How to Write a Sales Follow-Up Email: Best Practices to Get More Responses

Creating an amazing sales follow-up email takes skill. You need to grab attention, provide value, and motivate action without coming across as pushy or salesy. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to craft compelling follow-up messages that get prospects to engage and convert into customers.

We’ll cover actionable tips, email templates for common scenarios, timing strategies, subject line best practices, mistakes to avoid, and other key factors that make follow-up outreach successful.

1. Why Follow-Up Emails Are Vital for Sales Teams
2. 4 Big Benefits of Sales Follow-Up Emails
3. 10 Sales Follow-Up Email Templates That Work
4. Smart Follow-Up Email Scheduling to Get More Replies
5. Follow-Up Email Subject Line Best Practices
6. Sales Follow-Up Email Structure for Higher Conversions
7. 7 Follow-Up Email Mistakes That Kill Conversions
8. Tips to Boost Follow-Up Email Engagement
9. Conclusion
10. FAQs

Let’s get started!

Why Follow-Up Emails Are Vital for Sales Teams

For most sales reps, the initial cold outreach is only the beginning. A staggering 91.5% of cold emails go unanswered, which means effective follow-up is essential for success.

Well-crafted sales follow-up emails allow you to reconnect with non-responsive leads in a helpful, non-aggressive way. They enable you to:

• Continue nurturing prospects throughout the sales funnel
• Substantially increase your chances of getting responses
• Create urgency to close deals
• Provide additional value to build relationships

Without strategic follow-up, you miss crucial opportunities to engage, educate, and convert prospects into lifelong customers. That’s why mastering this skill is so important.

This guide will teach you proven follow-up email best practices so you can boost responses and supercharge your sales pipeline. Let’s dive in!

The 4 Big Benefits of Sales Follow-Up Emails

Before we explore templates and strategies, it’s worth fully understanding why follow-up emails are so invaluable for driving sales. Here are four major benefits:

1. Keeps Prospects Engaged Throughout the Sales Funnel

   Imagine you had an intro call with a prospect who expressed interest in your product. You send over a proposal, then…nothing. Days go by without any reply.

   This is where effective follow-up comes in.

   Thoughtful email reminders allow you to continue nurturing promising leads through each stage of the sales funnel - even when initial excitement fades. Follow-ups give you more touchpoints to answer questions, address concerns, and ultimately convert leads into delighted customers.

   Without them, you miss huge opportunities to build relationships and close deals before prospects turn cold and disengage altogether.

2. Dramatically Increases the Likelihood of Getting Responses

   Various studies reveal that sales follow-up emails generate significantly higher response rates compared to initial cold outreach alone.

   In fact, research by MixMax found that 35-50% of sales result from follow-up emails, not the first contact. They enable you to re-engage previously non-responsive prospects.

   Even if your initial emails go unanswered, consistent and valuable follow-up demonstrates your commitment to providing an amazing experience. This makes prospects far more likely to eventually respond.

3. Creates a Sense of Urgency

   Follow-ups aren’t just about asking “any questions?” repeatedly. Strategic messages allow you to create urgency at key moments that motivate action.

   Remind prospects of expiring discounts, limited-time access, or upcoming deadlines. Highlight unique offers tailored to them. Share case studies showing what results they are missing out on.

   Sudden scarcity and social proof inspire action and incentivize prospects to engage with your outreach. Follow-ups give you the perfect mechanism to apply this pressure and close deals faster.

4. Gives You More Ways to Share Value

   Beyond nudging prospects, follow-up emails enable you to provide a steady stream of helpful information over time that builds trust and goodwill.

   For example, you can include relevant guides, industry reports, event invites, new features, client success stories, product updates, and other valuable content that keeps you top of mind.

   This positions you as an advisor rather than a sales rep. When prospects finally need your product or service, who do you think they’ll turn to first?

Okay, now that you know why follow-up emails matter so much for sales teams, let’s explore highly effective templates you can use right away.

