Write a Sales Follow Up Email to Get 26% More Response

A follow-up email has a special place in the dictionary of salespeople. Not all individuals will make the purchase right after receiving the first email. There are also those whom you have to follow up with. And the numbers of the latter are way higher! That is why follow-up emails are so important in sales.

It may initially seem that when a person has not bothered to reply to your first email, he or she may not do so for the second, third, and fourth one too.

Luck may not be in your favor initially, but you will be able to close the deal by persistently following up, and that is why follow-up emails are essential. However, when a potential customer wants your product or service, the chances of their responding will be higher.

Most often, follow-up emails fall flat because salespeople send them just for the sake of it. What they fail to understand is that every follow-up email is an opportunity in itself to turn a prospect into a customer.

If you want to know how to write a follow-up email after no response, this article is for you.

Let’s start.

• Follow Up Email Statistics
• Benefits of Follow Up Email
• How many follow-up emails should you send?
• Guidelines for Follow Up Emails
• The right time to send a follow-up email
• How to write a follow-up email?
• Follow Up Email Subject Lines
• 20 Follow Up Email Templates
• How to use the templates effectively

Follow Up Email Statistics

Research says that a single follow-up email can increase the reply rate from 9% to 13%.

Also, sending more follow-up emails increases the reply rate three times.

Fifty percent of sales occur after the 5th follow-up. But on average, sales reps only make two attempts to reach out to a prospect.

Also, prospects may say NO five times before saying a YES, but it is disappointing to note that 44 percent of sales reps tend to give up after one follow-up and 22 percent give up after two emails to which they get no response.

That directly means that salespeople need to be more persistent to close more sales. The prospect may not be affirmative initially, but after a few follow-ups, they may say yes.

Benefits of Follow Up Email

There are several benefits of sending follow up emails:

1) Increase in conversion

Not everyone would open the email sent to them initially. There are various reasons for that. The person can be busy or unable to spot the email in their overcrowded inbox. You can do your bit by sending a follow-up email, and the chances of conversion increase. That is precisely what you want, right?

2) Help in filtering the audience

Some people have no interest in your product or service right from the start. They are simply around hoping that you might give them some freebies. Follow-up emails filter out such uninterested people, and you get to focus on genuine leads.

3) Building brand trust

When you send follow-up emails to prospects, you show them that your brand cares for their needs. It helps in building a good brand image, and as a result, there are higher conversions.

How many follow-up emails should one send?

So, how much is too much?

2 to 3 follow-up emails are the correct number, and there is research to back it.

However, please note that even a single follow-up email can do the trick. It increases the reply rate by 40% when compared to the first email.

There are many other factors that matter too.

For example, if you began your relationship with the prospect via cold emailing, you shouldn’t send more than 2 follow-up emails. On the other hand, if your relationship with the prospect is beyond cold emails, you can try following up till you receive a reply from the other end.

However, there is no hard and fast rule. Results are good even for those who choose to send one initial email to prospects followed by seven follow-ups.

Guidelines for follow up emails after no response

Here are some pointers you should keep in mind when following up on prospects:

1) Don’t wait for too long before sending your follow up mail

Your first follow-up email should hit the prospect’s inbox ideally after a waiting period of 2–3 days.

The waiting period then has to be extended for every follow-up email you send after that.

It is important because it shouldn’t appear as if you are spamming someone’s inbox. Nobody likes to be bothered, and it also creates an image of you being a pushy salesperson.

2) Include a call-to-action in the follow-up email

The communication between the prospect and you should have a call-to-action each time. There should not be any uncertainty.

For example, ‘We would love to hear from you’ is not asking for a close. It would be much better to put up a firm question such as ‘Can I call you for your feedback on Monday?’ This is because it would require the prospect to take some action.

3) Never copy and paste old content

When writing the email, just pause and think from the recipient’s point of view. Nobody would like the same old content being presented to them once again.

That is when you realize that to get the desired results, you have to put in efforts. Change the subject line, come up with a different greeting, and change the way you close the email. Perhaps trying new things will make the prospect respond actively.

4) Tweak your call-to-action if it doesn’t get you a response

When you don’t get a response after the first follow-up email, consider changing your call-to-action for the subsequent ones.

For instance, if you have asked for a meeting already and have not received any response from the recipient, try requesting a referral. If that doesn’t work, you can go ahead and try something else. That is how to follow up on an email after no response.

