More on-boarding emails.
Not sure what this is, start here with our README, or catch up on last week, VRBTM On-boarding Campaigns | Week IX.
Nick and I meeting up for the first time in a month to work on this. Doesn’t seem like that long, but I was traveling, we took a week off, and had some other things come up. That said it’s our first release day of the build out of the functionality and we’re going to hit all of the features we set out to. Nick brought up that when we’re talking to people about this project it takes some explaining to get them to understand it. It’s unfortunate, but I know it’s true and something we need to work on. We’re probably being too high-brow, and really just need to level set. I think it will have to be later though when we get people using the platform and have them explain it to us. That way we can use the language our users use themselves.
The trick with these on-boarding emails, and every marketing thing I suppose. Is that it’s not about what I want to tell people, it’s about what people want and need to hear to get them to see our product as a solution to their problems and a part of their envisioned future.
Setting Up Your Team
Sent 15 minutes after sign up.
Subject: Let’s Jump Right In
Body:
Ok, let’s get started.
How many email threads have you been on that have 20+ replies and whatever the question was still isn’t answered. Think about how much time you wasted on those. Or moving things from one place to another and keeping everyone in the loop. Now think of your team, and how much time they spend doing those things too. Actually don’t think of that, it’s probably horrifying. Of course you came to your senses and are now using VRBTM to put an end to all of that. Quicker the better, right?
I put together a few guides for you and your team to get everything set up so you can hit the ground running.
Setting Up Your Team
Setting Up Workspaces
Let us know if you have any trouble with these. I’ll be sending another email tomorrow about how you can onboard your clients and take care of any questions they have about using VRBTM (you know they will).
Talk soon,
Wes & Nick
Introducing VRBTM to your Clients
Sent day after sign up in the morning.
Subject: Introducing VRBTM to your Clients
Body:
Hey there,
Ok, so I know the client game. They say they trust you, but we both know they kind of don’t. They go back and forth on what they say, and it ends up being an endless circle where what you set out to deliver gets so diluted you can’t remember where you started — though you know the idea you presented would of been an absolute killer.
They also don’t like changing workflows that much, which is why VRBTM is as much for them as it is for you. Here’s a guideline for how to on-board them along with answers to a few common questions:
The Introduction Email
Subject: New way to view work
Hey [Client Name],
[Insert generalities around what you’re currently working on with them, etc.] Wanted to let you know of a new tool we’re using here that you’ll start to see. We’ve been using it internally and with some of our other clients and it’s really helped speed things up and keep everyone on the same page. It’s called VRBTM and what it does is track work, feedback and approvals. All in one place, meaning we won’t have those long email threads where everything gets shuffled around.
You don’t have to do anything, just when we’re sending work it will come from an email address VRBTM which will have a Link and a Passcode for you to see the work. It’s really straightforward, but if you want to know more they put together a guide here.
Let me know if you have any questions. This has been great with our other clients, so I’m really excited to start using it with you.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
Now that you’ve sent that out, you know they’ll have some questions. These are the ones we’ve commonly heard along with the answers you can arm yourself with.
Question One
Question Two
Question Three
If you have any trouble with on-boarding your clients, we’re happy to help.
Talk soon,
Wes & Nick
How [Agency] Is Using VRBTM to do…
Sent day after client on-boarding email, in the afternoon.
Subject: VRBTM is changing the way people work
Body:
Hey there,
First want to make sure you and your team are up and running, and your clients are onboard as well. Let us know if we can help. That said I want to share stories from a few people and how they are using VRBTM.
[Agency One]
[Freelancer Two]
[Agency Three]
Want to share your story as well? We’d love to hear how you’re using VRBTM.
Talk soon,
Wes & Nick
Checkin Email
Sent 5 days after sign up.
Subject: How’s it going?
Body:
Hey there!
Would love to hear how everything’s going with VRBTM? What’s your team saying, any issue getting your clients on board? The good, and the bad.
We want this to change your life, so if anything isn’t clear or you see something we should be doing differently, we want to hear about it. You can reply to this email and it’ll come straight to us.
Wes & Nick
Appreciation Email
Sent one month after sign up / first payment.
Subject: Saying Thank You
Body:
Hey,
Back when Nick and I started this project all we were trying to do was make something that we ourselves would want to use. That of course evolved to making something both useful, and valuable that could also make our friends lives easier.
It means the world to us that you’ve trusted us to be a part of your business and we want nothing more than to help you be the best that you can.
Thank you for believing in us and this company and allowing us to continue working on things that we think make a difference.
We’re just getting started.
Wes & Nick
P.S. As always, if you need anything just send us an email.
Jumping around a bit with the tone of these emails which I’ll have to go back and edit to make consistent / follow the narrative we’re creating. Overall the tone should be friendly insider. That we understand their pain points along with the different types of client relationships they navigate and give them the proper tools to do so regarding VRBTM. I’m making these general for now, but I know we’ll have to tailor them later on for which Plan someone signs up for as some of the features are different.
I next have to get these emails set up in MailChimp and have Nick action the drip campaign on Sign Up. This can come in December after we implement User Accounts. I also reference a handful of On-boarding Guides that I’ll have to create, and Agency Stories which I’ll have to develop with our Beta Testers in January/February 2017.
Great getting together with Nick today. While we have it set up to be really efficient when we’re not working together, the conversations of the platform is and doing that we’re able to discuss are so much nuanced.
Read the other half of this week with Nick’s vrbtm.co development stream | Week X where he implements some new user focused functionality.
We’d love to hear from you…
Get in touch at Founders@vrbtm.co, talk with us on twitter @vrbtm.co, and read our story on medium.
Wes Jones is on Twitter @WesJonesCo
Nick Dandakis is on Twitter @Dandakis
