Contrary to popular belief, email is still one of the most popular communication channels. According to an estimate, around 280 Billion emails were exchanged in the year 2018. According to that same projection, this figure is expected to increase to 347 billion a day. This alone means email marketing trends are something to be aware of in 2021.
So there is no doubt that email will remain a popular communication medium for the days to come. However, as every person receives multiple emails every day, a large number of them get ignored. You will hardly find someone who reads all the emails in his inbox.
This is why, if you want people to take your meeting request email seriously, you must use all the strategies and tactics at your disposal.
Difference Between a Business Email and a Meeting Request Mail
A business email can be on anything. Starting from informing your colleagues about new equipment purchase, office relocation, next year’s corporate goals, and so on. Some people send emails to distribute memos in an organization from the upper management to the front-line workers.
On the other hand, meeting request emails have only one purpose — persuading the receiver to agree to meet you. You might want to meet your prospect for various reasons, starting from proposing a new business idea or pitching a new business plan to selling your product. No matter your needs and goals, requesting prospects for a meeting via email is highly effective.
One more thing, the recipient of a meeting request email is always a marketing lead, regardless of this lead’s classification type. Simply put, it is a prospect who is interested in your product.
You send emails asking for appointments from those who might be interested in buying your product. Unless, of course, you send such an email to your colleagues or peers in the industry. That, however, is a slightly different matter.
What are the essential elements of a Business Meeting Request Mail?
Just like any email, every business meeting request email has a few important elements. If you want a high conversion rate from your business meeting request emails, you should follow these rules.
There are three distinct parts of a business request email. First, you need to tell the recipient why you are reaching out to them. The second element is asking for a specific set of actions from the recipient. And the final element is ending the email on a good note.
Always tell the recipient the purpose of this mail at the very beginning of the message. Write it down in plain language. Avoid using complex words. If you write a lengthy paragraph explaining how the recipient can benefit from this email, you are wasting your time and your recipients’, too. Cut to the chase. Your recipient is well aware of the fact that there is something you want from them.
The second feature of a good business meeting email is explaining how the recipient can help you. If you send ten emails requesting meeting appointments, you will always receive a few replies, no doubt about that. But you would lose leads if you fail to explain how the recipient can become a part of your project or how they can get involved.
If you are trying to sell a SAAS tool, note down how people can get started with your product, i.e., how they can create an account and use all the features. Similarly, if you are trying to ask for an appointment for upselling a product subscription, explain why the user should consider upgrading to a paid plan.
Examples of a Business Meeting Request
Here we have some common examples of a business meeting request over email.
Basic Business Meeting Template
Greetings [name of recipient],
I am [your name]. I work for [your company] as a [your position]. We sell [brief description about your product/service].
It is well known that you are a key stakeholder in our selected niche. We love your work. We would love a collaboration opportunity with you. We have a dedicated team of outreach professionals who can assist you if you agree to collaborate on a project with us.
If you are free, I am inviting you for an interview tomorrow afternoon, at [location]. I will be there within [meeting time] sharp.
Do let me know if you are available tomorrow. Also, if the place and timing do not suit you, let me know as well.
Kind regards,
[your name]
Template Highlighting Your Competitive Advantages
Dear [first name of prospect],
I am [your name]. I work for [your company] as a [your position]. We sell [brief description about your product/service]. We specialize in [key USPs] and have already worked with many well-known companies such as [name a few clients]
Over the past few years, we have built a loyal user base. We do not operate like many of the top companies in our niche, such as [name of your competitors]
I would love the opportunity to meet you in person. Will you be free this afternoon and accommodate a meeting with me at [proposed meeting time]?
Let me know what you think. I think we both can benefit from a partnership.
Kind regards,
[your name]
Template Emphasizing Mutual Benefits
Hey [name of your prospect],
My name is [your name], and I work for [your company name]. I am responsible for [your job responsibilities]. Our company and yours work in the same niche. We admire how you do business and would love to engage in a partnership deal.
Maybe you already know that our product can help your existing customers with [key features of your product]. We think for an enhanced user experience, your users should start using our product.
I would love to talk with you about how we can benefit from a partnership. Let me know if you are free this weekend, and let us fix a time and place.
I look forward to receiving a reply.
Sincerely
[your name]
Focus on what’s in it for the recipient
Hi [first name of client],
I am [your name]. I am currently working for [your company name], as a [your job designation]. Yesterday, while surfing the internet, I came across your website.
Quite honestly, you have a great website. It is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
However, I did notice some bugs in the HTML code, and some specific webpages on the site had some technical issues such as [brief explanation of the issues].
As mentioned above, I am a professional [your job title] and have helped multiple people fix the same problem before. I could do the same for your website.
The issues on your website are damaging the overall usability of its features. Once fixed, your website will have [benefits of solving the issue].
I am free this weekend if you want to talk about fixing these issues in more detail. Here is a link to my website. You can see how well managed the website is. I can do the same for your website, too, if you consider giving me the opportunity.
Let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing a reply from you.
Best Regards,
[your first name]
Emphasizing Corporate Benefits for the Recipient
Hi [first name of your client],
As a professional [your job title], I am reaching out to you as I think your company can benefit from our product immensely.
As you are the [job designation of the recipient] of [name of the company] I am reaching out to you.
We are already working with companies such as [names of a few of your clients]. We offer them the following services-
[Unique Selling Proposition 01]
[Unique Selling Proposition 02]
[Unique Selling Proposition 03]
[Unique Selling Proposition 04]
[Unique Selling Proposition 05]
Do not take our words at face value. We encourage you to experiment with our product on your own. Moreover, you can also check out our online testimonial page [link back to your online testimonial page]
Do let me know if you are free this week. I would love to demonstrate our product to you.
Best Regards,
[your first name]
How to Schedule a Meeting by Email?
There are different online tools such as Zoom and Google Meet that let you arrange online meetings in seconds. You can either share the meeting link with your friends or invite them by adding their email list to the attendee list.
But we would suggest you do not go ahead and schedule a meeting on such platforms without receiving a reply from your recipients first. If you add the invitation link to the meeting on your first correspondence with your prospect, you might end up appearing too bold.
Here is a quick tip to increase your chances of converting from meeting requests via email — always have flexible meeting options. Do not make the recipient reschedule other tasks that he already has in his hand just to attend your meeting. This might be counterproductive, and you might lose the lead for good.
What are the benefits of setting up a meeting via email?
Before we conclude, here are the key benefits of requesting meetings via email.
It might be the very first mail that you exchange with your client. But if things go well, you might end up exchanging multiple other emails, which only increases your chances of conversion.
Requesting meeting appointments via email is very convenient. Even if the recipient refuses to attend a physical meeting, you can agree to attend a meeting online. Moreover, with the advent of Google Meet, Zoom, and other video conferencing apps, you can schedule a meeting and invite guests in seconds.
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