The Importance of Follow-Up in Negotiation

Treat these phrases like a porcupine don’t touch them: “Just following up on the proposal.” “Just checking in on the proposal.” “Any thoughts on the proposal?” “Just circling back on the proposal.” They sound harmless. But underneath they say: “I need you to buy so I can hit my Q4 number.” Buyers feel that. It’s not curiosity, it’s pressure. And pressure triggers resistance. Instead of following up on a proposal… Don’t send one. At least, not until you’ve done this: Prospect: “Can you send me a proposal?” You: “Sounds like if the proposal has what you want at the price we discussed, you’re ready to roll?” That one question shifts the entire dynamic. Because now, you’re not chasing a maybe. You’re checking for readiness. And when you check for readiness, you get honesty: “We still need legal.” “We’re waiting on Q4 budget.” “My boss is in Bali.” Now you’re not guessing. You’re not pushing. You’re not sending paper into the void. You’re present. You’re calm. You’re aligned with the buyer, not your quota. The less you chase, the more you see.

Stop saying “just following up.” Say this instead. My last post called out lazy sales follow-up — and it hit a nerve. So let’s not stop at what not to say. Here are 4 follow-up lines that actually work — and don’t make your prospects want to roll their eyes when they see your name: 1️⃣ “Is this something you’re still actively evaluating, or should we pause for now?” → Respectful. Saves you from ghost-chasing. 2️⃣ “Thought this 2-min video might help — it shows how another district rolled out training with zero IT lift.” → Bring something new. Every time. 3️⃣ “Would it help to grab 15 minutes next week to figure out if this is still worth exploring?” → Clear. Direct. No fluff. 4️⃣ “Did you end up going in another direction, or is (Company name) still on the radar?” → Gives them space to be honest. And you get the truth faster. Here’s the truth no one likes to say: You can’t “follow up” your way into product-market fit. Good follow-up starts in the meeting. Ask about timing. Ask about interest. Ask how decisions get made. If they can’t give you a straight answer — they’re not a real buyer. They’re just being polite. It happens all the time. And remember: follow-up isn’t always about getting an update. Sometimes it’s just about staying top of mind without being annoying. 👉 What’s your go-to line when deals go quiet? #SalesTips #FollowUpThatWorks #ModernSelling #PipelineClarity #B2BSales

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝟵𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻—𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁. In MedTech sales, the real test begins after the first sales conversation. HCPs are busy. Committees get delayed. Priorities shift. If your “follow-up” is just 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 with, “Did you have a chance to review...?” …you’ve already lost. Great follow-up isn’t about nagging. It’s about 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦: ➡️ Send an article that speaks directly to a concern they raised. ➡️ Reframe their hesitation into a patient-centered question: “How would this impact outcomes for the next 10 cases?” ➡️ Anticipate roadblocks before they bring them up. ➡️ Keep them updated with relevant information on the product and ways to buy it. Here’s the part most reps miss: follow-up is where trust compounds—or erodes. Each touchpoint tells the customer whether you’re a partner or a pest. In my book, 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, I call follow-up “the graveyard where good opportunities go to die.” MedTech reps who master follow-up are the ones who quietly dominate their markets. 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽. 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲? _______________________________ Did you know I send out weekly message with insight and hacks for medical sales professionals? It's called, "The Medical Sales Minute." Sign up for free. Link in bio "About" section.