The 10 Sales Follow-Up Email Templates That Work

Here are 10 templates for common sales follow-up scenarios to help you craft messages that get results:

After a Meeting or Call

Thank them for their time and highlight key details discussed. Offer to provide more information and suggest scheduling the next steps.

After Sending a Proposal

Politely ask if the prospect received the proposal and reiterate how your product/service can address their needs. Offer to answer any questions.

After a Trigger Event

If a prospect visits your website or opens an email, strike while interest is hot. Introduce yourself, offer more info, and suggest next steps.

First Follow-Up

Send 2-4 days after initial outreach if no response. Briefly re-introduce yourself and offer to answer questions.

Second Follow-Up

Send 4-7 days after the first if still no response. Politely restate your purpose and offer to answer questions.

Third Follow-Up

Send 7-10 days after the second message. State your purpose one final time.

After a Networking Event

Thank them for connecting and offering to stay in touch. Reference any common interests or goals discussed.

After Leaving a Voicemail

Let them know you called and left a voicemail. Offer next steps for continuing the conversation.

After No Response

Send a friendly reminder along with an offer to answer any questions.

Closing Follow-Up

One final polite outreach attempt asking if you can close their file.

Okay, now you have 10 effective sales follow-up email templates you can start using right away!

Next, let’s review optimal timing strategies to boost your chances of getting responses.

Smart Follow-Up Email Scheduling to Get More Replies

Getting your sales follow-up email timing and cadence right is crucial. Here are proven best practices:

• Send the First Follow-Up 2-4 Days After Initial Outreach
  Prospects often need time to properly review proposals and information you send over. Don’t bombard their inbox daily right away. Give them space to make a decision. Wait 2-4 business days before sending your first follow-up to gently nudge them.

• Allow 4-7 Days Before the Second Attempt
  If you don’t hear back after the first follow-up, wait another 4-7 days before reaching out again. At this point, briefly re-introduce yourself and restate your purpose for clarity.

• Send the Third Follow-Up 7-10 Days Later
  The third attempt should come 7-10 days after the second outreach. This will be 2-3 weeks after your initial contact. Convey urgency by mentioning any time-sensitive offers or expiring discounts they’ll miss out on.

• Gradually Increase Time Between Messages
  As a general rule, the more follow-ups you send, the more time you should allow between each attempt to avoid irritation. Work your way up to 10-14 days between the fourth and fifth email, for example. But don’t drag it on endlessly if they show zero engagement.

• Pay Attention to Engagement Signals
  Prospects who frequently open your emails or visit related pages on your website need less time between messages. Increased engagement shows they simply need a bit more nurturing through the sales funnel before converting.

• Leverage Automated Follow-Ups
  CRM tools like HubSpot or Salesforce allow the creation of automated follow-up email sequences based on certain triggers and prospect actions. This saves sales teams a massive time. Email marketing tools like Mailmeteor can also help you send emails on autopilot and set up email sequences.

Now let’s move on to crafting compelling follow-up email subject lines that prospects can’t resist opening.

Follow-Up Email Subject Line Best Practices

Your subject line is the very first touchpoint between prospects and your sales follow-up. To maximize open rates:

• Include the Prospect’s Name and Company
  Personalized subject lines using the prospect’s name or company get significantly higher open rates because it signals the email is tailored specifically to them.

• Keep it Concise - Under 50 Characters
  Lengthy subject lines get cut off on mobile. For max opens, keep things laser-focused under 50 characters.

• Use Numbers and Stats
  Subject lines highlighting stats (“Get 200+ Leads Per Month”) perform better than spelling out numbers (“Get Two Hundred Plus Leads Per Month”).

• Ask Intriguing Questions
  Subject lines posed as questions grab attention and create curiosity about your content. Compel them to open your email.

• Create Urgency When Relevant
  Subject lines conveying urgency like “Last Chance for 50% Off!” motivate quicker action, especially as deadlines approach.

