Tying email follow-ups to specific goals

Years ago, I watched one of the best enterprise salespeople I've ever known lose a million-dollar deal simply because "𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝘆". This brilliant, capable professional was letting million-dollar opportunities slip away because she was afraid of seeming aggressive. Sound familiar? Here's the reality I've found after analyzing thousands of sales interactions: The average B2B purchase requires 8+ touches before a response, but most salespeople give up after 2-3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽𝘀—𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀. Working with clients across industries, I've developed what some have called the "Goldilocks Sequence" – not too aggressive, not too passive, but just right for maximizing response rates without alienating prospects. It starts with how we view follow-ups. Stop thinking of them as "checking in" and start seeing them as opportunities to deliver additional value. For each client, we build what I call a "Follow-Up Content Library" with 5-10 genuinely valuable resources for each buyer persona – a mix of their content and third-party research addressing likely challenges. Having this ready means follow-ups can pull the most relevant resource based on the specific situation. The sequence itself has a rhythm designed to respect the prospect's time while staying on their radar: 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 is the initial value-focused outreach with a specific insight (never generic "I'd like to connect" language). Around 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯, we send a gentle bump, forwarding the original email with: "I wanted to make sure this reached you. Any thoughts on the [specific insight]?" It's brief and assumes positive intent. By 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱, we shift to an alternative channel like LinkedIn, with a personalized note referencing the insight, but still no meeting request. Around 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟴 comes the pure value-add – sharing a relevant resource with no ask attached: "Came across this [article/case study] that addresses the [challenge] we discussed. Thought you might find it valuable regardless of our conversation." 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟮 brings what I call the "pattern interrupt" – a brief email with an unexpected subject line and single-question format that's easy to respond to. Then, around Day 18, we send the "permission to close" message: "I'm sensing this might not be a priority right now. If that's the case, could you let me know if I should check back in the future? Happy to remove you from my follow-up list otherwise." This sequence generated a 34% response rate for an enterprise software client compared to their previous 11% using traditional methods. The key difference? Every touch adds legitimate value rather than just asking for time. And because it's systematic, it removes the emotional weight of deciding when and how to follow up. What's your most effective follow-up technique? I'm always collecting new approaches to share with clients. #SalesFollowUp #OutreachStrategy #PipelineGeneration

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!

One thing 99% of candidates never do after their interview and it costs them the offer every time… They never send a real, impactful follow-up. My student, a complete fresher, was competing against candidates with more experience. After weeks of rejections and silence, he got his YES from a top MNC. Because he did this ONE thing 99% ignore: he sent a follow-up message that showed genuine interest, real value, and absolute intent. Why does this matter? According to LinkedIn’s research, candidates who follow up within 24 hours are 50% more likely to receive a positive response. But almost no one does it well. 👉 Here’s the exact type of follow-up I teach my students to send (that actually works): Subject: Thank you for the opportunity Hi [Interviewer’s Name], Thank you for meeting with me today. Our discussion about [specific project, e.g., Infosys’ new fintech initiatives] made me even more excited about the possibility of joining your team. I wanted to add a quick thought: Given my experience leading my college’s coding club and developing a payments app for over 2,000 users, I believe I can quickly add value to [Company]’s [specific goal or project]. If there are any further steps I can complete or details I can provide, please let me know. Looking forward to the next steps! Best, [Your Name] Why did this work? 1️⃣ It’s specific (mentions a company project or problem). 2️⃣ It ties the candidate’s unique value directly to the company. 3️⃣ It’s proactive and genuine, not “just checking in.” The post-interview silence is where most opportunities die. But also where a single message can reopen the door. 💡 My tips for you: ➡️ Always send a tailored follow-up within 24 hours. ➡ Reference the interview and your own strengths — show you remember, you care, you fit. ➡ Keep it short, real, and focused on THEM (not just you). If you want to turn interviews into offers, don’t just prepare for the questions. Own the moments after you leave the room. #interview #interviewtips #interviewpreparation #careergrowth

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

If I were writing demo follow up emails for a B2B healthcare company, here's the process I would follow. Research phase: - Define my ICP (CIOs, IT Directors, Healthcare Ops, etc) - Find the voice of the customer through demo calls, reviews, competitor analysis - Find the objections, pain points, and if they've expressed buying intent - Interview sales, marketing, and founders to learn about the product and the sales process - Figure out where prospects came from - did they come from a landing page or paid ads? - Look at past demo and overall email campaigns to figure out what resonated well Writing Phase: - Choose a framework to build out the messaging (like AIDA or PAS as examples) - Personalize the message around common objections and voice of customer messaging - Make sure the emails take users from unaware to most aware with each email - Make sure the emails follow a logical progression not random information - Make sure the emails have a single goal and get prospects saying "yes, this is for me" - Create contrast between doing something vs. doing it later - Make sure the subject line shows curiosity while maintaining relevance Iteration Phase: - A/B test email subject lines (long vs. short, urgency vs. curiosity, etc) - CTA test if it's value driven or action driven. - Review metrics to segment audiences around who's taking action vs. inaction Prospects can smell templated emails from a mile away. They want to know you understand them. Follow this method and your B2B healthcare (and healthcare in general) emails will get you amazing results.

60% of your potential clients are disappearing into a black hole. 🌌 I know because I audited my own follow-up process and discovered a shocking truth. I was losing over half my prospects after the first touchpoint. These weren't tire-kickers. They were genuinely interested prospects who simply... vanished 🫥. So I built a 3-step follow-up framework that doubled my close rate in 30 days: 💼 The Value-First Follow-Up: Instead of generic "checking in" messages, I send something specifically helpful based on our conversation. This immediately separates you from every other "just following up" email they receive. 💼 The Social Proof Touchpoint: I share a specific client result related to their challenge. Not a testimonial blast – a targeted story that helps them visualize their own success. Conversion on this touchpoint alone: 23%. 💼 The Closing Question Evolution: I replaced "Are you interested?" with "Would it be helpful to discuss the specific approach that created these results?" This subtle shift increased response rates by 71%. 📈 Coach Emma implemented this framework with prospects who had gone cold for weeks. Within 10 days, she closed three clients worth $8,700. The system takes less than 15 minutes to implement for each prospect ⏱️. Get the full follow-up system template in our community. Link in comments. What's your current approach to following up with prospects who've gone quiet? 🤔 #coaches #community #framework #followup #leadgeneration