Imagine a new email comes in from a potential client or customer asking about working with you. They're asking for a proposal for some custom work, a commissioned piece, or an on-going service. 

You're excited! A new client is just what you need!

You want to get everything just right, so you spend the next 30 (50?) minutes carefully crafting a reply. You eagerly await their response and then...nothing. 

Ever had that happen?

Now, not only did you not get a new client, but you burned valuable time and energy as well. 

One of my favorite ways to avoid this frustration is by crafting some thoughtful and thorough canned emails to use for responding to the same questions again and again. Especially when responding to this potential clients will take some time,  but you're not sure how serious they are. Having a canned email that puts the ball back in their court moves the process forward without eating tons of your time. 

  • They get a kind, helpful reply about what your process looks like and what steps they need to take to move forward.

  • You get to spend about 1 minute on a response that would have previously taken you much longer.

If they take the next action (fill out a brief, make a deposit, schedule a call) per your email so you know their serious, THEN you can dedicate more time and energy to them.

Here's how you craft your Next Steps email and why it matters:

This email is designed to separate the serious potential clients from the window shoppers. The idea is to thank them for their inquiry, direct them to take action, and explain the next steps in your process.

The goal is to help them understand what working with you is going to look like, and getting them to put some skin in the game--whether that's just setting aside time on their calendar for a call, putting some thought into their project request, or putting down some money. If they aren't willing to take that first small step towards working with you, then likely they're not serious and will flake after you've put time into proposals, quotes, etc. 

next step email

Key elements to include in the email: 

  • Thanks!- Always start by thanking them for getting in touch. 
     

  • Encouragement/excitement- Explain why you're excited for them! Are they taking the next steps in getting their bookkeeping organized or decorating their new house? Make their results exciting (not just excitement about you potentially getting a new client).
     

  • Expectations for process- Then tell them a bit about what they can expect from you and by when. This is also a good place to mention your timeline (are you booked for another month or can you start right away) as well as budget if it's not addressed in the previous step (do you need to review their creative brief in order to give them a quote? Let them know).
     

  • Immediate next steps- This is where you explain to them what they need to do to move the process forward. Do they need to book a call or fill out a creative brief? Give them the resources (links, attachments, etc.) to take action. 
     

  • Offer to help- I like to always offer a quick "is that what you're looking for? How can I help?" at the end just to be sure they feel supported. This may eventually lead me to sending them to someone else, or letting them down gently, but it's an important question to ask. 
     

  • Friendly sign off- Thank them again. Make 'em feel warm and fuzzy. 

Here's an example: 

[CUSTOM WORK ASK FOR ARTIST]

Hi Joe!

Thanks so much for reaching out. I'm so glad to hear that you're interested in adding some custom artwork to your home. It's exciting to add a unique pieces to a space to make it feel exactly the way you want! 

I'll give you a few details about my process, so you can determine if this will work for your needs, timeline, and budget.

 As you probably know, commissioned pieces take time to be sure we can get your vision just right, so it typically takes about 3 months to go through the process. I'm not able to take on new projects until September, so you'd get the piece by mid-December. 

Commissioned pieces start at $3000 and go up from there depending on size and materials. If you're interested in exploring what we can do together, you'll just need to fill out the Custom Work Form here [LINK] so I can get a better sense of what you're looking for.

From there, I'll put together a proposal for you so we can nail down the details. After that, you'd just need to put down a 50% deposit to reserve the studio time so we can get started.

If that sounds like it will work for you, great! I'll look forward to receiving your form [LINK]. Otherwise, you can always find prints and paintings that might work for you on my website [LINK]. 

Does that answer your question? How can I help? 

Thanks again for your interest. I'm excited to hear what you're looking for!

[SIGN OFF]  

Of course, the "next steps" email could be SUPER short, too.

If you have lots of this information built into your website, it could look something like this: 

Hi Joe!

Thanks so much for reaching out. I'm so glad to hear that you're interested in adding some custom artwork to your home. It's exciting to add a unique pieces to a space to make it feel exactly the way you want! 

You can check out all of the details about the process right here [LINK] to determine if you'd like to move forward with the project. If so, my next available start date is in September. 

If it seems like a good fit for you, you'd just need to fill out the Custom Work Form here [LINK]. After that, I'll send you a link to make a deposit to hold your spot. 

I'll look forward to receiving your form if you're interested. Otherwise, you can always find more prints and paintings on my website [LINK]. 

Does that answer your question? How can I help? 

[SIGN OFF]

artist

Why it works: 

  • Saves you time. An email like that allows you to really just tweak one or two words to customize it for the person asking. Change a date or price and you're off to the races. 
     

  • Gives them a clear next step without producing more questions. If you anticipate which questions they'll have (time and budget are big ones) then they can determine if they want to move forward without a lot of back and forth. 
     

  • Informs them of the process. Instead of just saying "I can't do it right now" or "what's your budget?" you're giving them clear guidelines and expectations. Don't make them do the heavy lifting of trying to figure out what a budget should be. 
     

  • Ensures they're serious. If you give them a step where they have to take some time to fill out a form, schedule a meeting, put down money, etc. it acts as a filter. You end up spending your time with actual leads instead of tire kickers. 

The Key?

Writing a few variations now, and setting them up as canned responses. 

The main idea is that you spend a little time crafting a helpful answer to the questions you get all of the time so you can put the ball back in their court to see if they're really interested. 

The relief you'll feel when an email comes in and you quickly respond is totally worth the time it takes to set it up now.

Tools to keep it even easier: 

office

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