How many emails do you get on an average day? If you are like most, you get hundreds, if not thousands. Some are interesting, most are distracting, but very few are annoying. 

Let me ask another question. When following up with a buyer or investor, do you worry about sending an email too soon and being considered pushy or aggressive?

I no longer remember the source, but I recall the stat that it takes between seven and twelve touches to drive engagement. One last question: sorry to make this more of a pop quiz than an article. How frequently and how many follow-up emails do you send?

Most of us, triage. We are overwhelmed by the volume of information, inquiries, and crap that flood our inboxes, voicemails, texts, and Slack channels. We respond to the simple, review the important, blow off the distracting, and pledge to return to things that require more time and energy but rarely do.

The latter is where most of your outreach and follow-up fails. Buyers and investors get emails from entrepreneurs making brilliant, well-thought-out cases for their brands. The emails are long and require time and focus, so they are often on the back burner. Ten days later, that same entrepreneur sends another long email, trying not to be pushy. Again, that email is cast aside as something requiring precious time. No progress is made. The entrepreneur weaves a self-narrative about the lack of interest, while the well-intentioned recipient has forgotten all about the emails. 

This calls for radical persistence. If your emails are constructed artfully and empathetically, they are more likely to get the recipient’s attention. They won’t be construed as aggressive and will move the process forward. 

Radical persistence starts with empathy. Think about the person on the other end and how you can simplify responding to your email. Understand that it takes seven to twelve touches to drive engagement, and if you are going to move things forward, you’ll need to let go of your self-narrative. 

My suggestions are simple. Make your subject actionable, and keep your emails short, between 50 and 150 words. Forget trying to make every point in your email. Instead, make one strong one. 

Leveraging technology set up an automated sequence that is between seven and twelve emails long. The first three of four might include one salient point of your argument. The next few reminders might be, “Just bringing this to the top of your inbox.” The next cluster could include additional information like a win or an article. You can get a little bolder when you get to the end of the sequence. For example, the subject line “Is everything okay?” has worked very well for me. 

The benefit of automated sequencing is that you set it once, and it happens in the background. That eliminates all the rumination around what and when to send an email. It also ensures that your day-to-day busyness doesn’t prevent you from following up.

We are all inundated with information. Yet, if we want people to engage, take action, and move things forward, we must be radical in our persistence. Do it, and you’ll get things done.