How to Follow Up Without Being Pushy

Someone asked me how many follow-ups I send to prospects who’ve shown interest but haven’t bought yet. My answer? I don’t stop. But I’m not “just checking in.” I’m making deposits. A deposit = information that makes people smarter about a topic they care about. (Like this post.) You can do this too. Create a Top of Mind sequence. Add prospects to it when they’re not ready yet. Not with “just bumping this to the top of your inbox.” Not with pressure. With perspective. With insight. With generosity. Start simple: Write down 5 questions your customers typically ask before they buy. Now turn each question into one email. One answer per message. You can even make it a video. Let your personality beam through. Don’t pitch. Don’t chase. Just teach. They may not buy now. But when the timing is right? You’ll be the first person they think of. Because you didn’t follow up. You followed through.

Recruiting isn't about closing fast. It's about staying close. But here's the challenge: How do you follow up long-term without annoying the candidate? How do you stay on their radar… without feeling like a telemarketer? You ask for permission, and you earn the right to stay in the conversation. Here's a simple 3-part framework I teach leaders to use: 1. Acknowledge the timing "I totally get that now may not be the right time to make a move." When you acknowledge their current reality, you build trust. 2. Ask for alignment "Would it be okay if I stayed in touch over the next few months, just to keep the conversation open?" This shifts follow-up from "nagging" to agreed-upon access. 3. Set the tone for future value "I'll make sure anything I send your way is relevant to where you're headed, not just where you are today." Now you're not a recruiter. You're a future-focused partner. Bonus tip: Keep it human and low-pressure. Text updates. Quick voice notes. A win your team just had. A leadership thought that made you think of them. The goal isn't to sell. It's to stay worth replying to. Because the best candidates aren't always ready on the first call. But they do remember who stayed connected the right way. Play the long game, with permission, not persistence.

The #1 mistake I see in client relationships? (It took me years to learn this) Confusing contact with connection. Most professionals think staying “top of mind” means constant contact. So they: ❌ Send generic check-ins. ❌ Ask for meetings without clear value. ❌ Share the same articles everyone else does. Then wonder why response rates keep dropping. 20+ years in client relationships has taught me: The best way to stay memorable? Show up as someone who genuinely cares about them  (and their success). Instead of asking: ❌ “How do I stay visible?” Ask: ✅ “How do I show I care?” Here are my favorite 6 ways to show you care: 1. Spot Opportunities They Might Miss ↳ Share competitor moves and market shifts before  they hear it elsewhere. 2. Be Their Connector ↳ Introduce them to people who can help them grow. 3. Offer Insights They Can Use Immediately ↳ Send relevant research they can apply right now. 4. Celebrate Their Successes ↳ Spotlight their wins like they’re your own. 5. Invite Them Into Your World ↳ Include them in events and conversations that matter. 6. Check In With a Personal Touch ↳ Reach out with no agenda, just genuine care. Here’s the truth: Most people only show up when they want something. Top performers show up because they genuinely care. Because they know when someone’s ready to buy, they don’t research who’s available. They call those who’ve already proven they care. Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your take on it in the comments below. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

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!

Our biggest client didn’t respond for 2 years. In 2019, we were working towards a project worth a significant amount. We had navigated the conversation for 5 years without a direct line of communication. We met at conferences, exchanged messages through mutual connections, but we couldn't get direct contact. Finally, we had a call with them, but then NO RESPONSE. It felt like 5 years of hard work went in vain. But, at Hexaview Technologies Inc., we don’t give up. 𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼? We took it as an opportunity to spread more positivity and add more value. For those two years of silence, we didn’t disappear. We stayed connected. We wished them happy birthdays, celebrated milestones like our 5th anniversary, and expressed gratitude whenever we received recognition. We kept them in the loop, not with pitches, but with genuine human touchpoints. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱. After those two long years, they came to us. Not because we had the best pitch, but because we stayed relevant. We were on their radar, not as persistent salespeople but as a company that cared enough to stay in touch. That kind of RECALL VALUE is priceless. If we hadn't kept that connection alive, they might have struggled to even remember our names or find our contact details. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻? Never underestimate the power of consistent, positive engagement. You need to be memorable, not by being pushy, but by being present. So, if your client isn't responding, don't just sit back. Keep the connections alive, even when the other side is silent. Because sometimes, it’s not about the immediate result; it’s about being remembered when the time is right. And trust me, when they do remember, the impact can be game-changing for your business. Ankit Agarwal #Hexaview #saleslesson #clientengagement

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

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.

You meet a prospective client at a conference and hit it off. They suggest their company may need your legal services, and invite you to follow up with them. You're excited about the opportunity, so the day after you get home from the event, you craft and send a thoughtful email expressing how great it was to meet the person and suggesting dates for a call. And then...crickets. I often work with clients who experience something like this. What seemed like a surefire business development opportunity becomes radio silence. When faced with a situation like this, the key thing to remember is to not get discouraged nor make assumptions. There are all kinds of reasons—other than you getting ghosted—that may explain why you didn't hear back: - Your email got missed amid the onslaught of other messages the prospective client received while away at the conference. - The opportunity may be real, but not ripe. - They caught a cold at the conference and they're triaging their inbox because they're not feeling well. - They have every intention of responding, but just not yet. - And a multitude of other potential reasons. Give it some time. Be patient. And work other opportunities to build your pipeline. Don't be the person who sends an email to a prospective client on a Friday and then follow up on Monday. But do follow up—with empathy and understanding of what it's like to stand in the other person's shoes. In some cases that may mean waiting a couple of weeks, and sending an email that doesn't even mention setting up a call. Think back to the conversation you had, and what questions were asked, or pain points and objectives discussed. Send a helpful resource that addresses a problem the prospective client is facing. This demonstrates that you're interested more in their success than your own business development. And you may have to send several other such emails and resources over the course of months—or even years—before you get the response you're looking for. Legal demand is unpredictable—as is the personal or business circumstances faced by someone you're reaching out to at any given moment. Be persistent and helpful—not pushy. More often than not, if there is a real opportunity to be had, this patient approach will pay off.