When a prospect reaches out to me, I need to be sure to include the following in my response…

• [ ] Request a loose budget
• [ ] Request a loose timeline
• [ ] Request a loose scope overview — ask for a list of rough “pages, features, etc.” they want
• [ ] Find out what they want the site to do for them
• [ ] Request some reference sites — with both likes and dislikes
• [ ] Give them the ability to book

Email Template

💡 Note from Zach: I personally do a bit more pre-filtering before I give people the ability to book. So for a template I’d use myself, it would end up getting split into two, most likely. One initial “probing” one to make sure they’re a good fit, and then another one with specific questions and a booking link.

Hi <<<PERSON_NAME>>>,

Thanks so much for getting in touch!

<<< PERSONALIZED INTRO; COMMENT ON THEIR LISTED SCOPE OR MAKE A PERSONAL CONNECTION >>>

I’d be happy to chat with you further to see how I can help with the site; here’s a link to my calendar booking tool if you want to find a time that works.

To help me prep for the call, could you please answer the following?

1. Do you have a budget you’ve set aside for this project? And is it over $XX,XXX? (I prefer to sink my teeth into really meaty, high-value projects for my clients, and I’m not currently in a position to take on any work under that $XX,XXX threshold)
   1. 💡 I used to ask “Do you have a loose budget range you’re targeting staying around?” but I like Brennan Dunn’s approach better, so the above is me shamelessly stealing that question from him and making some tweaks
2. Do you have a rough deadline you’re targeting?
3. Please send me an overview of the pages, features, etc. that you’re looking for on the site.
4. What are you hoping that the new site will fundamentally do for your business?