Your prospect didn’t respond. Or a hot prospect went cold. You’ve followed up with email – and still nothing.
There’s a chance you didn’t get through to the people you needed to reach. But there’s a bigger chance you didn’t build enough intrigue in your first contact.
Don’t give up. Send another email. Send several follow-up e-mails.
E-mail offers unique second, third or more chances to win a sale.
But recognize there’s a sweet spot for followup. Conversion rates are 36% higher with prospects who receive five messages before a personal contact than with prospects who get more follow up emails, according to research from Velocify.
Get follow-up email timing, frequency right
So how many and how often? This guide from close.io can help:
For cold email, send just five follow-ups. When you’ve had some interaction and responses, but nothing definitive, continue follow-up email until you get a clear, “no” or close the sale.
Try a schedule like this after your initial email message:
- Day 2: First follow-up
- Day 3: Second follow-up
- Day 7: Third follow-up
- Day 14: Fourth follow-up
- Day 28: Fifth follow-up (Stop messages here if it’s a cold lead with no response)
- Day 42: Sixth follow-up
- Continue follow-up monthly with warm leads.
6 tips for every follow-up email you send
You’ll send follow-up email for hundreds of reasons. And you’ll want to address something specific to each of those (more on that in the template sections).
But these tips will make almost every follow-up email you ever send more effective.
- Keep it short. Really short. Some experts argue that a follow-up should be just three sentences. You can be that brief, but if you want to be a bit longer, stop shy of eight sentences.
- Get personal. Add something to make it feel personalized – at a minimum, a first name. But a personal, recent connection is much better.
- Ask just one question. Don’t complicate it with more than one question. Several questions only make the message inviting for prospects to delete.
- Make it easy. The one question needs to be so uncomplicated that it’s easy for prospects to reply within seconds.
- Be specific. Make your one question specific to what you want – a meeting, yes-or-no response, call time, etc.
- Add a post-script. Messages after a signature – a P.S. or FYI – sometimes get read more than the body of the email. Include a call to action with an embedded URL when appropriate.
Here are 11 circumstances when you might send follow-up emails, plus templates to make them effective.
Cold call follow-up email
You send this message within 24 hours of an initial cold call.
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me today. I enjoyed learning about (key takeaway on prospect pain point).
We’ve helped (happy customer company name 1) achieve (goal similar to what prospect wants to achieve). I believe we can help (prospect company name) also.
I attached the information on how we can (benefit mentioned in cold call).
Let’s talk again this week. Can you do (specific day at time A, B or C)?
Best,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Following up on our conversation yesterday. My boss asked for an update on it, and I didn’t immediately have one to give.
I’d like to continue the conversation on (a benefit you discussed) for (prospect company name). What makes sense for you?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Lead magnet follow-up email
Send this follow-up after prospects set off automatic online trigger such as e-newsletter sign-up or request for white paper.
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks again for (action that triggered event).
I know from working with companies such as (similarly situated happy customer company 1 and 2) that (key issue) is a challenge. We’ve helped them achieve (quantifiable goal) with our (solution).
You’ve taken the first step. Now, let me take you to the finish line successfully.
Check out this case study (embedded URL here). Then reply to this email so we can schedule a chat.
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
It’s been three days since you (action that triggered event).
Now that you’ve had a chance to (read the e-newsletter/see the white paper/use the trial/etc.), I wanted to see what you thought.
I think there’s something more you’d appreciate in this (case study/industry article with embedded URL here).
Can we set up a call or skype tomorrow at (time A, B, or C)?
Regards,
(Your signature)
External trigger follow-up email
Send this as a follow-up message to your original after you identified a prospect through an outside trigger such as industry news or regulation change.
Hi (Prospect name),
Sending my congratulations again on (noteworthy event). I know from my experience with (prospect specific role or prospect company industry) that this can be a significant time of (change/exploration/excitement).
I still believe we might be able to help you achieve (specific goal to overcome pain point).
Please reply to this email so we can set up a time to chat later this week.
Sincerely,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Hope you’re still reaping in the benefits of (noteworthy event or news).
I’ve worked with other companies such as (happy customer company name 1) work through (industry challenge). Is (industry challenge) affecting you, too?
I’d love to chat about (noteworthy event or news) and how (your company name) and (prospect company name) can work together to move forward successfully. Can we schedule this week?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Web inquiry contact follow-up email
Follow up with prospects who filled out your website contact form within the last 24 hours.
Hi (Prospect name),
I see you recently visited us and I wanted to make sure you received the answers and information you wanted on (subject).
Here’s an article on (key issue) I thought you would find interesting: (embedded URL here).
Let me know what you think. Reply to this or call me at (your direct number) to set up a good time to chat later this week.
Best,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Two of your colleagues were checking out our (product page/solution) this week. (Solution) is focused on helping (companies or people) achieve (your value statement).