5) Don’t confuse the prospect

Tricking your potential customer is no sound while it may seem tempting. Being dishonest and using a subject line like “Re: Our telephonic conversation” to grab attention is not ethical.

Be a salesperson in the right spirit by being straightforward and keeping the email subject lines clear.

6) Don’t have a rude undertone in your emails

Anyone can get annoyed upon not getting a response to their emails but being in sales; you must be more patient.

Having a rude undertone in your follow-up emails can make offend the prospect, and you may lose them forever. It is, therefore, vital to keep your cool.

There can be lines like ‘We understand that you are occupied’. This kind of empathy may perhaps help you get a reply from the prospect.

7) Add a reference to your previous interaction

Another suggestion on how to follow up on an email after no response is to mention that you had sent an email a while back.

You can brush up on the prospect’s memory by referring to the interactions you had with them previously. The person may not remember but is more likely to respond if reminded about previous interactions.

It is better to give a reference to the last email in the subject line of the email.

8) Make the email worth opening

You should add value to your follow-up email rather than sending lazy ones. The clear-cut fact is that you need to make it worth opening and responding to.

The use of free items or services to grab prospects’ attention is a widespread practice in marketing. The freebies are called lead magnets, and you can use them in your follow-up emails to make conversions.

It would be a good idea to offer an item that needs to be shipped or something that can be sent online, such as an e-book, a template, or something else.

Ensure that whatever incentive you give is relevant and would be helpful. The point is that prospects won’t respond to you if you don’t have anything to offer.

9) Mention the reason for emailing

State the reason why you are sending a follow-up email in a short and sweet style. When you tell your intent to the prospect, things turn better. This is a good suggestion for any sales team wondering how to write a follow up email.

10) Say no to breakup emails

If you have tried all possible gimmicks in the rule book and still have not got a reply, it is better to stop following up for the time being. You can come back after a few months.

Waiting is much better than sending breakup emails with lines like ‘As you haven’t replied, maybe you are not interested.’ You will lose the prospect forever that way which is not good for your business at all.

The right time to send a follow up email

Timing matters a lot, especially in sales. So, when it comes to sending follow up emails, you have to be very careful. The wrong timing can make the recipient toss the email into the trash folder without even opening it.

Here are some guidelines for you:

1) Avoid sending follow up emails on weekends and Monday morning

Sending follow up email on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday is not the best thing to do. Most people organize their inbox when the week starts and get rid of emails that don’t seem necessary. Your follow-up email might also get deleted during the sorting out ritual. So, it is better not to send any emails on weekends and Mondays.

2) Fridays are the wrong time too

On Fridays, people plan stuff for the weekend, and nobody will be in the mood to look into new products and services. Just skip sending follow up emails on Fridays.

3) Send emails on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays

The mid-week is the ideal time to send follow up emails, that too in the afternoon. You can get good results by choosing to send emails on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays at 2 pm.

How to write a follow up email?

Here is a step-by-step approach to writing a follow-up email:

1) Find an objective to send a follow-up email

After meeting the prospect or getting in touch with them, you must consider sending a follow-up email. However, there has to be an objective or else the email will look somewhat awkward.

Find the most common objectives below:

i) Gathering information

At times, you can miss out on a piece of information while interacting with the prospect. You can state that in your follow up email. Also, add a CTA to make the prospect reply to you in a way you want them to.

ii) Requesting for a meeting

You can send a follow-up email requesting a meeting. Mention what you want to discuss and what is there in it for the prospect. You can let the prospect pick up a date on the calendar at his or her convenience using a meeting scheduler.

iii) Get in touch

Catching up with prospects through follow up emails is a good idea. It is better to do so when they have reached a remarkable milestone professionally. Gather first-hand information by sending them an email. After an accomplishment such as a business expansion, they may be interested in your products or services. Following up would be helpful in most cases.

iv) Say thank you

When you want to build your company’s image, it is essential to say thank you to your prospects. By being courteous, you will leave a good impression in the minds of people. As a result, they will remember you when they want your product or service later on. Chances are also high that the person will refer you to friends and colleagues.

So, when should you say thank you to prospects without it seeming odd?

When they:

• Give you a referral
• Reply to your email
• Help you in some way

Now that you know how to find an objective for your email, you can add your CTA so that the prospect knows what to do.

2) Begin the follow up email with some background information

Everyone receives way too many emails daily. So, if you send an email to a prospect, the chances of it getting missed are high. To avoid that, begin your email by giving the reference of your last email, meeting or conversation with the prospect. That will help you if this is the first follow up email from your side.

