Following Up After Sales Meetings

If you’re an AE and still sending “Recap Emails” after discovery calls, let me save you 12 months of frustration: You're making a mistake. You are confusing the buyer. You’re flooding them with everything you heard—but not what they need to do next. It feels helpful. It feels “consultative.” But in reality, it kills momentum. Here’s what I teach my AEs instead: Only one thing matters between first meeting and proposal: Progress. Forget the fluff. The notes. The recap. The follow-up should be this simple: “Great meeting with your team. Looks like there’s strong potential to help. As a next step, we’ll need to do a deeper dive into your environment so we can show you a tailored demo and proposal with implementation details and costs. Let’s schedule that session—it should take about an hour. After that, we’ll be ready to deliver a proposal.” That’s it. No persuasion. No selling. Just forward motion. Why does this work? Because: Buyers don’t read your bullet-pointed essays. They don’t remember action items buried in paragraphs. They don’t need more “convincing” before the demo. They need clarity. Ownership. Urgency. And when you stop treating every meeting like a closing opportunity, you’ll finally start getting to the point that matters: Proposal on the table.

Sales reps email "just checking in" an average of 5 times per day. Does this work?  Rarely. The habit of saying "just checking in" negatively impacts your sales efforts: ⇒ It doesn't add any value to the conversation. ⇒ It can come across as lazy or insincere. ⇒ By using this phrase, you miss opportunities to engage meaningfully. Here are 10 tips to stop saying "just checking in" and do something else instead: 1. Provide Value:  Instead of "just checking in," offer a useful piece of advice or a relevant resource. For example, "I came across this article that might help with your current project." 2. Ask Specific Questions:  Directly ask for the information you need. For example, "Can you update me on the status of the proposal we discussed?" 3. Share a Success Story:  Highlight a recent success that relates to the prospect's industry. For example, "We recently helped a company similar to yours achieve X. Would you like to hear more about it?" 4. Offer a New Insight:  Share a new piece of information or a market trend. For example, "I wanted to share some recent data on how companies in your sector are handling Y." 5. Suggest a Next Step:  Propose a clear next action. For example, "How about we schedule a call next week to discuss this further?" 6. Follow Up on a Previous Conversation:  Reference a specific point from your last interaction. For example, "Last time we spoke, you mentioned interest in Z. I have some additional information that might be useful." 7. Invite to an Event:  Offer an invitation to a webinar or industry event. For example, "We’re hosting a webinar on [topic] next week. Would you be interested in joining?" 8. Highlight a New Feature:  Inform them about a new feature or update. For example, "We’ve just launched a new feature that could benefit your team. Would you like a demo?" 9. Ask for Feedback:  Request their opinion on something specific. For example, "I’d love to get your feedback on our latest product update." 10. Express Genuine Interest:  Show that you care about their progress. For example, "How are things going with your current project? Is there anything I can assist with?" By replacing "just checking in" with these strategies,  you can make your follow-ups more engaging and valuable. This ultimately leads to better responses and stronger relationships. ♻️ Share this cheat sheet to help more sales reps improve their follow-up game. ______ 📌 p.s. FREE GIFT: If you’re looking to streamline sales plays across your sales team, you can click here: https://www.distribute.so/

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.

I know, I know. Sell the next step. Book a meeting from a meeting. But it just doesn't go that way sometimes — even though the prospect is a solid fit, and right inside your ICP, they're lukewarm and won't commit to a time. Some would say "cut 'em loose" right then. Maybe so. But here's what I've been doing first that's working pretty well: 1/ Just call it out. "Sounds like this is interesting, but not a 'this week' kinda thing." 2/ Offer a 3rd option. "If you're like me, stuff only happens if it's on your calendar. How about this?" 3/ Send a follow-up invite. "I'll send you an invite, with an exec summary in the body. Use the time for an 'async' meeting. Then, use the calendar link to book a new time after. If I don't hear back, I'll assume it's not a focus for you. You up for it?" - If no: well, that's your answer. Bless and release. - If yes: duplicate the invite while asking, "what date should I set it for?" ^that date tells you just how (not) urgent something is, and when's best to drop them a line on next steps after.