• Always A/B Test Different Options
  Try different subject line formulations to determine which get the highest open rates from your prospects. Then optimize based on the data.

Next, we’ll explore the optimal structure to use for your sales follow-up emails.

Sales Follow-Up Email Structure for Higher Conversions

Here is the proven email structure that works:

• Personalized Greeting: Always open with a warm, personalized greeting like “Hi [First Name]”. This immediately signals it’s a customized message.
• Briefly Recap Previous Discussion: Remind them who you are and key details from your last conversation. Quickly set the context.
• Restate Your Purpose: Explain upfront exactly why you are reaching out, whether it’s to provide a demo, get feedback, or confirm the next steps.
• Share Relevant Information: Based on previous discussions, include relevant content like product guides, case studies, industry reports, event invites, or new product features.
• Direct Call-to-Action: Tell them clearly what you want them to do - book a meeting, schedule a call, provide feedback, etc. Don’t leave it open-ended.
• Thank Them and Sign Off Professionally: Finally, thank them for their consideration and sign off with your name, company, and contact information.

Okay, now that we’ve got the structure down, let’s review common mistakes to avoid at all costs when sending sales follow-up emails.

The 7 Follow-Up Email Mistakes That Kill Conversions

While the templates and strategies above will serve you well, some critical mistakes will sabotage your follow-up success:

• Bombarding Prospects With Too Many Emails
  Avoid sending 4-5 follow-ups within a few days. Give people reasonable time to reply before reaching again.

• Getting Aggressive or Pushy
  Never demand prospects take urgent action or use high-pressure sales tactics. This is a major turnoff.

• Repeating the Same Information
  Don’t keep blindly rehashing the same talking points in every email. Include fresh content to re-engage them.

• Making it All About Selling
  Follow-ups should progress conversations, not repeatedly sell. Focus on being helpful first and foremost.

• Typos or Grammatical Errors
  Sloppy writing undermines your professionalism. Always proofread before hitting send on follow-ups.

• Slow Response Time After Engagement
  Capitalize quickly when prospects open your emails or visit your website. Strike while interest is hot.

• Sending Mass Generic Emails
  Personalized messages showing you understand prospects’ needs perform drastically better.

Okay, we just covered a lot of best practices. Now, let’s wrap up with some proven tips to maximize engagement.

Tips to Boost Follow-Up Email Engagement

Here are powerful ways to get your prospects to open, click, and reply:

• Establish Yourself as a Trusted Advisor First
  Focus on solving their problems rather than pitching your product upfront in follow-ups.

• Send Relevant Content
  Include articles, ebooks, case studies, and guides tailored precisely to what your prospect cares about.

• Reference Previous Conversations
  Show you remember details they told you by mentioning common interests, pain points, or challenges.

• Offer Exclusive Perks
  Discounts, free trials, sneak peeks, and early access incentivize engagement and nudge prospects closer to deals.

• Incorporate Videos and Visual Content
  Emails with videos and visuals like infographics will make your messages stand out in the inbox.

• Leverage CRM Data for Personalization
  Use prospect data in your CRM to segment and customize messaging and offers for higher relevancy.

• Keep Follow-Ups Concise
  Prospects rarely read long blocks of dense text. Keep your messages short, scannable, and to the point.

• Pay Attention to Timing
  Test different days/times and see when your prospects are most likely to open. Often evenings get great response rates.

Conclusion

Sales follow-up emails allow you to continue nurturing prospects, address concerns, share value, and eventually convert leads into delighted customers.

They significantly boost response rates compared to initial outreach alone. This guide provided actionable templates, scheduling strategies, subject line best practices, email structure tips, and ways to avoid critical mistakes.

Now you have all the tools to follow up like a pro!

Start putting these follow-up techniques into action, track your metrics, and fine-tune your approach over time. Soon you’ll be generating way more responses and closing more deals.

FAQs