I just reviewed a follow up email that made me want to delete my LinkedIn account. After an incredible discovery call where the rep: → Uncovered $500K in annual losses → Identified specific pain points → Built genuine rapport with the prospect He sent this follow up: "Hi John, following up on our conversation. Any thoughts on next steps?" I'm not joking. That was the entire email. This rep went from trusted advisor to desperate vendor in one sentence. Here's what he should have sent instead: "John, Based on our conversation about the $500K you're losing annually due to deployment delays, I've put together a brief overview of how we've helped similar companies reduce this impact by 80%. Given the scope of this challenge, when can we get your CFO involved to discuss the business case? Best regards, [Rep name]" The difference is night and day: ❌ Weak follow up: "Any thoughts on next steps?" ✅ Strong follow up: References specific problem + demonstrates value + advances the sale Your follow up emails should sell, not beg. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to: → Reinforce the problems you uncovered → Show how you solve them → Move the deal forward Stop wasting these golden opportunities with generic, desperate sounding messages. Use what you learned in discovery to craft follow-ups that advance the sale. Your prospects are drowning in "just checking in" emails. Be the one who stands out by referencing real business impact. — Reps! Here’s 5 simple follow up strategies to close seals faster and to minimize ghosting: https://lnkd.in/gJRJwzsN

Nobody talks about the slow death of pipeline from bad follow-up. Most pipelines don’t die from a “No.” It dies from silence.   From vague timelines. From dropped follow-ups. From reps who are “too busy” to re-engage.   You don’t lose deals in one big moment. You lose them in the cracks between meetings.   The rep who doesn’t send a recap. The AE who doesn’t ask for the next step. The SDR who thinks a second email is “too much.”   Here’s the reality:   Follow-up is the difference between a pipeline and a graveyard.   If you want to win more deals:   1️⃣ Send recaps within 12 hours; short, crisp, clear value. 2️⃣ Always confirm the next meeting on the call; never assume. 3️⃣ Build a multi-step follow-up sequence; not just a “circle back” email. 4️⃣ Add value every time you follow up; insight, resource, proof. 5️⃣ Track every follow-up like a stage, not an afterthought.   Bonus: Set a rule ➡️ no deal stays untouched for 48 hours.   Because if you don’t follow up… someone else will.   And they’ll be the ones who close. #sales #salesmanagement

The day after a customer onsite, you should call each person that you met with and do the following: 1. Thank them 2. Ask for feedback Use these conversations to: 1. Set additional demos/meetings (set multiple next steps in parallel, do not do them in linear fashion unless you want to slow down your deal) 2. Learn where you stand in the evaluation 3. Figure out who at the company actually has influence on the decision-making process If you do this right you'll go from having 1 main contact at an account to having multiple relationships driving your deal forward. You can even run this play on virtual demos if there is a big group. Big team meetings can be one of your best multithreading tools if you take this follow-up approach.

50% of deals close in the follow-up... so why are you stopping after one touch? Here’s the truth: Most people give up after one or two follow-ups. But the magic? It happens when you stay consistent. 👉 44% of people give up after one follow-up. 👉 Yet 80% of sales require 5-12 touchpoints to close (source: Brevet Group). Following up isn’t nagging—it’s showing commitment. It’s about staying top-of-mind and adding value every time. That’s what builds trust and moves the needle. Actionable Advice 👉 Follow up with THREE people you’ve spoken to in the past month. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Keep it light: “Hi [Name], just checking in—how are things going with [specific topic you discussed]?” 2️⃣ Add value: Share an article, insight, or resource they’ll find useful. 3️⃣ End with no pressure: “Let me know if there’s anything I can support you with!” Consistency is key. Make it a habit, and watch the results roll in. Want to master the follow-up game? Grab the 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 and learn strategies that close deals without feeling pushy. 👉 https://lnkd.in/encdUMTd Following up isn’t chasing—it’s caring. Do it right, and the results will follow. What's your favorite way to follow up?