Sales success often comes down to super nitty gritty "why didn't I think of that..." plays that spark movement rather than the obvious "Did you establish next steps?" boulders. Here are two I used in social selling recently: 1. Inbound connection request - "Sam! XYZ speaks so highly of you and recommended we connect." Most reps would accept, and potentially skip replying to the note. 🤦 Instead, I replied, "Thanks so much for saying hi!" and offered to loop her in on our newsletters/webinars (turning LI connections into stickier contacts). Then I thought, "Who?" on the XYZ person as I didn't know them by name. Saw we were 2nd degree connected, so sent a note, "Hi! ABC shared your kind words with me and said hello on LinkedIn! Were you two talking sales shop or something totally unrelated?" Two quick actions that can spark conversations and often lead to a, "Hey, actually can we talk about how #samsales can help..." 2. An old client tagged me in a comment, "We loved working with Sam!" I replied and tagged in the person who initially hired us at the old client, who is also the person making a decision on hiring us again now (the deal closed, this was a few months back :)) at a different co. "Ah thanks Emily! Hats off to Sarah Green who brought us in to Old Company back then!" Small move to nurture Sarah, remind her how her colleagues also loved working with us, and send a gentle reminder that we exist + pls sign our deal. 😉 Bonus? Share your own small moves in real time with your teams on Slack so they learn from you and to also let you build a brand as someone with loads of creative ideas. Double bonus? Share these in larger Slack channels to build better visibility for yourself in remote environments. #samsales #linkedintips #saas

Most sales managers won't admit this, but it's smart to give up on prospects. I’m sure you’ve heard legends about the dogged salesperson who finally booked a meeting with their dream prospect after calling them every single week for a decade straight. Sadly, that sort of "pleasant persistence" is a misguided waste of time. They would have booked far more meetings had they used those extra dials on prospects who would have answered far more quickly. You only have only so many "sales calories" you can expend in a given day. If you care about booking meetings (and not just winning the activity leaderboard), draw lines of diminishing returns so you know when it's time to give up and move on to the next prospect: 📲 5 dials in 4 weeks: When you’ve literally cold called someone every week for a month straight, give them a rest for a month and try calling other prospects for now. ☎️ Stop after 2 voicemails: 2 voicemails is enough to reap the benefits of increasing your email replies. Don’t waste time leaving a 3rd. ✋ Avoid impassable gatekeepers: If they keep shutting you down, avoid them by calling your prospect’s cell, contacting them on other channels, or dialing at off-hours. 👻: If a prospect you've met is "ghosting" you, draw the line at 30 days. After absolutely nothing back from them in a month, move them to a quarterly drip sequence.  ____ "Giving up" on prospects doesn't mean you're giving up on selling. It simply means you're using your brain and allocating your limited effort into the prospects you have the best chance of winning. Do not take pride in endless followup to non-responsive prospects. Focus on effectiveness instead of blind persistence. 

When a Doctor Says They’ll Use Your Product… and Then Ghosts You We’ve all been there. You walk out of a sales call thinking you just crushed it. The doctor said, “Yeah, we’ll start using it.” Maybe even threw in a “This looks great!” for good measure. You’re already mentally logging the win. And then… nothing. No orders. No follow-up. Just radio silence. You try to reach out, but they’re suddenly busier than a trauma surgeon on a holiday weekend. You start to wonder—Did they actually mean it? Or was that just a polite way to get me out of their office? Here’s the reality: They did say they’d use it. That wasn’t a hallucination (despite the lack of hard evidence). And your job is to make sure that happens. So what’s the move? 1. Honor your commitment to honor their commitment. They said yes, so act accordingly. Don’t treat this like a weak maybe—treat it like a done deal that just needs execution. 2. Make follow-up a favor, not a favor request. Instead of, “Hey Doc, just checking in…” try, “Doc, I’m here to make sure this rolls out smoothly for you. Let’s lock in the details.” Frame it as supporting their decision, not begging for scraps. 3. Create urgency without being pushy. Remind them why they said yes in the first place. Maybe it improves outcomes, saves them time, or prevents their competition from eating their lunch. Whatever it was, reinforce it. 4. Use internal allies. Sometimes the doc is all talk, but the real decision-makers (or blockers) are staff, procurement, or admin. Find your champions inside the clinic or hospital and work with them. 5. If all else fails, call it out—professionally. If they keep dodging, try something direct: “Doc, last time we spoke, you were excited to get started. Have things changed?” Sometimes a little nudge forces a real answer. Bottom line? They gave you the green light. Don’t act like it’s still a red light. You’re not being pushy—you’re being a professional who ensures things get done. If you back off completely, you weren’t closing a deal—you were just collecting compliments. And last I checked, compliments don’t pay commissions.

