Yesterday I sent an e-mail to a potential client for He Blogs, She Blogs. I copied Laura on it. She said, “Post on this, it’s a fun example of creativity in business e-mail techniques.”

I’d been trying to get an appointment with this prospect and hadn’t heard back from him for a few weeks. Here’s what I wrote:lets-get-creative.jpg

Hey _____, please choose the appropriate response and send back at your convenience:

___ Jim, so sorry, I’ve been slammed! I’ll get back to you after Thanksgiving and we’ll set a time to hook up.

___ I’m on the 1st tee at Pebble Beach. Where are you? We can’t wait for you much longer.

___ I heard you ran into my cousin at your writer’s group and she told me the truth about you.

___ I heard you played in the Golf-O-holics with my other cousins Bob and Tim. Anyone who takes part in something making fun of alcoholics is no friend of mine.

___ I’ve joined the PGA tour. No time for the ad game anymore.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

I got a response twenty minutes after I sent the e-mail. Here’s what he said:

You’re a funny guy! I pick…

 

___ Jim, so sorry, I’ve been slammed! I’ll get back to you after Thanksgiving and we’ll set a time to hook up.

 

I’m flying out in the morning and will return Monday afternoon. Let’s talk then and set a time.

 

Be blessed this Thanksgiving. Weirdo!

Did my creativity help?

I think so.

Now a few caveats lest you think I’m suggesting blasting e-mails like this off to everyone you’re trying to do biz with:

  1. I have an established relationship with this guy. I know he likes me.
  2. We’ve golfed together so I customized my comments to fit our common interest.
  3. I poked fun at myself so it was clear this was playful and not a ‘Why haven’t you responded” whine-fest.

Bottom line? My creativity caused him to take action sooner than he would have otherwise.

If you want to explore this idea a bit further and how it plays into job interviews, take a peek at a recent Seth Godin blog post.

Remember, people like to be entertained. They like to be surprised. So do it. In your e-mails, your phone calls, your presentations.

What creative approaches have worked for you in business? Love to hear them.

Dig Deeper

 

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