Are you looking for B2B clients able to write $10,000+ checks? Sliding into their DMs won’t do the trick. At Belkins, we’ve made reaching VPs, directors, and other C-level executives our craft. Having arranged hundreds of successful meetings for our clients, we are happy to share some tips with you.
Below are best practices that will make your appointment scheduling email engaging and enjoyable as well as encourage readers to complete the desired action.
So you’ve got your hands on the emails of the top decision-makers in the organization you would like to sign as your client. You want to present your product and showcase your experience, personality, and expertise. The best way to do this is to set up a meeting.
But busy professionals often only give you one shot before they send you to spam.
You need an email that will immediately drive the prospect’s interest. So how exactly do you craft a letter that stands out, clearly communicates your value, and is easy to reply to?
Consider this sample:
Hi {Name},
I was hoping to connect with the person responsible for {Company}’s research projects — would that be you or {Referral}?
I’d like to introduce you to our fastest-growing opinion research company in the USA with an A/B accuracy rating of 538.
By automating many of the day-to-day tasks involved in traditional research projects, our opinion research technology could help {Company} reduce costs, increase accuracy, and focus on breakthrough discoveries that have a significant impact on your campaign’s outcome.
Would next Tuesday work for you or {Referral} to discuss your current campaigns and research projects and how you could save over 30% on our research offerings?
Do you like this example? Our recipients do too. Belkins’ cold outreach email metrics beat all the industry thresholds, with an open rate of over 40% and a reply rate of about 15%.
As with most things, crafting the perfect level of simplicity requires a lot of experience and a ton of thought.
Kirill Potapkin, head of content writing at Belkins, has created tens of thousands of emails customized for the top executives in all possible B2B domains and is happily sharing his expertise.
Let’s dissect the process of setting up a business appointment via email step by step.
How to write a perfect business appointment request
The outstanding business appointment invitation email consists of several perfectly executed elements:
- A subject line that doesn’t look salesy and positively impacts open rates
- Concise body text without waffle or spam words that creates a connection and provides business value
- Invitation that sets clear expectations of the meeting’s details and doesn’t require extra planning
- Simple, skimmable structure easy for a busy person to read and reply to
Let’s see how to follow these rules to write business meeting invitations your prospects will accept.
How to come up with a great subject line for your email
A great subject line is an essential part of your email. After all, if it doesn’t capture the reader’s attention, they won’t even bother reading the rest of the email.
So how can you write a stunning subject line that will spotlight your email? Here are a few tips:
- Keep it short. The subject should be 9 words at most but ideally 3 to 5.
- Be candid. C-suite executives have no time for vague references and are less susceptible to clickbait. Just say what you want to say.
- Make sure it’s relevant. If the heading is irrelevant to the rest of the email content, you risk confusing or frustrating the reader.
Good subject lines are brief, straightforward, and felicitous:
Example A join {Referral_Name} for a call with me Example B Partnership — construction services for {Company} Example C Should I speak with {Referral}?
Bad subject lines are vague, lacking empathy and clarity:
Example A Just checking in Example B Meeting request Example C How can {Your_Company} help you?
How to compose compelling body text for meeting request email
When writing your email, use empathy. Understand your target audience and bring evidence to support your claims.
You want to achieve a compelling body text that is logical, engaging, and enjoyable to read. Here’s how to do it right:
- Get to the point. Your email should be direct. The recipient doesn’t want to wade through a lot of text to find out what you’re asking. Be clear about what you expect from the meeting and why it would benefit the recipient.
- Provide value. Offer something of value to the potential client. Whether it’s information, insight, or access to your network, make sure there’s something in it for them. Nobody wants to waste their time on a meeting that isn’t worth their while.
- Lay out the evidence. If you can’t prove your offer’s value, why would anyone want to do business with you? If you’ve already helped past clients achieve success, use their stories as proof of your expertise. Be sure to get permission before using names or quotes.
- Avoid clichés. Using clichés in your email makes it sound like you’re not being sincere or that you don’t have anything original to say. Steer clear of phrases like “let’s touch base,” and instead focus on communicating why this meeting is necessary and what you hope to achieve from it.
- Be creative. Breaking the mold of standard business emails pays off. If you can make your recipient smirk at your wittiness, then they will at least give your proposal a second look. Sounding natural is the crucial element here.
Here are several of the Belkins team’s favorite meeting-request email samples:
Example A
Hi {Name},
This is {Sender name}, and I am pretty sure we can assist {Company} in improving the development efficiency, so I planned to call, but I know exactly how it will go, so I decided to write a recap right away:
- {Sender name}: Hi, {First name}! I wanted to reach out and share how you can fill any gaps in your team with remote specialists at a competitive rate. Do you have a few minutes to hear me out?
- {First name}: Hi! I am busy, and I think we’ll search for a vendor if we’re interested.
- {Sender name}: Of course. Let me know if you’d be interested in having a quick overview of our capabilities and pricing. We have an outstanding model where you are contracted just for developers, excluding the project management, and we don’t invoice you unless you’re fully happy with the result.
- {First name}: Hmm … That does sound interesting, but now is not a good time, so let’s pencil in something for next week.
So, shall we skip to the good part and arrange a quick chat next week to discuss {Company}’s current needs?
Example B
{Name},
Our principal, {ClientName}, has asked me to reach out to you directly and schedule an appointment to explore potential partnership/collaboration opportunities.
