i.e. Gmail)
but keep in mind that providers like Gmail have a limit to the number of emails you can
send in a 24 hour period. For Gmail, you can only send 500 emails per day. I do not
recommend mass uploading your emails to a tool like MailChimp as this is considered
spamming.

5. Email is a Numbers Game - If you send 5 cold emails and don’t get a single reply,
don’t be discouraged. The fact is you’re going to have to email a lot of contacts. If you
send 50 emails, you might only hear back from 5 and of those 5, only 1 may ever book
you. That’s not to discourage you, but I want you to have realistic expectations going
in. You’re going to have to send a lot of emails.

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7. Look For National Organizations With State Conferences - One of the quickest
ways to find a lot of emails and potential leads is to look for national organizations with
state conferences. Big national conferences can be hard to get into when you’re getting
started, but the state conferences are usually smaller and easier to get in with. But if
you find a big national conference that is your ideal audience, look and see if they have
state conferences for the same organization.

8. Signature - Be sure to include a link to your website in the signature of your email.
You can’t have to tell them to go visit your site. If they’re interested and see your URL
in the signature, they’ll go there anyway. Just make sure it’s there.

9. Remember The Goal - The goal of emailing a potential contact is to get a reply. In
order to get a reply, don’t leave it open-ended. Ask a specific question that is easy to
reply to. The easier you make it on them, the better your chances of getting a reply.

10. Keep It Short & Sweet - The longer your email, the less likely you’ll get a reply.
You don’t need to give them your life story. If they’re interested, they’ll eventually ask.
But don’t open with that.

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 Cold Email Options
The goal with this email is to be short and sweet and just get them to reply. You want
to send this to who you think is in charge of booking speakers. If they’re not, they’ll tell
you.

Subject: quick question

Hey (INSERT FIRST NAME)...

Quick question…I was curious who was responsible for booking speakers for
___________?

Thanks!

Grant

If you think you know who the decision maker is, you could send this email...

Subject: quick question

Hey Howard...

I noticed your “Association of Starbucks Addicts” conference is coming up in a few

months in Seattle. I actually have a presentation called “How To Go From Tall To Venti
In Awesomeness.” I think this could topic could be a great fit for your conference.

I was curious if you have started taking proposals for workshop presenters yet?

Thanks!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

Notice what all happened in this email...

• I did some basic homework to see when and where the conference is. Don’t email
them asking when the conference is when it’s plastered all over their site.

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• I didn’t pitch why I would be the perfect speaker….I just offered an idea of what I
might be able to speak about.
• It was short and easy to reply to. No long rambling email with an unclear reason for
why the email was sent in the first place.
• I concluded with a clear question that could be answered with a simple yes or no.
Easy for the recipient.
• I included my speaking website at the bottom. I didn’t tell them to go to the site. If
they’re interested, they’ll go anyway.

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 Follow Up Email (if they do NOT reply)
After sending a cold email, I will make myself a reminder to follow up in 2 weeks if I
haven’t heard back. I do this using Followup.cc (https://followup.cc/).

Instead of creating a brand new email, I will just forward the original email sent with this
message...

Hey Howard...

I sent you the below email a few weeks ago but didn’t hear anything back, so I wasn’t
sure if you got it?

I’d love to learn more about your conference...Thanks!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

A few thoughts on this email...

• Waiting 2 weeks is long enough that if they were gone or on vacation, they’ve had a
chance to get back and probably see your email.
• I like to forward the original email so maybe it will jar their memory. If I send them
another cold email, they’re just trying to remember who you are.

IMPORTANT: If they don’t respond to this email, I just let it go. If they’ve ignored you
twice, they’re probably not interested right now. Remember, it doesn’t mean they’ll
never be interested, but at this moment, they’re not. Otherwise, they would have re-
sponded. The more you continue to follow up at this point, the more annoying you
become and you’ll leave a bad impression.

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 Follow Up Email (if they DO reply)
If they respond to either of these first emails and express interest, you’ll want to do one
of two things...

1. If they’re interested in you for a keynote or paid opportunity, call them. You might
also call if the opportunity is not for a conference and the contact is interested in just
bringing you in to speak (i.e. small speaking opportunity at local library or chamber of
commerce). You can sell yourself better over the phone.

2. If they’re interested in you for a free workshop spot for a conference, there’s no need
to call. Just reply to their email answering any questions they have and giving them
some more info.

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 Post-Phone Call Email
Let’s say you get an email reply expressing interest in having you speak for a keynote
or some type of other paid opportunity and you then call and talk with the client. Here is
the email I would send after that call (may need to tweak depending on what you dis-
cussed)...

