My follow-up email template just cost me a client last month

I used the same basic 'checking in' template for years, but it backfired in April. I sent it to a potential client who had asked for a quote, and they replied saying my email felt 'impersonal and automated.' I lost the $5,000 project. I realized my template was too generic and didn't reference our past talk. I had to rewrite everything from scratch. Has anyone else had a client call them out for using a template, and what did you change?

3 comments

3 Comments

rosepark8d ago

Oof, that "impersonal and automated" line is brutal. I get why you'd lean on a template, but @beng51 has the right idea. Just adding one line isn't enough though. If you're just slotting a name and problem into a fixed script, it still feels like a fill in the blank exercise. You have to change the actual body text each time to match the vibe of your last talk. I keep a few bullet points of stuff I must mention, but I write the email fresh every single time now. It takes two extra minutes and saves you from sounding like a bot.

joseph_bailey8d ago

Ever get that sinking feeling when you realize your own email sounds like a help desk ticket? I used a slick template for client check-ins. Then my buddy Mark replied asking if my account got hacked. Said it read like a terms of service update. Now I jot three unique things from our last call right at the top. Makes all the difference.

beng518d ago

My old agency had this polished three paragraph follow up we used for everything. I thought it was perfect until a client, Sarah from that tech startup, forwarded it back with "Did you even read my last email?" written above. That stung. I started adding just one line about their specific problem before the template part. It went from sounding like a robot to showing I remembered our talk. Now I keep a basic outline but force myself to fill in two blanks about them before hitting send.