How to Follow Up After Meetings

Unproductive meetings are costing us $399 billion a year. And 25% of that is because no one is taking the time to follow up! As someone who provides project management support to nonprofits, I understand that follow-up is huge! Here’s how I’ve seen this play out ⤵️ Imagine you’re working at a nonprofit. You just had a great team meeting about Q2 goals. Everyone is supercharged and ready to take action. But then, two weeks later, at the next team meeting… Everyone is staring blankly at one another. No one has followed up or set next steps from the last meeting. After any meeting, setting next steps and accountability around them is crucial to seeing projects through. But it can be one of the simplest things to forget 🤷🏾♀️ If you don’t have clear next steps & follow-ups after a meeting… You may find yourself wasting a lot of time fixing the same problems. So, as a project manager for organizations in the social sector, here’s one piece of advice on how to fix this and make it a habit. ⤵️ Let’s replay that scenario again. You had a great team meeting about goals for Q2. ↓ You’re ready to take action, and you outline clear next steps at the end of the meeting.  ↓ You then attach names of team members and dates to those next steps. ↓ You immediately schedule these tasks with specific deadlines in your Google calendar (or any system you use) and share these invites with relevant team members - this is the accountability piece.  ↓ You schedule reminder emails before the due dates to keep everyone on track. ↓ By having a clear follow-up routine tied to a visual reminder, few tasks will fall through the cracks, and you’ll have constructive team meetings that will push your project forward. P.S. Sharing insights like this is why I love working behind the scenes of great initiatives. Because it’s these simple steps that transform great ideas into amazing causes.

This week I'm thinking a lot about how done is better than perfect, inspired by a sales coaching conversation I had with a client last week. She was a bit stuck, worry about WHEN to follow up after a meeting with a potential referral partner. Should she follow up a week later? 3 days later? etc. Here's what I said --> Create a system that you always do after each meeting. It doesn't have to be perfect in terms of scientifically timing each follow up but it should be something that you ALWAYS do. It could look something like this: 1️⃣ The Post-Meeting Routine: Take 15 minutes immediately after each meeting to log detailed notes in your CRM. Document key pain points, objections raised, and next steps discussed. This ensures you capture insights while they're fresh. 2️⃣ The Calendar Commitment: Create calendar reminders for each follow-up touchpoint in your plan. Set specific dates for thank-you emails, value-add communications, and next steps outreach. This eliminates the mental energy spent wondering when to follow up – it just shows up on the calendar. 3️⃣ The CRM Nudge System Use your CRM's task features to create a sequence of follow-up reminders with specific actions attached to each. Set it up to alert you at 24-hour, 3-day, 10-day, and 21-day intervals to keep your prospects from falling through the cracks. The intervals aren't the important thing here. It's the automation that helps maintain momentum without requiring perfect memory. The best system isn't about timing – it's about having a process you'll actually stick to. What's one way you could make your follow-up process more systematic this week?

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!

✨The Power of the Follow-Up: Where Deals Are Won (or Lost)✨ In medical sales, the initial conversation is just the beginning, but the real magic happens in the follow-up. How many times have you had a great meeting, only to let the opportunity slip because you didn’t follow up effectively? Here’s what I’ve learned: It’s not about being pushy, it’s about being present. Here’s how I approach follow-ups to add value and keep the conversation going: - Recap and reinforce: After a meeting, I send a quick recap of the discussion, highlighting the key points we covered and emphasizing how my solution can help. - Provide something extra: Every follow-up includes something valuable, an article, case study, or even a simple insight related to their challenges. This keeps me top of mind while building trust. - Stay consistent: I schedule follow-ups like any other meeting. Whether it’s a week later or a month, I stay committed without letting leads go cold. The best follow-ups aren’t just reminders, they’re opportunities to deepen the relationship and show you’re invested in solving their problems. Sales isn’t about the one big pitch; it’s about creating multiple touchpoints that deliver value every step of the way. What are your strategies for effective follow-ups? Share your tips below. I’d love to learn from you!

