Seven Email Templates Every Business Owner Needs

One of the fastest ways to save time and gain hours back in your day is creating (and using) email templates. As a business owner, you often write similar emails over and over to your clients. Why are you reinventing the wheel each time?

Creating email templates will also allow you to send carefully crafted and edited emails while you are away from your desk – no more quirky typos from dashing off a note too quickly on your phone!

Email templates also help with consistency if you have multiple people on your team. Your brand voice will shine through if all of your team members are using the same templates.

Below are seven email templates every business owner should create and use:

1. Inquiry Response Email

You may already have an Inquiry Response email template, which is fantastic! If not, this should be the first template that you create.

You should have a few versions of your Inquiry Response email template:

• If you provide date-specific services, or only take a limited number of clients per year, you can create a general inquiry response alerting your new lead that you’re checking your calendar for their date. You can send this general response to any new inquiry while you check on your availability.
• You can also create a “Not Available” Inquiry Response template. This email response should include recommendations for other professionals you suggest when you aren’t available. Remember: The more referrals you share, the more you may receive in return!
• When you are available, or if you don’t have limited availability, create an email template that lets your new lead know you are available and are excited about the possibility of working together.

Always include a clear and direct action for your leads to take from your Inquiry Response template. A few examples would be:

• Review the information packet that you’ve attached (or even better, which you have provided a link to) within your Inquiry Response template.
• Include a link to book a complimentary consultation.
• Send a questionnaire requesting a few pieces of additional information.
• Include a link to your testimonials web page showcasing past clients who have become your biggest fans.

No matter which you include, limit the number of action steps to one and include it both at the beginning and end of your Inquiry Response template.

Keep in mind that your clients are coming to you to help solve a problem, so speak directly to that issue! Use phrases that will resonate and evoke emotions. Your business provides the answers that your leads need. Anticipate the questions and concerns that they are likely to have.

2. Reasons for your Pricing Email

You’ve spent years becoming a leader in your field, and you’ve carefully crafted your pricing to reflect your experience and expertise. Yet it still stings when a potential client pushes back on you with a question like, “XYZ company is 50% less. Why are you so expensive?”

Having an email template that lays out the rationale behind your pricing may not mean that you make the sale, but that is OK! You’ll be educating your leads about your industry, and you should stick to your guns when it comes to pricing. Clients who only booked you because you discounted your price to match competitors’ rates will rarely become your favorite clients.

You have reasons behind the prices that you charge, so create a template that lays them out, in black and white. Properly structured, this email will leave no question that you’re worth every penny your clients choose to invest with you!

3. Not your Ideal Client Email

One of the most important lessons to learn about owning a business is which clients are a good fit for your company. Just because someone has the money to pay you and is interested in what you provide does not make that person your ideal client. And nothing will make both parties more miserable than forcing a relationship that just feels wrong.

Approaching this situation with kindness is the best way to move forward. Perhaps you enjoyed meeting your potential clients, but you realized that their vision for your services doesn’t match what you’re able to provide. Or maybe they will need more time than you currently have available. It’s also possible that your pricing may be outside of their budget, and there isn’t flexibility for that budget to increase.

4. Scope Creep Email

Scope creep happens when a client starts requesting work that is not included in your initial agreement. For example, you could be a graphic designer, and you have a client who has contracted you to produce five Instagram images. But when you deliver those images, your client asks you to resize those images for Facebook too. That is outside the initial scope for which you were contracted. If you have an email template that addresses scope creep, you’ll be much less likely to say “yes, I can do that” without charging for the new service you’re providing!

Express enthusiasm for your client’s idea, while directly acknowledging that the new service or product wasn’t included in your initial agreement. Include the cost to add on that service or product, and mention that you think it would be a great addition to their existing package. You deserve to be paid for the work that you provide and the time you put into working with your clients!

5. Proposal Email

It’s easy to forget that sending a proposal to a potential client is part of your sales process. Just because you’re pretty sure that you’ve sealed the deal doesn’t mean you are done selling!

Your proposal emails should be an extension of your brand, using language that evokes the emotions that you want your clients to feel. Are you a coach who helps business owners improve their productivity? Then include language about how excited you are to help this lead reclaim hours back in his or her day.

Also, include the steps that your leads need to take to officially secure your services! Be detailed. For example, you may want to say something like, “Once you accept this proposal, you will need to sign the contract and pay the attached invoice – then our work will begin!”

This proposal email is a great place to make sure your boundaries are established with your potential clients. Do you prefer emails to texts? Include that information. Do you require 48 hours’ notice for meetings? Mention that. Establishing and sticking to boundaries when running your business is critical to ensuring you won’t feel burned out.

6. Need a Response Email

When working with your clients, there are times you need information or answers to continue your work. And nothing is more frustrating than clients who are dragging their feet.

Having an email template that is friendly yet firm will make reminding your clients about their responsibilities easier. You should include information about what will happen if your clients don’t provide the information on time – perhaps work will cease, or your delivery date will be pushed back. It’s important to inform your clients what you need to provide the best service possible.

7. Off-Boarding Email

The way you end your relationships with your clients is just as important as the way you begin your relationships.

When you have concluded the service that you provide, sending an email to wrap things up with your clients is a critical final step. Thank your client for working with you. Send a summary of the work that you provided. Highlight the aspects of the job that you enjoyed most. 

You can include recommendations for the next steps your clients may need to take, or other service providers that you recommend. Perhaps you’re a sleep coach for infants, and you know of a potty-training coach who works wonders. Include that information in your goodbye email.

Creating email templates is an easy way to gain time back in your day and provide a consistent experience for your clients. Spending the time to create just a few templates will set you on a path toward automating your small business!