When do you have 10 minutes to talk about (solution) your colleagues have been researching?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Outbound call follow-up email
You want to send these within minutes of leaving a phone message.
Hi (Prospect name),
I tried calling and couldn’t reach you. I know how busy it gets in (prospect industry or job title).
When you have time today, please reply here to let me know if there’s a better time to call to chat just five minutes about (prospect pain point).
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
I just called to (explain your purpose in a sentence).
In my voicemail, I said I’d try to reach you (specific day and time), but you can reach me at (your phone number) at a different time that works best for you or shoot me an email.
I look forward to connecting.
Regards,
(Your signature)
Inbound call follow-up email
You want to follow up almost immediately with prospects who call or email your company. Note: While email is important in this situation, you’ll want to make a phone call, too.
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks for calling to talk about (reason for call). I want to make sure you got the information you need at this point.
(Prospect pain point) can be overwhelming, so I’ve included a case study here on how (similar happy customer company name) was able to overcome (key issue) with our help.
Can we schedule a follow-up conversation, so I can learn more about your challenges and how we can help? Are you available (specific day at time A, B or C)?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks for your call about (reason for call). I understand (colleague’s name) gave you some answers.
I can give you more information and details on (prospect pain point) and (your solution).
When can I call you for a chat about (reason for call)?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Networking event follow-up email
Send these messages after your first message didn’t work post-tradeshow or post-networking event where the lead showed interest.
Hi (Prospect name),
Good to chat with you at (event name). I trust that you’ve had a chance to read my previous message and check out the (case study/white paper/article) I sent.
I’d love to hear what you think about (key issue prospect faces and specific point from information sent)?
Are you free (specific day and time) for a 10-minute conversation?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
It was great to connect with you at (event) on (specific day of previous week).
I was thinking about what you said about (key pain point) and thought you’d like to see this case study on how we helped (happy customer company name) achieve (specific goal). (Embedded URL here).
I’d love to chat about how this solution could be a good fit for you as you face (key pain point). Are you available for a phone call on (specific day, time A, B or C)?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Face-to-face meeting follow-up email
You’ve met or skyped personally. Get this message out within 24 hours.
Hi (Prospect name),
Thank you for taking the time to chat about (prospect’s challenges and your solution).
Are you ready to (specific next step)?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks for giving me the chance to speak with you yesterday. Good news for you today.
I check with my (boss/warehouse/designer/IT) and they will be happy to make (prospect special request) happen.
When do you want to proceed?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Proposal/quote follow-up email
You want to send this after prospects request a proposal or quote, you’ve made one and they didn’t order.
Hi (Prospect name),
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to (meet with you/make a proposal/offer a quote) yesterday.
Here’s a quick recap of what we covered.
- (Benefit 1)
- (Benefit 2)
- (Benefit 3)
What questions do you have about what we can do for (prospect company name) now?
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
I want to make sure everything is clear in the proposal outlining how we might be able to help you with (specific prospect issue). Is (benefit you provide) still your priority?
What questions and concerns can I address now and what’s the next step you want to take?
Sincerely,
(Your signature)
Double-take follow-up email
Send this to follow up after one or a few messages are met with no response.
Hi (Prospect name),
Sorry we haven’t been able to connect recently. The last time we spoke, you seemed quite interested in (your solution).
I realize you could be quite busy, so I’d be happy to schedule a call outside of regular business hours if that works better. Or, if your priorities have shifted, would it be better to schedule some time when (key issue) is your chief priority?
Please let me know either way.
Regards,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Since you last heard from me, we’ve worked with (happy customer company name 1) to (overcome prospect challenge) and achieve (quantifiable goal).
I understand you’re busy and (prospect challenge) may not be your top priority now. I want to be available when you’re ready to tackle this.
When can I schedule a time in the coming months to reach out again?
Best,
(Your signature)
Lead-gone-cold follow-up email
Send this message after an interested lead stops answering calls and email.
Hi (Prospect name),
We talked (and/or exchanged email) a while ago about (key pain point) and how we could be a great fit for (prospect company name).
Did you know that (happy customer company name 1 and 2) report (achievement) when they use our (solution name)?
Would you like to hear more about how we helped them in (specific time frame) – and some ideas I have on how we can help you achieve (a similar result)?
Cheers,
(Your signature)
Hi (Prospect name),
Since we last touched base about (prospect challenge), I’ve worked closely with companies like yours such as (happy customer company name 1 and 2) to (relevant benefit such as money saved, revenue-added or productivity increased).
You said that (prospect company name) also faces (prospect challenge). I’m wondering if you still do or if there’s a colleague who I need to contact with ideas on this.
Please let me know if we should schedule a 10-minute chat, or if there’s someone else I should contact.
Regards,
(Your signature)
