By Shannon Matson

I don’t know about you, but in my family we like to “play” boardgames.

Great ‘Sorry’ rivalries have been fought over the years, blood has been shed from battles of ‘Spoons’.

Personally, I’m one of those people that needs to understand how to win the game before I can start hearing about the rules of play. Meanwhile, some people, like my husband, can start rattling off the how-to logistics without knowing the ultimate goal.

Him: You’ll pick up a card, say the question, beat the timer, and move your piece….

Me: For whyyy!?

I struggle to understand the strategy if I don’t first see the destination.

Before we collect $200, let’s talk about the ultimate destination of your conversion email sequence.

An email sequence is an automated series of emails that send to the subscriber based on a certain action. Meaning, they gave their email in exchange for your free resource and are now receiving an email from you every 1-4 days that’s introducing your business.

When we focus this email sequence on conversion, we’ll orient the copy around one call-to-action. This CTA isn’t limited to “Buy Now”. Your conversion goal can ask the lead to apply for your high ticket offer, book a call, join a workshop, etc.

What goes into a conversion email sequence

Let’s build it by beginning with our bookends:

• What’s your offer?

• What’s your lead magnet?

Think of the lead magnet as the first step and the offer as the last step. When we know where our subscribers are going, we can masterfully build a through-line to the CTA. This through-line is the email sequence, and each email has a main purpose.

*Keep in mind that typically the conversion emails are going to send AFTER the nurture emails. This article is exclusively focused on the latter portion.

What are the building blocks of the conversion email sequence?

1. Presenting the Ask (Offer, Sales Call, Workshop, etc.)
   
   Through the nurture emails, the goal is for your subscribers to now know, like and trust you and your business. They’re ready for the “ask”, which is the call-to-action we’ve been priming them for.
   
   One of the emails in the conversion sequence needs to own the “ask” so it’s abundantly clear what the prospect’s next step is.
   
   
   
2. Different Takes or Angles
   
   Now, we need to follow the Ask up with different Takes as to why this is THE solution the prospect’s been seeking. Otherwise we’re in “hit it and quit it” territory. We’re the person who proposes after 2 years together and then runs away to Alaska if their significant other needs to think about it. (Ouchie? Yes. But we need to see it through if we want to be together forever.)
   
   These emails can expand or contract dependent on how much your prospects need to hear in order to make a decision. For example, a $1,500 investment might need five “take” emails, where a sales call might need only two.
   
   Consider including:
   – Your proprietary framework that’s woven into the offer / ask
   – Busting a myth or limiting belief (AKA overcome objections)
   – Telling the origin story of the offer / ask
   – Inspiring with a list of “imagine if” pieces that help prospects see what’s waiting on the other side
   – Explain who this offer / ask ISN’T for to help the prospects qualify or disqualify themselves
   
   
   
3. Results from Past Purchasers
   
   In any industry or any ‘ask’, showing social proof is an absolute necessity.
   
   Consider including:
   – Written out testimonials
   – Thorough case studies (show the beginning, middle and end)
   – Screenshots of quotes or results sent to you by past purchasers
   – Testimonial videos of past purchasers sharing their experience
   
   
   
4. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
   
   Channel your teenage self, and imagine knowing that your friends are all at the party of the season and you’re grounded at home. The stirring inside of you was enough to consider exiting through a window and shimmying down the drainpipe.
   
   Now, we don’t want anyone making a decision out of desperation or without thinking through their options thoroughly, but we humans respond well to a little enticement.
   
   There are four main types of FOMO:
   – Urgency: “The cart is closing in 12 hours”
   – Scarcity: “There are only 3 spots available”
   – Exclusivity: “This is the only way to gain access to me, or to this offer”
   – Inclusivity: “Once you purchase, there’s a community of supporters waiting to cheer you along”
   
   
   
5. Incentive to Say Yes
   
   The big sister of FOMO, is the incentive to say yes. Where oftentimes FOMO is emotional and intangible, the incentive to say yes is logical and measurable.
   
   Incentives may include:
   – Calls: 1:1 call with the expert, accountability calls, Q&A calls, etc.
   – Material Reviewal: Submit for feedback, or office hours time to bring your items for review
   – Messaging Support: Group or solo Voxer or Slack for questions and accountability
   – Bonus DFY Resources: Swipe copy, Canva graphics, calendars, spreadsheets, etc.
   – Bonus Education Resources: Exclusive training, access to guest experts trainings
   – Bundle Deals: Discounts or inclusions of other products that complement the main offer
   
   
   
6. Decision Support
   
   I know it’s easy to cringe when you think about including a sales call in your automated sales journey, but it can oftentimes be the swiftest way for someone to make a decision.
   
