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Passive Aggressive car dealer email made me laugh today.

I use and at times recommend using a "break up" email. If written well, they trigger emotion with the average consumer. Maybe not always the emotion you're hopping for but it's a response... and many times, that's all we're looking for.

@MikeHaeg - thanks for linking to HubSpot's 6 Breakup Emails to Make Response Rates Soar presentation on slideshare.

One of the examples in the HubSpot presentation closely mimics the one I use(d)...

[First Name],

I'm in the process of closing my customer files from the previous months.

I've tried contacting you several times with no success in hearing back from you.

When I haven’t heard back from someone it usually means they’re either really busy, have made a purchase already or no longer interested. If you're no longer interested, do I have permission to close your file?

If you're still shopping, how may I help you?

[Signature]


Plain text only, nothing that would prevent it from missing the inbox, keep it short and sweet, NOT passive aggressive in any way. You'll be happy with the response rate. :)

I'm not one for setting this up in the CRM as an auto triggered email unless everyone on the team is on game, because if you have NOT tried to contact the customer as you say you have, you look pretty dumb. This is when it provokes a response you may not be looking for. But then again, even if it's not the one you're looking for, there's always the possibility of steering it back into the right direction.

You could also throw in a bit of humor (while being sincere) and send a for-real like breakup email. Use one of these email templates to fuel your creativity... what do you have to loose?