These 5 Business Email Templates will Transform Your Business, ASAP
These 5 Business Email Templates will Transform Your Business, ASAP
By Allison Evelyn Gower
Maybe you’re like me, rockstar. Before intentional business email templates, I used to spend hours on proposals and scribbling in my planner to “follow up on the invoice!”
I’ll be honest with you.
At least 50% of my week was buried outside my zone of genius.
When I envisioned being a copywriter, my vision board didn’t include chasing clients to sign contracts and guilt at asking for testimonials. The worst part? Not only did emails eat up my time like a hungry teenager, I missed KEY client email templates to land more clients and cut unnecessary hours each week.
That is why I am here, typing out this blog to you, about to reveal:
Email # 1: The complete meeting reminder email (nearly no one does).
Email #2: The sneaky “get testimonial” email (NOT what you think).
Email #3: The “nothing needed” check in email.
Email #4: The excited yet firm proposal email template.
Email #5: The long-term follow up email.
I know what it’s like to go from feeling so busy yet so scattered…
I am living proof you can start using the power of pre-written, templated emails to create a better business for yourself and your clients. Before diving in, my compadre, there is a truth that must be addressed. I know someone needs to hear this:
You do NOT need to customize every email to a client.
Automated emails don’t make you lazy, corporate or impersonal. Client email templates make you savvier & MORE helpful.
In a moment, you’ll see precisely what I mean by supportive, non-generic client email templates.
So if you’re ready to:
Slash time in your inbox, daily
Create a smoother (sultrier?!) onboarding experience
Have clients going “Wow, they are SO organized!”
Get important information without chasing it like an ice cream truck
Read on. My customer onboarding process and I got you.
Here are the 5 most important, forgotten emails. Even implementing 1 could change your business by tomorrow.
Email # 1: The complete meeting reminder email (nearly no one does).
Perhaps you have a meeting scheduler like Calendly or Acuity already, which is a fantastic start.
Maybe you have reminder client email templates. “Your meeting is in 1 hour!”
But there something might be missing. You’ll be leagues above the rest of coffee-loving humanity with specific additions.
Send a reminder email that includes exactly what to expect.
In 2019, I had two parts of my body cut out. (Aka tonsil surgery.)
In a plastic gown and a fabulous hair net, laying in a gurney, each member of the medical team walked me through what to expect. For example, the anesthesiologist came in and shared: “Have you ever gone under before? Here is how it will go.”
The hospital has staff do this walkthrough for a specific reason.
The human brain does NOT like the unknown because the unknown is perceived as unsafety.
Uncertainty can mean survival is at stake. Why? Back in the day, if we saw a cave and didn’t know the contents, entering could mean being eaten alive by rabid lemur bears.
Your client may never have worked with an expert like you before.
Your client may have been scarred from a rough experience in your industry before.
The goal of this email is to share EXACTLY what to expect, so they can hop on that phone or video call feeling Greek-island ease.
The ultimate meeting email reminder template
Hi ____,
I am so excited for our meeting at DATE at TIME!
Tell them how you’ll meet! (Zoom? Are you calling them?)
To make this the smoothest, best experience possible, here is exactly what to expect in our session today:
Tell them how long it will be (“It’ll be about 30 minutes!”)
Share the flow of the call (“The first 10 minutes will be getting to know each other better, then I’ll share more about my services, then you get to ask any questions!”)
Give them reassuring words (“This is going to be a chill, safe space” “I am an open book, please feel free to ask anything on the call!”
Sign off
**Reassuring the person about the energy, vibe and tone of the call makes a massive difference. People often need to hear words like “this is a safe space” or “please ask me questions” to give them the courage to speak up.
***And yes, this is one of the client email templates that can be automated. With the right platform, you can add information like date and time and auto-fill names!
Email #2: The sneaky “get testimonial” email (NOT what you think).