Prospects ghosting you? Here's the follow up strategy that brought back a dead $50K deal Quick back story: A prospect ghosted me for 8 weeks. Opened every email. Zero responses. Most reps panic and send "just checking in" messages until they get blocked. Here's what I did instead that revived that dead opportunity: Instead of begging for meetings, I became their unpaid consultant. Every 2 weeks, I sent content that solved their specific challenges: → Training video on scaling teams (their biggest pain point) → Hiring scorecard for sales talent (something they mentioned needing) → Custom playbook for their exact situation No sales pitches. No product demos. Just solutions to problems they told me about. Week 8 response: "Sorry it's been crazy here. I've watched everything you sent and it's been incredibly valuable. Can we hop on a call to get started?" The system that makes this scalable: 1. Document everything - Keep detailed notes on every problem discussed 2. Build a resource library - Categorize valuable content by challenge type 3. Play the long game - Nurture with value, not desperation 4. Track engagement - They're reading, even if not responding Pro tip: Create a Google Doc with 600+ resources organized by problem. When prospects go quiet, you have solutions ready to go. The difference between top performers and everyone else? They solve problems before they sell solutions. When you provide value first, ghosting becomes impossible. — Sales Leaders! Want even more systems and playbooks installed across your team? Let’s talk: https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

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

Ready to make your prospects the star of the show? Let me put you on to a play I used to run as a rep that still hits hard in trainings today “The Heros Trailer” video play Picture this Your prospect is the hero facing their big challenge (cue the dramatic music) Your job? Help them see how your product is the missing piece they need to overcome it Heres how you can run it 1. Highlight their journey In your video don’t make it all about you—make it all about them. Show that you understand their current struggle - “Here’s the challenge you’re likely dealing with and heres how we help heroes like you solve it” 2. Tease the solution Like any good movie trailer you’ve got to keep it intriguing. Don’t spill all the beans. Give just enough so they’re curious to see how it all plays out. This isn’t the full demo. it’s a teaser. “Imagine if you had a tool that does [X] you’d be able to achieve [Y]” 3. Back it up with credibility Drop in “reviews” from other heroes (aka testimonials) “Sara and Mike were in the same boat but after using [our product] they saw XYZ results” now you’ve got their attention and you’ve built trust without sounding pushy 4. The big CTA End with a cliffhanger “Let’s schedule a time for you to see the full picture” make it feel like a VIP screening they can’t miss 5. Get creative with distribution It’s not just about the video—it’s how you deliver it. Send it via email, LinkedIn DM or even a voice note follow up. Your goal is to cut through the noise and give them something different—something that makes them feel like you really get their journey The reason this works? You’re not just pitching you’re positioning yourself as the guide that helps them shine It’s all about their success story When SDRs in recent trainings tested this play they started landing meetings they’d been chasing for weeks The feedback? “This feels more like a conversation than a sales pitch—it’s engaging” So next time you’re setting up your outreach ask yourself How can you help your prospect see themselves as the hero in their story—and position your product as the tool that helps them get there? Give this play a shot and let me know how it goes 🤘