From Reads to Leads is a newsletter for writers who want more. It's about marketing. Strategy. Positioning. Operations. Results. And yes, it talks about writing too. But through a marketing lens. If this was sent to you, subscribe here so you don't miss the next email.
In today's newsletter:
All shoppers, at one point, regret making a buying decision. I’m sure it’s happened to you. It happened to me, for sure.
Buyer’s remorse comes from our tendency to imagine what could have happened if we had chosen a different option. What's interesting is that this feeling peaks around 48-72 hours after buying.
Now here’s the counterintuitive part:
Most marketer's time is focused on pre-sale.
Post-sale rarely gets any attention. Even though acquiring a new customer costs 5x more than retaining an existing one. (Source)
It seems like a missed opportunity, doesn’t it?
Here are four possible tactics.
For example, Eleken, a design agency we used to work with, offers a free 3-day trial, so their clients can see exactly what they’re getting before they pay.
Most agencies charge a retainer fee before they even start working with you. This upfront payment is used to improve cash flow and secure trust. While this model protects the seller, the buyer might hesitate to work with a new contractor who demands advance payment.
At Zmist & Copy, we bill post-factum. It's sort of a safety net for the client. It alleviates buyer's remorse but also gives us the opportunity to exceed their expectations.
Of course, there are drawbacks.
A couple of times, I’ve walked away from projects that turned out a total mismatch, even though I had already put in the work and spent my time.
I understand why some would argue, "They still need to pay.” But you know what? I'd rather keep my energy positive, my reputation strong, and my clients happy. And if they aren't happy, it doesn't feel right to take their money.
You know, like Sephora when they add free samples to their packages.
I mostly work with software developers. Here is what Sephora's free sample alternatives can look like for them:
Once a client signs on, you want to make them feel like they made a smart decision (preferably in the first 48-72 hours, as I mentioned earlier). You can send them an email, where you can include:
Most of my clients are service-based businesses. If they ever think about email marketing, they focus only on pre-sale: lead generation and lead nurturing.
But what happens after the sale?
What if service-based businesses took a product approach to email marketing? What if they began emailing their customers at least once per month to remind them of the benefits of this collaboration?
Post-sale emails matter for 3 main reasons:
You need a personalized email strategy for each client. These emails should highlight their achievements while also introducing relevant services to encourage upsells when appropriate.
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Follow this formula:
You achieved X in [period] → Add Y service/product to achieve even more.
To give you an idea. Here are a few examples of emails that highlight the value of software development services while introducing additional services based on the benefits clients already enjoy:
You saved $X this month! → Add [X service/talent] to maximize savings (e.g., a monthly report comparing dedicated team costs vs. in-house hiring vs. other outsourcing options) + exclusive deals + ROI calculator.
You launched X feature 30% faster than planned! → Adding [X service/talent] can accelerate future development even more.
Your app handled X% more traffic this month with zero downtime! → Scale further by adding [X service/talent].
Your technical debt decreased by X% last quarter! → Maintain code health with a Tech Lead/Code Reviewer.
Based on your product roadmap, adding DevOps could reduce deployment time by X%.
Keep that in mind as you're putting together your content strategy.
This is my 11th email. Not missed a week. Here are the numbers:
37.99% open rate
557 subscribers
43 unsubscribers
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Just reply to this email and tell me: Do you like my emails so far? What do you think I should do better?
Kate
P.S. If we aren't connected already, follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. If you like this newsletter, please refer your friends.
P.P.S. Need a hand with content? Fix your mediocrity problem with Zmist & Copy
A list of skillsets that content writers need when applying for a job and growing their careers.
In content marketing, the last thing you want to do is waste your time producing content that doesn't bring any results. In this blog post, I'll show you how to apply McKinsey's problem-solving technique to explore the problems in your content strategy so that you can stop wasting time on stuff that doesn't work.
Articles no one reads... Non-stop requests from ebooks to Instagram captions... Feeling a cog in the content machine... If you're thinking "Oh sh*t, that's me!" it's time to pivot into high-impact work. My newsletter will tell you how.
