B2B Sales: Simple Email Trick to Quick-Start New Lead Relationships (and be CASL & GDPR Compliant Too)

For those of us that work in B2B, networking is a great opportunity to meet potential clients. Talking with as many targeted individuals as possible and exchanging business cards at these conferences or events are our priorities.

But what’s next? Often we’ll add these cards to our sales pipeline sheets or CRM applications, waiting for the “right moment/opportunity/situation” to contact them. And regularly, these contacts get added to a “newsletter” list.

I often compare B2B sales to dating. You’re not going to move to “first base” with someone before you go on a date. Receiving a newsletter from someone you met at a conference, without sending them a follow-up email first, is kind of like this.

And when the person receives the newsletter, often the first thing that comes to mind is, “I never signed up to receive this” accompanied with feelings of infringement. And now, the chances of that potential client becoming a client have been greatly reduced. Or worse, your newsletter or communications are reported as spam.

But what if there were a way to go about things just slightly differently…

Imagine a simple email that could nurture that lead, and move them forward towards becoming a client instead of deterring them. An email that is also 100% compliant in the eyes of Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL) and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

So let’s start over again…

You’re at a business conference or event and you exchange business cards with a potential client, partner, supplier, etc. You both agree to stay in touch. You add that contact to your sales pipeline sheet or CRM application.

The very next thing you’ll want to do is to send the following email:

Here’s why this email is so effective:

First off, we’re making them feel good by being nice (“it was a pleasure meeting you”), giving (“I’d like to learn more about your…”), respectful (“would it be okay with you…?”), and reassuring (“whatever we send your way will be of value”) —All qualities the majority of humans appreciate and act positively towards.

We’re also meeting the legal requirements by being clear in what can be expected by the contact replying to the email (receiving future communications).

Lastly, the email is not a dead-end, as indicated by the anticipation of a future conversation.

Oh and regarding the subject line “Hi First Name…”; in B2B, the words “hi” with the person’s name followed by “…” is opened by over 95% of recipients. That’s a great open rate!

If the contact doesn’t reply back. It’s ok, you still made a good impression.

The next thing you’ll want to do is to add “implied consent – B2B exception” as your CASL consent status to that contact, along with a photo of the business card and the date and name of the event where you met. Add “legitimate interest” as your GDPR Lawful Base.

If the contact replies back positively, great! The contact’s CASL consent status is now “express”.

So there you have it, a simple email that makes all the difference. Be sure to make it your own by using your own words and expressions.

Every single email is an opportunity. Imagine all the possibilities.

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