Out of the 100s of entrepreneurs and freelancers I’ve worked with and coached, almost every one of them has had this challenge:
Most go-getters struggle to ask for testimonials.
This testimonial process isn’t automated and therefore left up to chance, which leads to forgetting and time passing and humans never getting to talk publicly about how absolutely astounding and mind-blowing you are.
There’s a scrappy way to get raving reviews WITHOUT the uncomfortable “can you write about me?” request.
Here is all that’s required.
1 - Automate an email asking for feedback.
In the day before or after the project closes, have this trigger email set up.
To confirm: This email does NOT ask for a testimonial directly.
Ask for feedback. “It’s been amazing working with you! It would mean the world if you answer a couple of questions for me about the experience.”
2 - In that email or a form, ask the client these SPECIFIC questions.
It is very hard for people to give good testimonials. They don’t really know what you want. They don’t write thinking about a transformation story or pain points.
Help them help you. Give them questions to answer.
“Why did you choose me?”
“How did you feel before working together?”
“Would you recommend me?”
3 - From this customer onboarding process, follow up.
Put their different words and phrases together. Send it back, and ask if you can use it as a testimonial. (I recommend a legal testimonial release form.) I have never had a single person say no - for me or (that I know of) my clients.
Remember, people LOVE working with you and they WANT to cheer you on.
If your favorite coach/author/Etsy shop store owner/designer/copywriter/infomercial product asked to use your review, would you feel bitter and want to stick pin needles in a voodoo doll of them? NO. You love them, and you want to see them flourish. This is a truth for you, too.
Email #3: The “nothing needed” check in email.
Whether you are a designer working on a website, florist tending to roses, photographer editing, copywriter writing…
Send the client a quick note while you working on their thing, letting them feel seen, heard and taken care of. Because you may be sweating bullets, on your 3rd coffee, but they don’t know that. They don’t know if your heart is pouring into their investment or if the project’s been thrown to the side like an old, moldy tomato.
I can’t tell you the relief this brings people vs. them sitting around and wondering how the project is going.
Here is an example of a follow up client email script.
“I wanted to let you know we are in go mode!
We are working on your ___ and can’t wait to share it with you. There is no action needed from you, simply wanted to let you know!”
Email #4: The excited yet firm proposal email template.
If you have ever struggled with boundaries, being firm on pricing or waiting around for potential leads to say yes or no…
This forgotten email adds tofu firmness to your proposal process.
See, a common mistake is to not have a specific timeline or call to action on contracts and proposals. Even if you put an “expiration” date on a contract, many people will glaze over that. They are not trying to be rude, but I find you have to share a point 3 - 4x to make people hear it.
Remember: Potential clients are people. Modern humans are busy, so they need information often and bluntly.
They have a kid who just got a fever. They are trying to run to the grocery store in between Zoom calls. They discovered the Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and suddenly are Googling “chess boards for sale”.
This is why you have to make your business goals, structure and desires SUPER clear.
What to add to your proposal delivery email script.
My most sincere recommendation is to have an automated email process that delivers your proposal and includes set information. I recommend including:
Tell them the basics in the proposal “There are two options, listed in the proposal. See what if/which meets your needs.”
Share a Call To Action “If you’d like to proceed, let me know by DATE (or “within 3 days”). After that, the spot will no longer be held and is open to others.”
Let them know the next step “If it’s a yes, the next step will be a contract and a deposit of 50%. After that, you’ll get an email to book our first call.”
Add a dapper dash of excitement *but no need to overdo it* People want to work with people who are interested, excited and make them feel seen. This doesn’t have to be in a way that feels needy or desperate, remember, there are always other clients out there. Try and play with language that feels good. “After our call, I’m delighted at the potential to work with you! If you’re feeling the vibes, too..”
At the same time, remember: THEY ARE NOT DOING YOU A FAVOR. This is still business. They are going to pay you AND you are providing them immense value, so please don’t let this feel one-sided, my rockstar.