Hey Howard...

Great talking with you earlier, and I appreciate you taking the time to visit!

As promised, I have attached our fee structure and program list. I also attached a few
recommendation letters from similar conferences I have spoke at.

I also went ahead and penciled in Friday, April 23 into our calendar. This does not ob-
ligate you in any way, but helps me to contact you if anyone else inquires about the
same date, so that you would have the first opportunity to move forward.

As we discussed, I’ll make a note to touch base with you in 2 weeks. If you have any
other questions in the meantime, just let me know.

Thanks!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

IMPORTANT: If you say you’re going to follow up in 2 weeks (or whatever length of
time), you better do it. I’ve got so much business over the years just because I follow
up. Most speakers will forget or just assume the client will follow up with them if they’re
interested.

To schedule this, we use a combination of Followup.cc and scheduling a follow up task

within our contact management software, Highrise.

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 Left Voicemail
If you get an email expressing interest and you call them right away but get their voice-
mail, I’ll go ahead and leave a message and send them an email.

Hey Howard...

I just left you a voicemail but thought I’d shoot you a quick email as well.

Just give me a call when you have a chance. My number is 123-456-7890.

Talk soon...Thanks!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

Depending on the urgency of the event, I’ll usually wait a few days and then try calling
again.

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 Follow Up Email #2
After 2 weeks have passed (or whatever length of time until you said you would follow
up), I’ll send a follow up email to see where things are at. If I had a really good rapport
with them on the phone or if it’s a bigger event, I may call them back to follow up.

Hey Howard!

When we had talked a few weeks ago, you had asked me to check back in with you
around now regarding your conference.

Did you (or your committee, board, etc) have any questions over the material I sent
you?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com
123-456-7890

Again, make this email short and sweet and easy to reply to. I will usually include my
number in the signature as well so if they want to talk more, they can call me. They will
usually just respond over email, but I’ll include it just in case.

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 Follow Up Email #3
If they don’t respond to that initial follow up email, I’ll follow up again in 1 week. I’ll use
the email forward technique I used above. So I’d say something like...

Hey Howard...

I sent you the below email last week but didn’t hear anything back, so I wasn’t sure if
you got it?

I was just following up on our discussion a few weeks ago re: your conference...
Thanks!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

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 Follow Up Email #4 (Ball In Your Court)
I’ll give it another week or two and if they still haven’t respond, I’ll send them a “ball in
your court” email. This email usually has a good response rate. At this point, they’ve
expressed interest, so you’re not harassing them. You’re just following up. But there
comes a point where it becomes annoying, so I send this email to draw that line and
leave the ball in their court.

I will generally forward my previous emails, so again they can see I’ve been making an
effort. It gives them context and helps them to not have to dig through past emails.

Hey Howard...

I’ve emailed you a few times but haven’t heard anything back, so I wasn’t sure if you
got my emails.

I know you’re busy, and I certainly don’t want to be a bother, so I’ll leave the ball in your
court.

I’m still very much interested in being part of your conference, so if you’d like to talk
more, just let me know.

Thanks for your time!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

After I send this, I don’t schedule any more follow up emails. At this point, I’ve left the
ball in their court. If they respond, great, but if not, then I just move on.

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 Ready To Book (from Grant)
This is what I send after a client is ready to move forward. I’m letting them know the
next steps and that my assistant will be their contact for all the details and logistics.

Hey Howard...

I have copied my assistant Lisa on this email, and she will be sending you the schedul-
ing agreement shortly. She will be your primary contact for the logistics of the event, so
if you need anything at all, please let Lisa know.

Thanks again for the opportunity, and we’re excited to work together!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

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 Send Contract
This email comes from my assistant and goes over the next steps for the client.

Thank you so much for the invitation for Grant to speak to your students on April 22,
2015. We are very excited to partner with you on this event!

I have attached our Speaking Agreement and Speaking Rider to assist in the schedul-
ing process. The Speaking Agreement assists us in getting the details covered early
on. I trust you will find it helpful. Please note: Only when this form is received and we
receive a 50% deposit will the date be confirmed on our calendar. I have also attached
a W9 for your use, as well as, a bio and an introduction for Grant if you would like to
use them.

So that we have all of the necessary event details, please fill out our Event Information
Form as completely as possible: Click here to fill out Event Info Form.

We are very committed to doing whatever we can to help make this event a great ex-
perience for both you and your students. Your event will be a priority for us, as we
know it is for you.

Thank you again for the opportunity to be a part of this event and to challenge your stu-
dents. If you have any questions, or if there is anything you need from me, please do
not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or 123-456-7890.