Mention about yourself and what the purpose of your email is. It is better to be straightforward and clear with your email’s opening sentence.

Begin with something like the following:

• Our last meeting was at <location or event>
• Last time we discussed <topic>
• Your colleague < name of the person> suggested that I get in touch with you.
• I am contacting you in connection with the email I sent to you last week <topic>

The above will surely be of help and grab the attention of the recipient.

3) Mention the purpose of your email

After beginning the email with the correct opening sentence, you should mention the email’s purpose. Please come straight to the point so that you don’t look like a time-waster. When you are specific, your prospects can understand the reason for the follow-up email. Therefore, you can expect a response from their end.

Here are a few ideas to state your purpose

• I request you to join me at <Event> as you will find it useful for < name of the prospect’s business>
• As discussed earlier, here is our service <url> which can help your company.

I hope you get the idea!

4) Decide what your subject line should be

The email’s subject line is the first thing that the recipient sees.

But why is this step on number 4?

It is so because once you have your email body ready, you can summarize the content in one line quickly and effectively. In other words, you can present what is there in the email in a much better way and send a meaningful message across.

Do you know that 33 percent of recipients open emails based on their subject line alone?

That is why you should be extra careful about the subject line of your follow up email.

Keep the following points in mind while writing the subject line of your follow up email:

• Make use of emojis. It will help you grab the recipient’s attention as a lot of people don’t do so.
• Mention that you offer a coupon, discount, or a time-limited deal to get the recipient to open the email.
• Clearly state what is there in the email in your subject line.
• Create some urgency and make them feel that they might miss out on something exciting.

Follow Up Email Subject Lines

No one will like reading emails with uninteresting subject lines. That is why you have to put in efforts to write convincing email subject lines.

Your email subject line should have the following qualities:

• It should provide a benefit

You have to mention what the recipient can get upon opening the email. People don’t go around reading emails that have nothing to offer to them.

In case your product or service aims at helping prospects increase their revenue, you have to mention that in your subject line.

Example- “Increase revenue by 20% with <product or service>.”

• Arouse curiosity

It would help if you tried to make the prospect curious about what is in the email. However, avoid click-baiting. Creating false curiosity will only lead to the recipient losing trust in you. They will mark you as spam.

What you mention in your subject line has to be there in your email body.

Here are some tips for writing follow-up email subject lines more effectively:

Provide value and mention it in the subject line

Sending a follow-up email just for the sake of it is not the right thing to do. Offer the prospect something of value like a free trial, an e-book or some other resource. As already mentioned above, you must emphasize that in the subject line.

Don’t keep it too lengthy

Short and sweet subject lines work better than lengthy ones. A subject line should not be a complete summary of the email body. Try to convey as much as you can in a few words.

Long subject lines will get truncated, leaving you with just a part of what you want to say. When prospects read their emails on mobile devices, only 30 characters of the subject line will be visible.

Therefore, you have to be careful with the length. 7–8 words would be ok.

Don’t use misleading subject lines

Using a misleading subject line to get the prospect to open the email is a wrong mentality. The recipient will not trust you again in the future if he finds that the email is different from the subject line. It would leave a wrong impression on the prospect’s mind.

20 Follow Up Email Templates

Here are templates of follow up emails that will be of use to you:

I) Following up after the first meeting

When the prospect doesn’t reach out to you after a few days of the first meeting, you should consider sending a follow-up email in the form of a gentle reminder. It can be a solid reason to push the conversation forward.

Template #1

Subject line: Are you prepared for a follow-up?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I wish to thank you for your time and want to know how you would like to move the conversation ahead. In case you are still interested, kindly suggest what you want to do next.

Looking forward to your response,

<Your name>

Template #2

In the template below, you can get an idea of how to follow up when you have the information that the client requested for.

Subject line: Got the info you need

Hi < name of the prospect>,

Thank you for the opportunity to get in touch with you on <day>.

I spoke to my company’s <department name> department, and they would be glad to be of assistance to you for <request>.

Kindly let me know who you would like to proceed further.

<Your name>

Here is another variation for you.

Template #3

Subject line: Find the info you are looking for

Hi < name of the prospect>,

It was nice chatting with you on <day> and understanding the needs of your company.

As you wanted to know about <information> in our last conversation, I have attached it here.