Honestly, it’s scary to open a proposal and not know the next steps or if it’s safe to ask questions. And if the person thinks they have all the time in the world, they will use all the time in the world. If you are saving a spot for them before taking other calls, the potential client does NOT know that, it’s vital to tell them.
Email #5: The long-term follow up email.
If you check in a few days or even a week after the project ends, that is a beautiful thing that makes angels sing. Now, another question for you:
Do you check in later, say 1 month or 6 months after a project ends?
You can only get so much information right after a project ends. Often, the most incredible results, feedback and magic happen months later but we don’t hear about it unless we ask. This is why I suggest this be a part of your customer onboarding process.
Here are a few examples:
As a website designer, it takes months for the client to get compliments and reports like “the new site booked me 4 new projects!”
As a florist, a married couple may get wedding photos back 2 months later and only now see the flowers were in their favorite photographs
As a content writer, a business owner may know the blog you wrote got them 3 new clients in the last 6 months
Not only can you glean more information, but the client will feel so taken care of and thought of from your message - even if it’s automated! It’s also a subtle way to remind them of you. It’s a chance to see they need your services again or refer you.
How to write the follow up automated email template.
The exact wording will depend on your business. A designer might ask if the website has gotten compliments or more clients. A wedding photographer might ask how they have been enjoying the wedding photos.
“I hope you are doing so well since we ___. I wanted to follow up and see how you’re doing. How has…?”
The next step: How to automate business emails.
Whether you implement 5 or 1 of these email ideas, here are a few ways to not only use the emails but automate them to save time, maximize brain power and redirect your energy to other things that require your unique, specific mind.
You can use Gmail templates. (Downside included).
Gmail is absolutely an option. While Gmail itself will not automate the emails, you can set up templates so you can add them automatically.
The other caveat to gmail templates is that you can’t have the information, like names, autofill.
The #1 option: Have emails that send, auto-fill information, without you.
(As you are likely not shocked, being on this platform’s blog ;)
I recommend a platform like Dubsado because this team has dialed in the email automation process to open up so much room for your business.
I lept on Dubsado in their first year of business, inspired and wow-ed by not only the platform but their vision, values and customer experience.
I’ve met the founders, Becca and Jake in person, and I want to candidly say (they did NOT ask or pay me to write this!) they are truly incredible humans who set up every detail and the ability to have automated triggers to empower business owners.
With the right emails set up…
By taking time to dive into your business upfront, not only moment-to-moment based on client requests…
You deserve to have a business that ALSO grants you a joyful life and time with loved ones.
You deserve to have time off for movie nights. You deserve to have more creative energy for hobbies like yoga and inspiring activities like business workshops vs. more hours on that blue-lit computer screen.
Because this blog, this article, is NOT truly about using sexy business words like “email automation”.
I asked to write this article because I know what’s it like to be in your inbox all the time, exhausted and burned out, and be so tired by the end of the day, you’re exhausted to write your Insta captions, heartfelt newsletters and cards to clients.
So to end with this question:
Are you willing to let things be easier in your business?
Because easy automation doesn’t make you a “not hard worker”, it really is supporting you and your clients.
You are magic wrapped in radiance, drizzled with bad assery. I hope you’ll see that - and the emails and systems you deserve to have in your business.
With sincerest heart,
Copywriter Mentor, Brand Coach & Self Expression Advocate
Photography Provided by Allison Evelyn, Images by Studio ___ and Public Persona
About Allison Evelyn:
Allison Evelyn Gower is a self-expression copywriter, brand mentor and podcaster who went from 20 cents a word to $3,500 a day and teaching online courses. Allison’s obsession is showing go-getters how to unmuzzle themselves and write boldly. Seen on Forbes and having interviewed some of the planet’s most A-list online entrepreneurs on her podcast, Allison’s calling is to ignite people re-find who they really are and unmute themselves, so they can tap into true self-expression and step into the world the way they’re meant to.