I’ve seen 1,000s of pitches but only 5% did *this*. Yet every founder who did raised successfully. They nailed the follow up. Many founders think: “The pitch went really well. Now the VC will drive the process.” Sometimes that’s true… …but you can’t rely on it. Want to control your own destiny? Try this to keep the process moving: —— 1️⃣ Close the meeting right Leave 5 min at the end of your meeting to determine VC interest / fit and set SPECIFIC, actionable next steps. Ideally that next step is another meeting with a specific objective. How do you do it? Listen to their questions and propose a deeper dive in the area that sparked the most curiosity / concern. Here are some good examples: → “It sounds like you’re interested but have some questions about our traction & growth projections. Can we grab 30 min next week to walk through the assumptions in our financial model and GTM strategy? We’re excited and I’d love to get your take.” → “We think our next 2 product releases will increase our growth by 30% and increase free-to-paid conversion. Should we meet next week to talk through our product roadmap and the data guiding our strategy?” —— 2️⃣ Send a great follow up email You’re pitching a firm, but you met a person. Make it easy for them to share your startup with their team. Include these sections in your follow up: ➟ 1-2 line company synopsis ➟ 3 impressive KPIs / facts ➟ Important questions asked + your answers ➟ Agreed action items & scheduled next meeting These follow ups project confidence and let you control your fundraising fate. —— Was this helpful? 👍 like and ♻️ repost it to help other founders!

My followup emails after meetings get an 63% reply rate...80%+ if you count the people who don't reply and just book the next meeting. Here's how I write one in under 10 mins. The main parts of my followup emails are: 1. Subject line 2. Greeting 3. Rapport 4. What I heard 5. Empowering CTA/Offer 6. Close This requires a call recorder with "Ask AI" to be quick and easy. You can cobble it together with transcripts pasted into ChatGPT, too. 📩 Subject line Prompt: Look at this entire conversation. If there was one word that you would use to represent the most important buyer-centric topic or issue, what would it be? Always 1 word, not capitalized. 🤔: the point of a subject line is to get someone to read an email, not to summarize the content of the email. 📩 Greeting I am a big user of the word "Yo!" But, I change based on the conversation I've had. I try to take the energy of the call I just had and amp it up a notch. Main thing - make it you. 🤔: A greeting is a chance to set the energy of the email! 📩 Rapport Prompt: Look at this entire conversation. What are 2 or 3 areas of commonality or personal connection that reminding someone of could create a deeper relationship? I don't always need this prompt as something is usually top of mind, but I try to inject a little humor here. 🤔: When you stop working on a relationship, it stops working. 📩 What I Heard Prompt: What are 3-5 problems that Mr./Ms. X said that Operator can solve? I want the exact quote in their words. I'm looking for at least 3. I make sure they are all 1 sentence, and I always put a dash with a little "pitch" for each one. Example: You need 2-3 more meetings per rep per month to close your pipeline coverage gap - you can get 1-2 high value accounts per month into a rep's pipeline using compelling messaging around provable business problems they are already suffering from 🤔: Begin with the end in mind. Knowing I'm going to followup this way means I actually make sure to really dig in and make these good during the call bc if I can't find 3 good ones in the transcript, I didn't do good discovery and the deal is already at risk. 📩 Empowering CTA/Offer A CTA is a Call to Action, not a Cause to Ask, yet most reps just ask for something. Because I know the next step in the process and sold it in the meeting, I am able to do a CTA that creates forward momentum in a meeting. Example: Send me over those 2 high value accounts you want to see our results for. Here's my calendar {{link}}. Grab some time so we can review them together. Super interested in your feedback. After we're done, you can have the data. 🤔: CTAs should move the buyer to the next meeting or milestone, not just ask for something. Think of how to make the CTA an offer, not just an ask. ♻️ Consider reposting if you want better followup emails. ❓ Do you use a template for followup emails?

I’ve discovered a game-changing method to handle meeting follow-ups, making me stand out from the crowd. Here’s the secret: I combine Otter.AI with ChatGPT for unbeatable efficiency and precision. Here’s how it works: Record with Precision: During every meeting, I use Otter.AI to record and transcribe the conversation. This ensures I capture every detail—nothing slips through. Generate with AI: After the meeting, I take the Otter.AI transcript and feed it into ChatGPT. I prompt it to draft an ideal follow-up email that recalls critical points and suggests next steps. Effortless Excellence: Within minutes, ChatGPT crafts a follow-up that’s not just timely but thorough. It includes all the details from our discussion, perfectly tailored suggestions for moving forward, and personal touches that make the recipient feel valued. This strategy has drastically enhanced my professional follow-ups, making them more timely, detailed, and personalized. It’s not just about following up anymore; it’s about standing out in a sea of standard emails. Try this approach, and watch your follow-up game change forever. You’ll save time, maintain better relations, and most importantly, you’ll always be on top of your game. If this tip was valuable share it and pay it forward! #BusinessInnovation #EntrepreneurTips #MeetingProductivity #AIForBusiness #TimeManagement #ProductivityHacks #SmallBusinessSupport #WorkSmarter #TechToolsForBusiness #EfficiencyExperts