Do let me know when you get a chance to look at it and want to speak to me to discuss things further. I would be happy to answer your questions.

Please get in touch with me at <your number> whenever you want to.

Regards,

<Your name>

II) Following up when a prospect needs to consult others

Most often, the prospect you are speaking to may not be the decision-maker. He or she would have to consult their colleagues or superiors. Though you should give them the time to make the decision, a little nudge from your end would be great.

Ideally, you must wait for at least 4–5 days before you follow up with the prospect.

Template #4

Subject line: Here is more information about <company name>

Hi <prospect name>,

Thank you so much for taking time out on <day>. I am pretty excited about how our relationship would take off.

That day you said that you have to consult with <person> before proceeding further with the deal. Can I know what <person> said about my company’s proposal?

Can we fix a face-to-face meeting to discuss how we can proceed?

Regards,

<your name>

III) Following up after a trigger event

If you use a tracking tool, you can get to know that the prospect opened your last email, clicked on a link or visited your website. That will help you take timely action and follow up with the lead.

Template #5

Subject line: Do you require more information?

Hi <prospect name>,

I came to know that you read my last email and had a look at our website, so I felt that I should reach out to you once more.

Did you think about my proposal once more? I would be happy if you wish to connect with me on the phone and discuss the proposal.

Please tell me when I can schedule a call.

<your name>

Template #6

Subject line: May I help you with <pain point>?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I know that you read my previous email and visited our website to glance at <product or service>. I, therefore, felt like connecting with you again.

Our <product name> can help in improving <objective> and addresses <pain point>

Please let me know if you have time to speak over the phone to look at how <client 1> and <client 2> benefitted from our tool.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

<Your name>

IV) Following up after conference or event

The best places to gather prospects are conferences and networking events. Once they give you your contact details and look interested in your product or service, you should provide them with more information about your firm.

Template #7

Subject line: Here is the info about <company name> that you needed

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I hope you enjoyed attending the conference and I want to thank you for showing interest in our company.

I am sure that you want to improve your company’s <objective> and that is why I wanted to get in touch with you.

Please find the information you need attached. If you require any other information, I will be happy to help you.

Would you like to connect on the phone? Please let me know.

<Your name>

V) Following up after leaving a voicemail

The trick in the book says that you must email the prospect within a couple of minutes after leaving a voicemail. It works well most of the time.

Template #8

Subject line: I was trying to call you

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I was trying to connect to you over the phone but couldn’t reach you. I know that you are busy and would not bother you.

Please call me back on <your phone number> or let me know when I can give you a ring.

I am looking forward to your reply.

<Your name>

VI) Following up to find the right prospect

After finding a lead online and getting in touch with them, you may feel that they may not be the right person. To find out if you are on the right track, you can send the following email.

Template #9

Subject line: Hope that you direct me right

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I had sent you an email a few days back about <product or service>, and I feel that I may be on the wrong track. My company has <product or service> to offer that would help fit into your firm’s requirements.

Are you the right person to discuss the features of <product or service>? If not, can you please guide me to the decision-maker?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

<Your name>

Here’s another variation of the above email

Template #10

Subject: Can you help me out?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I reached out to you a few days back about <product/service>, and I felt that I should check whether you are the right person to discuss this. If not, can you please help me reach the right person?

Thanks

<your name>

Template #11

Subject Line: The right individual to reach out to

Hi < name of the prospect>,

As I didn’t hear back from any of your team members, I want to know whether I am talking to the appropriate person or not. If yes, can we schedule a meeting this week? In case I am on the wrong track, can you please connect me to the right person?

Regards,

<Your name>

VII) Following up after a follow-up email

Following up after receiving no reply to the previous follow-up email requires preparation. You have to chalk it out well before making your move. The best thing to do is provide exciting information to the recipient to pique their interest in your product or service.

Template #12

Subject Line: Some things you might want to know about <company name>

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I emailed you a few days back regarding <company name> and how <product or service> can fit into your firm’s needs.

You might not be aware that our clients can report a 50% increase in revenue with <product or service>? There is complete training with a 20% discount.

In case you want to hear more about <product or service>, kindly let me know. I would be happy to help.

Looking forward to your reply.

<Your name>

Template #13

Subject line: Hoping to connect with you

Hi <Prospect’s name>

I am sorry about not being able to connect with you recently. In our last conversation, you were pretty interested in <Product or Service>

I understand that you’re very busy, so I’d be happy to schedule a call when it is convenient for you.

