Master the art of email follow-up to boost your sales

The follow-up email or reminder email is a key element in the toolbox of any B2B salesperson. These are emails that you send following a first interaction with a prospect, whether after a telephone exchange, a product demonstration or simply a response to an email prospecting.

Why are follow-up emails so important?
Simply because most sales don't come through at first contact.

Statistics show that:

70% of sales sequences require at least 5 reminders to succeed.

A follow-up email increases response rates by 30 to 50%.

However, 44% of salespeople give up after a single unanswered email.

That's why tools like Hublead make it possible to automate the sending of personalized follow-up email sequences.

Indeed, manually relaunching dozens of prospects can quickly become time-consuming. The automation of follow-up is therefore a valuable lever for gaining commercial efficiency.

In this article, we will see how to use follow-up emails to relaunch your prospects in a relevant way and increase your chances of converting more leads into customers. You will discover:

When should you send your follow-up emails and how often?

Best practices for writing effective follow-up emails?

Concrete examples of follow-up emails for different situations?

Ready to perfect your recovery technique and boost your results?

Let's go!

When should you send follow-up emails?

Timing is a key success factor for your follow-up emails. Sending a follow-up too soon may turn off your prospect, while waiting too long gives your lead time to cool down.

So what is the right pace to adopt?

When should I send the first reminder?

After a promising initial contact, it is recommended to send your first follow-up within 5 to 7 days. This shows your responsiveness and your interest in your prospect, without being too urgent.

Your first follow-up email should recall the context of your initial exchange and provide added value (resource, advice, case study, etc.). Propose a new appointment on a specific date to facilitate decision making.

What is the delay between each reminder?

If you don't get a response on your first reminder, don't panic! Most sales are completed between the 5th and the 12th contact. But be careful not to harass your prospect.

After your first restart on D+5, gradually space out your follow-ups:

- D+7 for the 2nd follow-up

- D+14 for the 3rd

- D+30 for the 4th and the following

Be sure to bring a new angle to each of your messages so as not to tire your interlocutor. For example, you can share a similar customer case, a white paper or news related to your sector.

How many follow-up emails should you expect in total?

There is no absolute rule on the number of follow-ups to send, it depends on your target and the context. However, it is generally considered that between 5 and 10 reminder emails should be planned in total.

Beyond that, the risk of boring your prospect becomes too great. If you still haven't gotten a response after 8 to 10 well-spaced follow-up emails, it's time to put that lead aside. You can always reactivate it a few months later with a new approach!

The main thing is to keep in mind that most sales are made over time. By remaining consistent and regular in your reminders, you maximize your chances of success.

The keys to writing an effective follow-up email (reminder email)

Now that you know when to send your follow-up emails, let's see how to optimize their content to engage your prospects.

Here are the 5 key elements of a follow-up email that converts.

How do you personalize each reminder email?

A generic follow-up email is likely to end up directly in the trash.

To capture the attention of your prospect, it is essential to personalize each of your reminders.

Use specific information from your previous exchanges, such as a particular point raised during a demonstration or a problem raised by your interlocutor. Show them that your message is meant for them personally.

Also, consider including items related to their business, industry, or news to prove your genuine interest. A compliment on a recent achievement by his team will always be appreciated!

What added value can be brought to each follow-up?

To avoid giving the impression of spam, each of your follow-up emails must provide value to your prospect. Avoid repeating the same message over and over again and find new and relevant angles.

Here are some ideas for value-added content for your follow-ups:

- A similar customer case study

- A white paper or a guide on his field of expertise

- A news or a sectoral trend

- A video tutorial on a feature of your product

- A blog article related to his problem

The objective is to continue to demonstrate your expertise and your understanding of the challenges of your prospect, while providing them with useful information.

What objective should each email be given?

To be effective, each follow-up email must have a unique and clear objective. Avoid drowning your prospect in a multitude of requests that may scare them away.

Focus on one action at a time:

- Make a telephone appointment

- Schedule a product demonstration

- Register for a webinar or event

- Download an exclusive resource

- Respond to a survey or questionnaire

Always end your email with an explicit call-to-action that leaves no room for doubt.

For example: “Are you available Tuesday at 2 pm for a 30-minute call?”

What tone should you adopt in its follow-ups?

The tone of your follow-up emails should be professional but warm. You want to establish a relationship of trust with your prospect, not beat them up with an overly commercial speech.

Take a consultative approach by focusing on their needs and goals. Ask open-ended questions to encourage dialogue and show that you genuinely care about their success.

Your messages should exude empathy and caring, while reflecting your expertise and credibility. Find the right balance between friendly and professional!

How to allow your prospect to unsubscribe?

Even if it may seem counterintuitive, it is important to always include an unsubscribe link in your follow-up emails. Your prospects should be able to simply choose not to receive your communications anymore.

