Handshake HQ is designed to be an easy and effective way to streamline your follow-up. This one page has help for using the system and useful links on the right for improving your effectiveness.

Login and Password
Handshake HQ is currently doing beta testing with a limited number of users (invitation only). You cannot sign up through a public form yet, but keep checking back and it will be live in June 2007.

If you currently have a beta account, you may log in or request your password by using the tabs above.

Group Accounts
For beta, we are currently only testing the individual accounts. Group account testing will be added before release.

Getting Started
Once you sign up, the quickest way to get started is to add a good signature on the "your settings" page (link at top right).

After that, add a few templates. You can click on the "Template" tab and choose Get Starter Template at the top of the page. Use these public starter templates to get ideas for your own custom email follow-up templates.

Building Templates
To build a template, choose the template tab. It will default to the new template form, but you may switch to the Edit Template or Get Starter Template option.

Use the keys listed in the column to the right to customize the template. This will help you personalize the template quickly. Be sure to end your template with the **sig flag as well. That will put your system signature at the end of your email automatically.

When you save the template, you can set it for personal, account wide or draft status. Personal will only be seen by you. Account will be useable by everyone in your account. Draft will only be available in the edit template option.

Remember: In Handshake HQ, you will send messages one at a time. You cannot blast out to a big list. So if you are missing a value for a flag, you will still have a chance to review it before hitting send.

Contacts
You will always be prompted to add a contact email first. If you have contacted them before through Handshake HQ, you will see the past contacts. If you have not, you will see a form to fill out for their contact information. EVERY FIELD IS OPTIONAL. In an effort to make Handshake HQ as simple as possible, only email is required. However, if you are using email template flags, you may want to fill in more information so that the email is personalized for you.

If you enter contact information but do not send a message, they will be listed as status pending until a message is sent. This allows you to add a bunch of contacts and later go back and send the messages. The contact tab has a quick link on the right to view all pending contacts.

Sending Messages
Handshake HQ is a very specialized product. It allows you to send well-crafted and personal emails effectively. It does not send bulk email. It does not allow scheduling an email at a later time.

It does help you create a better email that is easy to reuse without seeming like a template. It helps you improve your messaging and quickly go through a stack of new business cards, or a list from a group you just spoke to, and thank them or let them know where to find out more information. See the strategy guide in the right column.

Question or Problem? Contact: support@handshakehq.com