Case Study

Part I: Our hero is down and out 📭

Chris slumped back in his leather chair, folded his arms, and furrowed his brow. Good news: your inbox is empty! the screen informed him, mockingly.

‘‘How can it be that *no-one* has responded to any of my outreach emails?’’ he asked himself, perplexed, from his chilly Paris office.

As a 20-year veteran of the auditing industry with several master’s in finance and a P.hD. in law (because…why not?), Chris had expected, not unreasonably, that at least a few of the English-speaking companies he had contacted may show some interest in working with him.

Nothing. Rien. Radio silence. Crickets.

Part II: time for some action (skills with a quill) ✍️

At the end of his tether, Chris reached out to me to write a compelling series of emails that would wow his ideal clients.

Scratch that; he contacted me to get any sort of reply from them.

First, came the analysis. As I scrolled through his own attempts I noticed a pattern. The emails were incredibly dense with facts but light on connection, on showing his human side. There was little that persuaded the reader to act. It was tell, not show. All steak, no sizzle.

At first he was a tad wary; what if working with me was all just a waste of his precious time?
As we sat together brainstorming, though, we both realised that we complimented each other well. He had the battle-hardened financial skills to help any international company out of a bind. I had the skills with the quill to make his story come to life.
Over a 10-week period we crafted a set of three outreach emails that included storytelling, psychology and good old-fashioned integrity to reassure and gently persuade his future clients.

It wasn’t all plain-sailing, though.

We scrapped the initial attempt, following harsh-but-accurate feedback from his wife. As someone who knew both him and the market very well, she (quite rightly) pointed out that draft one was a little too sales-y. His clients wanted reliable expertise, they absolutely did not need to be entertained or amused by him. So we toned down the humour, replacing it with a slightly more sobre, suit-and-tie approach.   

Part III: going into battle ⚔️

After months of soul-searching and graft we now had a 3-part, Tolkienesque epic (minus the goblins) to share with the world. 

Chris’ brow was dripping with sweat as his trembling fingers hovered over the mouse button. The SEND icon had never looked so intimidating. As he let fly with his sword (aka the opening email), he felt a flood of adrenaline. What a rush!

One month later, I was sipping a Bolivian coffee, gazing out the window when my own email inbox pinged (I know, I know; I should switch off devices and enjoy the moment).

It was Chris. I was excited, on edge and curious.

‘‘I had my first client, and it was in English!’’ *

(Chris Trans, Entrepreneur and happy client.)

We had done it. Together, we had slayed the beast, conquered his fears, gone into battle together and returned with jewels and loot, blood-spattered but victorious. It felt glorious.

THE END🧝‍♂️

Have you ever experienced a similar problem with your email campaigns or your professional writing in general?

What advice would you give to expert entrepreneurs who struggle with their communication?

*Full Feedback:

It was useful working with you.

Michael really helped me find my tone of voice when presenting my auditing services to international companies.

He wrote an email sequence that perfectly reflect who I am. I am sure this will help me land more clients.

I now feel much more confident writing to prospects and pitching my services.