   I encourage you to consider the significance of this investment for many people – be that time, money or needing to undergo a change. In my opinion, it’s cool to care, and giving someone 15 minutes of your time may mean the most impact for both of you.
   
   Okay let me get off my ‘operate from radical care’ soapbox.
   
   Types of decision support:
   – A call (as covered above)
   – Success stories page on your website
   – Encouraging them to respond: This may be to the email, to direct message you on social media, to respond to your text if you’re using the service. No matter how they reach out, be sure to have the systems in place to learn about the notification and respond in a timely manner
   – Host office hours support Zoom room once a week where any new prospects in your conversion email sequence can pop on and ask their questions
   – Provide a 14 or 30 day money back guarantee if this applies to your type of offer

A few PSAs for your conversion email sequence: 

• Once the prospect purchases, remove them from remainder of the conversion email sequence
• Consider including an “abandoned cart” email sequence if they made it to checkout and bounced
• If you’re interested in paid ads, deploying retargeting ads would be ideal while your prospect is in the sales portion of your funnel – these act as reinforcements of the emails you’re sending in their social media feeds

How do we begin designing, how many emails should be included, what are the time delays in-between? 

This all depends on the “length of the journey” for your leads. Meaning, from where they currently are, is the ‘ask’ something that they can accomplish within seven days, or will it take six months to hit the goal?

Take some time to think over the following questions, OR perform market research with your current audience:

• How long will it take them to arrive at the transformation? 
• Are the funds available in their bank account, or do they need to go secure it? 
• Do they have a base knowledge, or will this be mind-blowing and a LOT to chew on?

All of this comes down to your audience’s current sophistication level.

Here are a few examples:

Holistic Skin Specialist 

Their offer suite consists of…

• Entry program: Elimination Cleanse (figure out what’s bugging)
• Low program: Healing the Environment (tests, habit tracking, meal prepping for success) 
• Mid program: Clear Skin for the Win (introduces supplements, diet pattern interrupts, full lifestyle transition) 

*Not familiar with my Strategic Offer Suite model? Watch this free workshop to see the Entry to Anchor Framework revealed.

The program they’re looking to sell within their conversion email sequence is the Mid tier program – Clear Skin for the Win, let’s say it’s priced at $697, and they want the prospect to buy the program outright.

There are two audience sects who are ready to be sold this offer:

1. Graduates of the Entry-Low programs
   These individuals may need just 3-4 emails to be fully sold as they’re already ingratiated into the brand
   
   
2. First time purchasers (of varying beginner-advanced levels)
   These individuals may need 7-10 emails to be convinced that this is their problem, the offer is the right solution, this person is the expert for them, and now is the time

Let’s make a sales sequence for our Holistic Skin Specialist: 

• [Nurture portion of email sequence happens first, then…] 
  
• Email 1: Offer Presentation with 20% discount lasting 5 days
  
• Email 2: Myth busting – None of the medical-grade, celebrity-made products will work for you (until XYZ); reminder 20% off expires in 3 days
  
• Email 3: Results – Step by step case study of Amber who…, screenshots in footer; reminder 20% off for 48 hours more
  
• Email 4: Who this isn’t for / inclusivity – This isn’t for people who aren’t ready to make change, if you ARE ready for change you have a Slack channel of likeminded people on the same journey waiting to welcome you in; Final 24 hours 
  
• Email 5: Urgency / Decision Support – The cart is closing In 12 hours! Need to chat 1:1, reply to this email I treat my inbox like a text thread I’ll get back to you [honestly] asap 
  
• Email 6: Inspiration – Imagine walking into your partner’s work gala beaming, going live on IG stories without a face of makeup and the smoothing filter, only 2 more hours to step into the REAL you 
  

Now let’s take a Client Experience Strategist

They’re selling a $2,500 VIP Day via their conversion email sequence, and the ‘ask’ is for the prospect to place a deposit.

The Client Experience Strategist is open to working with a myriad of sophistication levels – Beginners that need their Dubsado or Honeybook workflows built from scratch, Intermediate individuals that need their existing systems cleaned up, or Advanced individuals they can add to their current systems AND create custom UX proposals for. 

How long is it going to take their average lead to convert? What does this prospect they need to see prior?

Your homework:

Start by designing your conversion email sequence by thinking about your MVL: Most Viable Lead. Build it JUST for that one person, make it as long or short as they need in order to convert comfortably.

From there, expand to other sophistication levels. If someone too beginner opts in, how will they be lovingly redirected to an entry program? If someone too advanced opts in, how will we segment them to a higher tier offer?

^ This is where cross selling begins. But that’s a conversation for a different blog post.