UX Researchers! Listen up! 🔊 I know after we’ve completed a research project we often think we can give a presentation and move on to something else, but after some years in the UX research space, I’ve realized the importance of following up, tracking, and effective communication to get key recommendations implemented. They may not teach you this in your UX bootcamps and courses, but in real life, there's a lot of work that must go on after that presentation. If you don’t do that work, you risk your efforts being left on the shelf, leaving you wondering what impact you’ve had at the end of the year. Here are three key ways to ensure your UX research recommendations are implemented effectively: 1. Consistent Follow-Up: Schedule regular follow-up meetings with stakeholders to review implementation progress and ensure accountability. Also use this opportunity to build connections! The more stakeholders on your side, the more likely for things to get implemented effectively. 2. Track Progress and Impact: Use tools to monitor the implementation of recommendations, logging progress and outcomes, and share updates regularly. Document changes too of course! 3. Effective Communication: Maintain ongoing communication with all parties through updates, progress reports, and success stories to keep everyone engaged. I wish someone shared these tips with me when I first started in this space but alas! I hope this helps someone! #UXResearch #UserExperience #UX #FollowUp #Implementation #Communication #ResearchImpact #CareerAdvice #Presentation

Want to increase your closed-won rate? Here are 3 types of 'follow-ups' that help me close more: 1. The Pre-Meeting Follow Up When I book a meeting with a prospect over email, LinkedIn, or on the phone I ask if we can set aside 5 minutes to collaborate on an agenda. I also send over a relevant use case the day before the meeting. These 'follow ups' build rapport and trust before jumping on the first call. 2. The Breadcrumbs I posted about this last week and many people loved it. The concept is simple: stay top of mind. After a discovery call, I don't send everything over in one email. I only send the summary and next steps. Based on when the next meeting is, I sporadically send relevant documents they asked for, use cases, and helpful information leading up to the next meeting. Prospects will forget you quickly after the call. Don't let them. 3. The Post-Meeting Follow Up If you have a champion, shoot them an email and ask if you can hop on the phone for 5 minutes. On this call, it's very important to get an understanding on how they believe the call went. If you don't have a champion, email each attendee separately after the call and ask if they got their questions answered and what else you can provide. **This is 100x more effective if you write down what each person asked/how their body language was. You can then use this to guide the email follow up** My guess is 90% of reps aren't doing this. It's all about delivering a good experience and working with them as if you're on THEIR team, not a sales rep. Do these for each deal and watch how smooth the deals flow. Like this info? I run a free sales community on Slack. There's 600+ sellers in it and these tips are shared daily. Submit an invite request here: https://lnkd.in/dXxvZbWS

Ever leave a meeting and wonder: “What actually landed?” Here’s a simple 4-step process to find out what was the most important thing the person heard. ▪️STEP 1: At the end of the meeting, ask: “Was this meeting valuable?” ▪️STEP 2: If they say no, you say: “Thanks for the feedback. What would’ve made it more valuable?” Whatever they say, write it down. Focus on this in the follow-up note. ▪️STEP 3: If they say yes it was valuable (most do), respond immediately with: “Excellent, I value your feedback...what was the most helpful thing we discussed today?” Whatever they say, write it down because…that’s the ANSWER to the test. ▪️STEP 4: Lead with exactly what THEY SAID was helpful in your follow-up and in all future conversations. Ex. When I did this in a meeting earlier today, the person said: “I really liked how you broke down the WIN Room program and explained your step-by-step approach…especially how you combine 1:1 coaching with group sessions in a way that’s hands-on and easy to apply and practice.” Their answer lets me know they value process and understanding the steps. So in the follow-up email (and future conversations) I will start with… I know you appreciate the process and understanding the steps…. Because it’s not what you say that matters. It’s what they hear. And when you know what they hear, you WIN. 👉 What’s your go-to question for making meetings more memorable? #thewinroom