Sometimes, writing a sales follow-up email can make you feel uncomfortable. We always think that if someone hasn’t replied to our previous email they might not be interested at all and won’t like it if we bother them again.
In this case, we might be wrong, actually in most cases, very few prospects say yes to the initial email and that’s why we need to keep following up with them.
In this blog post, we will go through the key points of writing follow-up emails without being too pushy and make sure our prospects will reply.
How to Write a Sales Follow-up Email
To help you in writing a sales follow-up email we’ve created 6 important sections with examples. Following these approaches will help you create your custom email.
1. Personalized greeting
Always make sure to address your recipient by name or company. This will make the conversation feel more genuine and they are more likely to react positively to the follow-up and engage.
2. Add more context
Try to mention your previous interaction and jog your recipient’s memory. This approach can be used in every follow-up and will keep the main point in focus during the full conversation.
Here are some examples of openers you can use:
I just wanted to follow up on the email I sent last [day of the week email was sent] about [subject of email].
I just wanted to follow up to see what you thought about [subject of email].
Hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I saw that you read my previous email.
3. Add Value
You should never send a follow-up without demonstrating your worth.
If you’re not providing some sort of additional value, there’s very little reason to contact them and even less incentive for them to respond or care.
4. Explain Why You’re Emailing
Tell the recipient why you are emailing. If nothing has changed from your first interaction remind them.
- [product/service] could help you [element of prospect’s role] more effectively. I’d love to have a quick chat to find out if I’m right.
- [product/service] could help you and I wondered if you’d be interested in trying it out for a month or so (completely free, of course).
- We’ve just launched [product/service], and it could make a big difference to [element of prospect’s role]. There’s a link to a resource that will tell you more below, but it’d be great if we could also discuss your current needs so I can figure out exactly how [product name] might help you.
4. Make your request(include CTA)
Depending on what’s your goal, you can always make it easier for the recipient to respond. If you are trying to arrange a meeting for example you can use something like:
- Does 2:15 p.m. on Thursday work for you?
- Are you available for a quick call today or tomorrow?
- Let’s discuss this in a quick meeting at 3 p.m tomorrow hopefully, this works for you.
5. End your email with appreciation
Ending your email with a thoughtful closing can really make a difference. Try something like:
- “Eager to hear your thoughts! [Your Name]”
- “Any feedback? Would love to hear! [Your Name]”
- “Hope to chat soon! [Your Name]”
- “Looking forward to your input! [Your Name]”
How Long Should You Wait Before Following Up?
Follow-up frequency plays an essential role in building your cold email campaign. The ground rule here is that following up too soon will make you look intrusive and ruin your chances of getting a reply.
Waiting longer than 5 days decreases the likelihood of a response to 24% while following up within 1 day hurts the reply rate (-11%).
Waiting 3 days before following up brings the greatest increase in reply rate (31%). The optimal time to wait before following up was between 2 and 5 days.
Last Thoughts on Sales Follow-up Emails
It’s important to understand that following up is a crucial aspect of email marketing, as it plays a significant role in acquiring and retaining customers. By following the steps outlined above, you can increase your chances of receiving replies from your prospects.