Here's exactly how I structure my follow-ups to stop deals from slipping or ghosting at the last minute. Buyers ask themselves 5 crucial questions before they spend money. So we match our follow ups to each different question of the buying journey. The questions: 1/ "Do we Have a Problem or Goal that we Urgently need help with?" Follow up examples: Thought Leadership emphasizing the size / importance of the problem. Things like articles from Forbes, McKinsey, HBR or an industry specific publication. Screenshots, summations or info-graphics. NOT LINKS. No one reads them. 2/ "What's out there to Solve the Problem? How do Vendors differ?" Follow up examples: Sample RFP templates with pre-filled criteria. Easy to read buying guides. Especially if written by a 3rd party. 3/ "What Exactly do we need this Solution to do? Who do we feel good about?" Follow up examples: 3 bullets of criteria your Buyers commonly use during evaluations (especially differentiators.) Here's example wording I've used at UserGems 💎: "Thought you might find it helpful to see how other companies have evaluated tools to track their past champions. Their criteria are usually: *Data quality & ROI potential *Security (SOC2 type 2 and GDPR) *How easy or hard is it to take action: set up/training, automation, playbooks Cheers!" 4/ "Is the Juice worth the Squeeze - both $$$ & Time?" Follow up examples: Screenshots of emails, texts or DMs from customers talking about easy set up. Love using ones like the Slack pictured here. Feels more organic and authentic than a marketing case study. 5/ "What's next? How will this get done?" Follow up examples: Visual timelines Introductions to the CSM/onboard team Custom/short videos from CSM leadership When we tailor our follow ups to answer the questions our Buyers are asking themselves - Even (especially!) the subconscious ones Our sales cycles can be smoother, faster and easier to forecast. Buyer Experience > Sales Stages What's your best advice for how to follow up? ps - If you liked this breakdown, join 6,000+ other sellers getting value from my newsletter. Details on my website!

Most nonprofits lose major funders in the follow-up (here are 5 fixes that keep the door open and deals moving): You had a great call. They seemed excited. They even said, “This is really aligned with our priorities.” So you followed up. And then… silence. It’s not because they weren’t interested. It’s because your follow-up made it easy to say nothing. Here are 5 nonprofit follow-up mistakes that quietly kill funding—and how to fix them: 1. “Just checking in to see if you had a chance…” ❌ Passive. Vague. Easy to ignore. ✅ Instead: “Wanted to circle back with 2 specific collaboration options based on our last conversation.” 2. No new information. ❌ A repeat of the ask. ✅ Try: “Since we spoke, we launched [initiative] and saw [result]. Thought you’d appreciate the update.” 3. Waiting too long. ❌ Following up 2 weeks later. ✅ Best move: Follow up in 48–72 hours with a short, value-driven recap. 4. No clear next step. ❌ “Looking forward to hearing back!” ✅ Say: “Would you be open to a quick 15-min call next week to explore this option further?” 5. Sending attachments only. ❌ Nobody opens decks buried in emails. ✅ Instead: Paste a simple bullet-point summary in the body + link to the deck. Most funders don’t ghost because they don’t care. They ghost because the follow-up gave them nothing to respond to. How do you follow up? Share in the comments below 👇🏼 With purpose and impact, Mario

True story: A candidate followed up with me 4 times in less than 24 hours. Their burning question? "Did you receive my message?" As a recruiter, I appreciate persistence, but... Here's what actually happens: 1. I sort emails by urgency (offers, interview cancellations, etc.) 2. Then work through oldest to newest 3. Excessive follow-ups push you to the back of the line Result? The candidate who thought they were being proactive actually delayed their own process. And solicited a heavy sigh from yours truly.. 😉 The counterproductive approach: → Send multiple "checking in" emails → Follow up within hours → Assume no response means no interest Reasons NOT to follow up: • "Just checking in" on your application status • You're feeling anxious and want reassurance • Making sure they got your message The effective approach: → Wait at least 4 business days before following up → Have a compelling reason to reach out → Use tools like email trackers for peace of mind Reasons TO follow up: • You have a competing offer with a deadline • You're advancing quickly with a competitor, but X company is your first choice • There's new information relevant to your application • You've achieved a significant milestone since applying Remember: Following up is an art, not a hammer. It's about adding value, not creating noise. The key is to be persistent but respectful, proactive but patient, and memorable for the right reasons. Your next role isn't just about how often you reach out, but how effectively you communicate when you do.