The Ultimate Follow Up Sales Email Guide [+9 Free Templates]

As a sales professional, you know that persistently following up with your prospects without making them feel uneasy is an effective method to close a deal. And speaking of which, email is the most effective medium for your follow-up messages. 

A well-written follow-up email will go a long way towards turning a prospect or lead into a customer. However, follow-up emails come with one challenge: to get the prospect to notice and read your message. 

Use the free email templates given at the end of this article to increase your likelihood of triggering your prospect’s response.

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Your Ultimate Guide to Follow Up Sales Email

The importance of sending a good follow up email cannot be overstated. Taking no for an answer right away isn’t the characteristic of a good salesman at his job! However, research has suggested that even the most experiences of salesmen tend to give up very soon.

Below we’ve provided some important statistics from a survey conducted by Marketing Donut:

Important Sales Follow Up Statistics You Must Know

• 44% of salesmen do not persist after one rejection.
• 22% approach with a second cold email follow up.
• 14% give up after three email follow up sequence. 
• 12% give up after four sales follow ups. 

Overall, only 8% of salesmen succeed in securing 80% of their prospective clients. An impactful follow-up email can make a huge difference here, a fact that is backed up by tons of statistics. Here are some of the most notable ones:

• 50% of sales are successfully concluded after the 5th follow up, but most salespeople tend to give up early.
• Only 2% of all sales are concluded after just one meeting. A follow-up email is essential!
• 83% of all prospective clients take at least 3 to 12 months before buying. Patience is key!
• Sending more than one follow up email increases your chances of hearing back by 25%. 

The above sales follow up statistics clearly underscore how important it is to follow up with a prospective client. And even if you’re an experienced salesperson, it’s never too late to learn and grow professionally.

Read on for the ultimate guide on how to write the perfect follow-up email!

Take a Holistic Approach to Follow Up Sales Email

The foremost thing you need to learn as a salesman is that people will purchase only when they are ready for it. Sure, your lead may excite you, but you cannot close a sale immediately. The sales follow-up process takes time and calls for patience. 

Here are three rules of thumb when it comes to following up with your leads:

• Remain patient and be prepared to stay in there for the long haul. 
• Ensure that sales and marketing are on the same page regarding follow-ups. 
• Acquire a reliable CRM to avoid situations like spamming or duplicate emails.
• You must have enough relevant, useful, and interesting content on hand to craft an effective email that triggers a response. 

While the first and last points are easy to understand, most companies have trouble following the second one. The gist of the point is that marketing’s job is to generate as many leads as possible, and that of sales is to follow up and close the deals. 

What’s more, remember that your competitors are also reaching out to your prospects with their deals. Therefore, sending them well-planned follow-up emails at set intervals is a good idea. By doing so, you’ll stand out and stay on top of mind with your prospects. 

When the time for the purchase eventually arrives, chances are they will contact the one whose follow-up emails they’ve seen the most. 

Free Follow Up Sales Email Templates You Should Start Using Today

We’ve established how crucial it is to send a follow-up email; let’s now move on to some useful templates that will help you close a sale quicker than ever.

More often than not, sending in a generic “just checking in” email will prompt the receiver to ignore your message. Therefore, you should focus on making every aspect of the email appealing to the reader. Let’s start off with a few sample subject lines:

After no response

• Any updates?
• Still interested in our product/service?

After a trigger event

• Discussing future prospects
• Questions about our service

For general follow-up

• What can we do to enhance your [insert business goal]?
• Let’s have a short chat on call?
• [name of client], I have a quick question

Finally, here are a few case-specific email templates. Pick an email sequence template based on your situation in the sales process and you’re more likely to get a reply. 

After a meeting

[Name], I’m contacting you to follow up. I’m uncertain as to what our next step is.

Kindly inform me regarding what you think would be the ideal next step, if any?

Any input would be highly appreciated. 

[Signature]

OR

[Name], I’m contacting you to follow up on our previous conversation. My boss requested an update on your behalf. I told him that I am yet to receive one.

I’m uncertain as to whether it is worthwhile to continue the conversation. Kindly inform me regarding what you think would be the ideal next step, if any?

[Signature]

After a trigger event

The last time we talked, you asked me to contact you in October. I know I’m a month early, but I figured there’d be no harm in checking in.

Have you had the time to think about my proposal? It’d be my pleasure to review it with you on the phone and address any questions.

When would you be free to schedule a discussion?

OR

[Name], two of your team members were going through our product page last week. The product page they were viewing is dedicated to helping sales reps close deals at a faster rate.

Do you have a few minutes to talk about the specific tools your team has been looking into? They are more than welcome to join the discussion. If you are willing, when would you be free to schedule a discussion?

After leaving a voicemail

Hi [Name],

I called you to [describe the purpose of your call].

In my voicemail, I told you that I’ll call again on [date and time], but you’re more than welcome to reach out to me whenever you are free at [phone number]. You could also send me an email if you’d like. 

[Signature]

After an initial discussion

Hi [Name],

I really enjoyed talking to you yesterday and getting to know more about how you [role] at [company]. I am now completely aware of the problems you’re facing with [problems talked about in discussion] and how they make it more difficult to [effect on company].

As mentioned, I’ve attached some additional information regarding our services and the ways in which we can help you accomplish [business objective] and solve [business problem].

Feel free to ask me any questions you have on your mind; I’d be glad to have another discussion with you. If not, I’m eagerly awaiting our planned discussion on [date and time]. 

After you’ve sent the first follow up

Hi [Name],

I am aware of how busy you are handling your team and helping them enhance sales [job function]. I hope the resource I sent you in my previous follow up email was helpful; I’ve attached it to this email as well in case you’ve lost it. Kindly share it with your team so that they can contribute with their feedback. Also, please let me know when you’re up for a chat next week. I’d be more than happy to schedule a date and time that is best suited to your schedule.

[Signature]

After multiple follow ups

Hi [First Name],

I’ve have tried to get in touch with you a few times to go over a possible course of action to improve ___, but haven’t gotten a reply which could suggest one of these two:

1) You’re satisfied with ____ and I shouldn’t try to contact you anymore.

2) You want to hear more but haven’t gotten the time to reply.

Please let me know which of these is the case because I’m worried!

OR

Hi [First Name],

I was going through my ___ pipeline and clearing my backlog of guest contributions. Since you haven’t replied to my emails over the past few weeks, I think it’s fair for me to assume that you will not be contributing to the discussed _____?

If so, it’s not a problem. Just give me a heads up so I can knowingly remove it from my list. If you’re still willing to contribute, I’d be happy to keep it on my list and discuss the course of action needed to get everything completed in time. 

OR

Hey [First Name],

I haven’t received a reply from you since our previous discussion. We’ve spent a large amount of time together, and I hope I’ve made a positive contribution with my ideas for your ____ initiatives.

Kindly inform me if _____ is on your priority list for now, or whether it will be in the near future. 

A timely follow up would be highly appreciated. 

Here is a bonus sales follow up email.

Conclusion

Writing a crisp and concise yet impactful follow-up email is an absolute must for every salesperson! Whether you’re new to the sales world or an experienced sales professional, the above templates will help you write follow-up email messages that generate responses.