{ClientName} is a certified and highly experienced advisor in corporate finance, venture capital, corporate development, P&L responsibility, turnarounds, and restructurings, holding accreditations and degrees in the same.
If you encounter a situation where you need to take over the management of troubled venture capital and private equity funds, Mr. {ClientName} would be glad to help as part of your team. It is also helpful to him to learn more about your practice for possible referral opportunities.
Example C
Hi {Name},
I have some friends who work as pediatricians in {State}, and their constant complaint is that they have to juggle everything when it comes to providing mental/behavioral care: medication management, finding providers accepting referrals, etc.
Have you considered working with providers in a collaborative care model? This has become a viable option to reduce waiting times for families, and there’s no more calling around to multiple practices. I work at {Company}, which collaborates with pediatricians like you, and have seen the approach in real life.
How to end your email with an invitation that will get a positive response
When proposing a time for a business appointment, consider the schedules of all parties. Avoid time slots when the potential client is likely busy or unavailable.
Let’s hear what Yuriy Boyko, head of account management at Belkins, has to say about this:
“When proposing a time slot for an appointment, avoid Monday. C-level people usually have a lot of sync meetings with other teams to plan their week. Especially if we are talking about the IT industry, they work using sprints workflow. Also, avoid Friday afternoons; top managers tend to stop working early on this day. The perfect time would be Wednesday or Thursday mornings.”
Here is how to make an effective email invitation that encourages the reader to take action:
- Set a clear expectation for what the meeting will entail. Be specific about your purpose and what you hope to accomplish.
- Suggest a time for the meeting that is convenient for everyone. Prepare for some flexibility with your schedule and show that you can adjust the exact slot if necessary.
- Make it easy for the reader to reply to your invitation. Propose the next step at the end of the email so it’s easy to notice when scanning your text.
Good email invitations spare your recipient the hassle of planning and are easy to accept:
Example A Can I connect you and {ClientName} next Wednesday at 1 p.m.? Example B Would love to tell you more! Let’s have a brief chat, say, on Wednesday? Example C Would it be possible to arrange a quick meeting with you and your team next Tuesday or Thursday? Example D Sounds like a plan worth considering? I’ll be happy to dive into details next Tuesday at 3 p.m. I appreciate your time and attention.
Supercharge your invitation with situational email templates
For the success of the meeting setup, your invitation email has to come at the right moment.
You can set up a personal connection before you even meet by tracking your prospective client’s activities and showing your awareness of their schedule and business status.
Here are several situational personalization opportunities that will supercharge your chances of email success. Try setting up a meeting when your target client is:
- Attending industry events, conferences, or seminars
- Starting a new role
- Going on a business trip
- Leaving negative reviews
- Launching a new branch or product
The examples below were developed by the Belkins team for several of these causes and proved to be especially effective:
Example A
Subject: {Name}, let’s grab a coffee at eTail
Hi {Name},
As I’m heading to eTail Canada, I’m looking forward to making new connections there.
I’ll try not to miss the {SessionName} on {Date} at {Time} where you’ll be speaking, and I’m excited to hear about all the great things you’ve been doing for {Company}’s clients and the industry. I’m sure we can have a productive conversation on how global payment trends can support e-commerce growth.
How about we meet up on Sep. 28th in the Expo Hall for a morning coffee or exchange insights and perspectives during the Networking Luncheons on Sep. 28th / 29th? We can meet right before the {SessionName} that starts at {Time}. Thus, we could have a 20-minute chat on our way to {Session Place}.
Example B
Subject: {name} — congrats on your new role at {company}!
Hi {Name},
We were researching {Сompany} and noticed you have a new position. Congrats!
Our VP asked me to follow up to share more info about us since you may not be familiar with {Company}.
It would be excellent to set up a presentation to tell you about …{value}
Example C
Subject: regarding negative reviews
Hi {Name},
I was browsing through {Source} and have found a few frustrated reviews from {Company} about {Platform} deployment. Are you exploring any alternatives at this time?
Your team at {Company} could leverage {OurPlatform} as one platform to accelerate your sales, marketing, and service. The product is a leader in multiple Gartner reports and has rave user reviews on TrustRadius, G2, and others. {Platform} is a no-code CRM, so your users can configure and customize the system quickly and with no pain.
Our product is available to test drive for 14 days, but I would love to walk you or your {Referral} through the demo and focus on relevant features
Takeaway — a checklist to double-proof your email for scheduling a meeting
Are you done already? Double-check these elements before sending to ensure your email will land you a meeting.
- Check that the heading is short and relevant. You want to avoid using all caps or excessive exclamation points.
- Check that the body of the email has a logical structure, delivers value, and provides a compelling argument. You want your point to be clear throughout the text.
- Check the copy to ensure it doesn’t have spam words, grammatical or spelling mistakes, or irrelevant jargon.
- Make sure every sentence is easy to read.
- Double-check the client’s name spelling.
- Check that the formatting looks professional. If you must emphasize anything, keep it consistent: Don’t mix bold and italics.
- Make sure the call to action is specific and easy to reply to.
- Ensure the signature is professional and up to date.
- Check that the attachments are relevant and bring value.
Now your meeting request email is good to go!
You can find more tips on crafting efficient sales and lead generation emails in our blog or listen to expert advice from the Belkins podcasts.