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 Inviting Other Guests To Hear You Speak
As we discuss in the course, one of the best ways to get bookings is to have people
hear you speak live. So anytime I’m in an area, I’ll invite other possible clients to come
hear me.

Hey (INSERT FIRST NAME)...

Hope you’re doing well!

Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be speaking in (INSERT STATE) in a few weeks at
(INSERT EVENT TYPE - i.e. conference, assembly, event, etc).

I’d love for you to be my guest and come check it out.

If you’re interested, let us know and we’ll get you some more details!

Grant
------------------------
www.StarbucksSpeaker.com

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 Schedule Pre-Event Call
This is a short call we do 2-3 weeks before an event just to go over the details again
and make sure everyone’s on the same page. This is the email we use to schedule that
call (this comes from my assistant but you could send it yourself as well)...

Hope you had a great weekend!

I wanted to see if you can do a short (5-10 minute) pre-event phone call with Grant and
I to go over the details of your event? Grant has time available on:

February 25 or March 4, 6 or 7: 9:30A – 2:30P (Central Time)

March 5: 9:30A - 11:00A or 1:30P – 2:30P (Central Time)

Just let me know what date and time would work and the best number to reach you
and we will give you a call.

Thanks!

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 Last Review Before Event
My assistant sends this out the week before the event to go over all the details one last
time. She covers..
• Balance due and confirms they’ll have a check ready
• Speaking details (times and which talks)
• Introduction - we send this earlier in the process but most clients forget about it

I hope you are having a good week so far!

I wanted to touch base with you about your event next week. Are you all set? You have
already paid a deposit of $2,000.00 so I wanted to give you a quick reminder to have a
check ready for the remaining balance of $2,000.00 at the event.

I also wanted to remind you to be sure each student has something to write with and a
copy of the worksheet I sent you for Grant’s “So Much To Do, So Little Time” workshop.

Just to confirm, I have the following schedule:

8:45A “Being A Difference Maker” keynote – approximately 45 minutes
10:00A “So Much To Do, So Little Time” workshop – approximately 45 minutes

Lastly, a while back, I sent a link to an introduction you may wish to use, but thought I
would include it here as well:

INTRODUCTION : Our speaker today has been working with students for nearly a
decade. He has delivered hundreds of presentations to over 250,000 students in 42
different states. He is the author of the student book Reality Check and is passionate
about helping students prepare for life after high school. As much as he loves speak-
ing, his favorite roles are being a father and a husband. Today, he travels the country
speaking to thousands of students in conferences, conventions, school assemblies,
and other youth events. But ultimately, he wants to grow up to be like Chuck Norris.
Please welcome Grant Baldwin!

Please let me know if there is anything that you need from me or if you have any ques-
tions.

Thank you again for giving Grant the opportunity to speak to your students. I know he
is really looking forward to spending time with you all!

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 Post-Event Email
This comes from my assistant. She thanks the client (I also send a short thank you
email as well) and asks for a short post-event survey and a possible recommendation
letter. We also include a copy of our worksheet (you could also include Powerpoint
slides). Many clients like to include these on their conference website for attendees.

I just wanted to say thank you for giving Grant the opportunity to speak to your stu-
dents last week. I know that he had a great time. I also wanted to say thanks for being
so great to work with. You definitely made my job easier and I really appreciate that!

The following is a link to a short questionnaire that I was hoping you could fill out for us:
click here to complete form. We are always trying to make sure that we are doing the
best job we can and your input is really valuable to us!

I also attached the answer key for the worksheet that Grant used for his workshop.
Please feel free to use this if would like.

Lastly, I wanted to ask if you were happy with Grant, if you would be willing to write a
letter of recommendation? As you know, those letters are extremely valuable for speak-
ers and what they do! You don’t even have to mail it. You can just save it as a Word file
or a PDF on your letterhead and email it to me.

Thanks again and I look forward to working together again soon!

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 After Event Questionnaire Into
Recommendation Letter
If we got a really positive questionnaire back but no recommendation letter, we’ll go
ahead and ask again for the letter. Here’s the type of email we might send...

Hey Howard...

I hope things are quieting down a bit for you since the conference ☺

As I’m sure you know, testimonial letters are huge in our business. Since you gave
such a great review on your questionnaire, I wanted to ask if it would be alright to com-
bine a few of your quotes to form a letter. I have attached what I came up with using
your quotes.

If the letter looks ok to you, would you be able to send .doc file of your letterhead and
I will save the letter on to that? Or, if it’s easier for you to save the letter on your letter-
head and email me a PDF, that would be great too!

Let me know what you think. Thank you!

Grant

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