Not only will this prevent you from being considered a spammer, but a lead who unsubscribes is also one less qualified lead to deal with. This allows you to focus your efforts on the most promising leads.

There you go, I hope these best practices will help you write more convincing follow-up emails.

By applying these 5 principles to each of your reminders, you are putting all the chances on your side to engage your prospects and close more sales!

Examples of effective follow-up emails

After theory, it's time for practice!

Here are 3 examples of follow-up emails that you can adapt to your own context to relaunch your prospects in a relevant way.

Example of a follow-up after a first contact

Subject: Idea to boost your lead generation

Hello [First name],

I hope you had a great weekend since we spoke at [event name] last Thursday.

As promised, I am sending you our guide “10 tips for generating 50% more leads through content marketing” as an attachment. Hopefully, these tips will give you new ideas for growing your sales pipeline!

I would also like to share with you [this blog post] (link) which details how a company similar to yours doubled its conversion rate by better qualifying its incoming leads. This is a good illustration of the potential of the [name of your solution] approach that we talked about.

Tell me, would you be available next week for a quick 20-minute call? I would like to know more about your current processes and see how we can help you optimize them.

Thank you and have a great day,

[Your name]

This email recalls the context of the initial interaction to create a link. It brings value with content adapted to the needs of the prospect and starts the future with a precise appointment proposal.

Example of follow-up after a product demonstration

Topic: 2 questions following our demo on Monday

Hello [First name],

A big thank you for taking the time to attend the demonstration of our solution on Monday. Hopefully this presentation gave you a good overview of how [product name] can help you with [key benefit].

Following our discussion, here are the 2 additional resources that I promised you:

- [Link] A detailed use case for our client [name] who operates in a sector similar to yours

- [Link] The product sheet that summarizes the main functionalities and integrations of our tool

Tell me, did you have a chance to share this information with [name of person mentioned] as planned? His feedback would be valuable for us to refine our value proposition.

In addition, you told me that you were interested in a period of testing the solution. I can already create access to our space for you so that you can take control of it freely.

What do you say?

Looking forward to your return,

[Your name]

This follow-up refers directly to specific elements discussed during the demo to show that you listened to your prospect. Shared resources provide concrete evidence of the value of your solution. Finally, the questions asked engage the discussion on the next steps.

Example of reactivating a “cold” prospect

Topic: New sector study to share

Hello [First name],

Hope you are in good shape at the end of the year! Allow me to come back to you because we have not had the opportunity to talk since our last call in [months].

I know that the project to redesign your [item related to your offer] was not the priority at that time. Maybe things have changed since then?

Anyway, I think you might be interested in our latest study “[title]”. It reveals the main trends that will impact your sector in 2024 and gives you the keys to prepare for them now.

You can download it for free here: [link]

Do not hesitate to tell me what you think, I would be delighted to have your expert opinion on the subject. And if you want us to take stock of your projects again [element], I am at your disposal.

Very good day,

[Your name]

This reactivation email shows that you have kept your prospect in mind even without news for several months. The content offered is a great excuse to reconnect in a relevant way. The open question at the end encourages discussion.

There you go, I hope these examples will inspire you for your next follow-ups!

Do not hesitate to personalize them according to your context and the specificities of your prospects. The main thing is to always maintain an empathetic and value-oriented approach.

Of course, these emails are examples that need to be adapted according to your sector.

With the Hublead Campaign Manager, you can speed up your prospecting.

Thanks to personalized prospecting sequences (follow-up email/follow-up) that are unique, impacting, personalized and adapted, you will finally be able to reach your target in the right place and at the right time without wasting time.

Ready to boost your sales with powerful follow-up emails?

Follow-up emails are an essential tool for any B2B salesperson who wants to close more deals. By relaunching your prospects at the right time and with the right message, you multiply your chances of transforming their interests into concrete projects.

To summarize, here are the 3 key points to remember:

1. Be consistent and regular in your reminders, by spacing your emails every 5 to 30 days out of a sequence of 5 to 10 messages in total.

2. Personalize each follow-up and provide added value by relying on the specificities of your prospect and by sharing relevant content.

3. Focus on a clear goal by email and use a friendly but professional tone to start the discussion without being too intrusive.

As a bonus, consider automating your follow-up sequences with a tool like Hublead to save time and optimize your results.

This will allow you to focus on the hottest prospects while maintaining regular follow-up on other opportunities.

So, are you ready to take your follow-ups to the next level?

Put these tips into practice today and tell us in the comments what your own tips are for effective reminders!

And if you want to go even further in optimizing your commercial prospecting, do not hesitate to contact us to find out how Hublead can help you generate and convert more qualified leads.

See you soon for more growth hacking tips!