Thank you.

<Your name>

You can lure the prospect to reply to you by providing a helpful resource. Here’s the template below:

Template #14

Subject line: Here’s a gift for you

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I understand that you’re busy managing your team. I had emailed you with the information of <product or service> a few days back, and I feel that this is the right time to get in touch with you for a demo.

You can find a few guest logins to access <product or service> and see how well it works in addressing your <pain point>. Do share them with your colleagues, too and let me know about your experience with <product or service>

Please let me know if you can meet anytime this week.

<your name>

Template #15

Subject line: A few ideas for you

Hi < name of the prospect>,

Your firm can be dealing with <pain point>, so I thought that I should share a few tips to help you out.

<1–2 tips or ideas >

I have some more ideas to improve the situation. Kindly let me know if you are interested to know about them.

Regards,

<your name>

VIII) Following up using the excuse of a new blog

If you’re into content marketing, i.e. writing blogs, you can send follow-up emails to leads on the pretext of discussing your latest write-up.

Template #16

Subject line: How <product or service> boosts profit?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

In our last meeting, you talked about <blog subject>, and I understood that you have a deep interest in it.

Our company’s publishing team came up with a new blog on <blog subject> <link>. I immediately thought of you. Please have a look at it and share your thoughts about it. We can discuss things further.

Can I call you sometime soon? Do let me know.

Regards,

<your name>

IX) Following up with a breakup email

At times you are left only with the option of threatening to put a full stop to a conversation. The breakup email can, at worst, make you lose a prospect. However, it can help you get rid of leads that are not meant to be so that you can focus on others in the pipeline that look promising enough.

Template #17

Subject line: Is this the end?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I have tried to reach you many times in the last few months, but I have not been successful in my endeavour.

I feel that:

• You are not interested. If so, there is no problem. It is fine
• I am contacting you at the wrong time. In that case, I will be happy to reach out to you after a couple of weeks or months.
• Someone abducted you!

I will not reach out to you again, but if you change your mind, please contact me on <phone number>

<Your name>

Template #18

Subject line: Can I close the file?

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I have to clear out the sales pipeline, and I feel that I should let you know that you are on my delete list. In case you are not interested, can I close your file? If you have even a slight interest still, how should we proceed further?

Thanks,

<your name>

Template #19

Subject line: < name of the prospect> I would love to know your feedback

Hi < name of the prospect>,

This is my last attempt to get in touch with you. However, I would like to get feedback from you regarding <product or service>. As you have used the free trial, you can tell us what improvements we need to make.

Can I please know the reason for not connecting with our company?

Regards,

<your name>

Template #20

Subject line: Thanks from <company name>

Hi < name of the prospect>,

I wanted to write to you one last time in connection with <product or service>.

If I don’t get a reply from you, I will assume that you don’t have any interest in what my company has to offer and I won’t bother you again.

If you want my assistance at any point of time, please reply to this email, and I will be glad to assist you.

<Your name>

How to use the templates effectively

There are a few tips that will help you use templates effectively.

It’s not one-size-fits-all

A template that works for one business may not work for another. So you can’t blindly use a template that some other company found effective. There are many other factors to consider.

Get inspired instead of copying

If you find a great cold email template, don’t end up copying it. Use it as inspiration instead and see how it would work for you.

Carry out research to personalize emails

Spend time online to gather facts about prospects and write sentences relevant to each of them. Add those sentences into templates to give the email a personalized look.

Keep the length of emails according to the need

Keeping the emails short are the general rule, but there is no specific length that you have to abide by. Just make sure that it has all the elements in it to get the reader interested.

Automate your follow-up sequence

Following up is the primary technique that helps in boosting sales. With the right kind of follow up, most prospects would convert faster. However, when done manually, it can be quite a daunting task. For instance, if you send emails to 100 people followed by ten follow-ups to each person, you would end up with 1000 emails to send. It is a formidable volume. That is why you should opt for automation.

SalesBlink is one such tool that has an automated process of sending follow-up emails. Apart from that, you can track prospect behaviour. Using such a tool would go a long way in helping you get desirable results.

Conclusion

Getting the email follow-up game right is extremely important for those in sales. One has to be persistent and always on the go. At the same time, it is important not to behave like an aggressive sales guy who doesn’t bother about anything else except conversion.

Hope you have got some insight on how to follow up on an email after no response. You can go ahead with a well-chalked out plan of action and boost your sales.