Help! Breezy email to reconnect with clients - wording?

[NooNooMummy]

Can one of you whose good with words please help!
I need to connect with some old clients to see if they'll give me work again. I've been really busy and neglected them and actually turned down work from them. But I really need their work now!
Or maybe they don't need me any more? Or maybe they weren't that happy with me anyway...
Help!

[NooNooMummy]

Thanks everyone! So helpful! Sometimes my mind just goes blank ...

[ShotsFired]

Second @hbigdaddio's suggestion but wanted to doubly-second this bit: try to add something personal but it depends what sort of relationship you have with them.

So if you know them well enough, a bit of friends/family/local area smalltalk;

Or failing that, google/search their site for press releases or mentions in the news and replay it back to them - "congrats on winning the BigFuckoff Customer Service Prize last week, I bet Anna was delighted!"

Or failing that, send them a timely and appropriate link to something you have found online (LinkedIn is very good for this sort of thing). "I saw this article about widgets and I thought it was a really good insight into widgetry, and knowing you are a supplier to the widget industry, thought it'd be interesting..."

[Eatingcheeseontoast]

Summer promo - definitely would work.

[ohbigdaddio]

I usually send an email - friendly, casual, but making it clear I'm available for work. I try to add something personal but it depends what sort of relationship you have with them.

Something like...

Hi XX,

Hope you are well and things are good at (Company Name)? Hope you enjoyed your holiday to France. (insert 'personal' bit here if you know them fairly well!)

I thought I'd get in touch as I'm available and wondered if you had any projects coming up? If so, I'd love to work on them for you.

Look forward to hearing from you,

NooNooMummy

[NooNooMummy]

Great idea . THANKS!

[TrollTheRespawnJeremy]

Maybe put out a summer promo? People are always keen to reconnect over a bargain.