Only 2% of sales convert after the first contact.

To ensure that you get your message across, you’ll need to follow up with prospects. And one of the most effective ways to follow up with unresponsive leads and close deals quicker is to send them excellent sales follow up emails.

In this article, I’ll briefly cover what a sales follow-up email is and its significance. I’ll then show you how to write an excellent sales follow-up email and provide ten practical sales follow-up email templates you can start using today.

As a bonus, I’ll also share three tips to help improve your sales follow up email success, including an easy way to automate your sales follow up emails.

This Article Contains:

(Click on links to jump to specific sections)

• What Is a Sales Follow-Up Email?
• How to Write an Excellent Sales Follow-Up Email
• 10 Awesome Sales Follow-up Email Templates
• 3 No-Nonsense Tips to Ensure That Your Sales Follow-Up Emails Succeed

Let’s get started.

What Is a Sales Follow-Up Email?

A sales follow-up email is an email you send to a prospect after your first contact with them — the first contact may have occurred via cold calling, cold emailing, social media messaging, or even meeting in person.

In any case, the goal of a sales follow-up email is to elicit a positive response from a prospect.

But do sales follow-up emails actually work?
Yes!

Research shows that only 2% of sales are made during the 1st contact, while 80% of sales are closed between the 5th and 12th contact. Simply put, sending follow up emails can improve your sales conversion chances — provided you follow up the right way.

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To help you nail follow-ups, I’ll cover the fundamentals of writing effective sales follow up emails:

How to Write an Excellent Sales Follow-Up Email

An effective sales follow up email captures your recipient’s attention and persuades them to respond.

For a follow-up email to be effective, it needs three key things:

1. An eye-catching subject line: While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to crafting subject lines, successful subject lines are generally short, intriguing, personalized, and optimized for mobile.
2. An engaging email body: Once a potential customer opens your email, the onus is on the email body to capture their attention — the email body must be concise, straightforward, personalized, and value-adding.
3. A compelling CTA: Adding a clear call to action (or even multiple actions items) at the end of your email makes it easy for the recipient to decide what they should do after reading the email — for example, schedule a call with your sales professional.

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Now that you have some idea about writing a follow-up email, let’s solidify that understanding by taking a look at several high-converting sales follow-up email templates:

10 Awesome Sales Follow-up Email Templates

Here are ten follow-up templates you can use depending on where the prospect is in the sales pipeline:

1. Sales Follow-Up Email after Leaving a Voicemail

If you tried calling the prospective client for a sales meeting and left a voicemail, use this email template to drive the message home.

Subject: Just Left You a Voicemail, [Prospect’s Name]

Hi [prospect’s name],

I just left a voicemail to [explain why you called]. 

I will try to call again on [date and time], but you can always reach me anytime between 9 AM-9 PM [prospect’s time zone] on [your phone number], or email me at [your email address]. 

If you’d like to hop on a video call, please feel free to choose a slot from this link: [link to your scheduling tool — for example, Calendly link]. 

Thanks!
[Your name]
[Your signature]

2. Sales Follow-Up Email after a Call

If you’ve had a successful phone call with a potential client or had a sales pitch on the phone, don’t wait for the sales prospect to get back to you. Send them a sales follow-up email after the call to reinforce key messages.

Subject: Thanks for Taking My Call, [Prospect’s Name]!

Hi [prospect’s name],

It was terrific connecting with you last week and learning a little more about you and [prospect’s company name]. 

I now have a clearer picture about [prospect’s pain point discussed during the sales call] and how it negatively affects [prospect’s company name] by complicating its efforts to [something they’re trying to achieve]. 

To help, I’ve attached [your company name]’s solution to show how we can help with [prospect’s pain point]. 

Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional information. I’m looking forward to our conversation on [date, time].

Many thanks,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

3. Sales Follow-Up Email if Previous Sales Emails Have Been Unsuccessful

If you’ve already sent the recipient multiple follow ups but haven’t heard anything back, it’s still worth checking in again. Without being too pushy, ask if they need any assistance or if they’d like to share feedback on the previous email conversation.

Subject: Can’t Seem to Reach You, [Prospect’s Name]

Hi [prospect’s name],

I just wanted to check in to see if you tried [details of the first email] to improve [prospect’s business aspect]. If you’re having difficulty implementing this or have any further questions, I’m happy to help.  

If you’re available for a call sometime next week, I’d love to do a recap and dive into more detail. Feel free to book a time here: [link to your calendar or scheduling tool]. 

I’m looking forward to hearing from you! 

Regards,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

4. Sales Follow-Up Email Sharing Value

Instead of sending a generic follow-up email, improve your lead generation efforts and conversion rate by adding value to your email.

Consider including social proof showcasing how you’ve helped past or existing customers. Moreover, feel free to add any other info that reinforces your core message and enhances your value proposition for new customers.

Subject: Here’s that Info I Promised, [Prospect’s Name]

Hi [prospect’s name],

I’m sure you deal with your share of [prospect’s pain points], so I thought I’d share a few solutions we’ve implemented for our existing customers: 

• [Social proof #1]
• [Social proof #2]
• [Social proof #3]

I’d love to get into more detail about these if you’re interested.

Please let me know if you are, and let’s schedule a call. 

Many thanks,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

Tip: If you have detailed user stats that you’re sitting on, leverage them as social proof in your follow-up email sequence to add more credibility to your company and sales message.

5. Sales Follow-Up Email Asking for a Referral

At times, the recipient you’re emailing about a product or service (for example, a CRM system, a traffic source monitoring platform, or a personalized video creation tool) may not have the authority to make a purchase decision.

That could be why the prospect hasn’t responded to your cold outreach or sales emails yet.

To confirm if this is the case, you can send a sales follow up email asking for a referral. Chances are, the recipient will respond to let you know if someone else is in charge.

Subject: Are You the Right Person to Approach to Talk about [Product/Service], [Prospect’s Name]?

Hi [prospect’s name],

I emailed you a few days back to talk about [your product/service], but I couldn’t get a response.

If you’re not the appropriate person to approach about this, can you please point me in the right direction? 

I’d love to connect with a decision-maker.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

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6. Sales Follow-Up Email to Reconnect with a Prospect

Sometimes, a sale doesn’t go through not because your offering wasn’t suitable for the prospect but because the timing wasn’t right.

If that’s the case, the prospect may ask you to reconnect with them at a potentially better time. And when you do, the recipient would be more inclined to respond since it was their idea that you should reconnect.

Subject: Reconnecting As Per Your Request, [Prospect’s Name]

Hi [prospect’s name],

In our last email conversation, you asked me to reconnect with you in [month/year]. You had mentioned that [prospect’s company name] was going through [prospect’s issue], and it wasn’t the right time to invest in [your product/service].

Would now be a good time to talk? 

I’d be delighted to walk you through [your product/service]’s [pricing] and enhanced offerings:

• [Enhanced functionality #1]
• [Enhanced functionality #2]
• [Enhanced functionality #3]

Feel free to schedule a call here: [link to your scheduling tool].

Best,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

7. Sales Follow-Up Email after a Networking Event

Sending a sales follow up email to someone you just met at a networking event (like a trade show, conference, or webinar) is beneficial for several reasons.

Unlike a random person sending a cold email, you’re someone the prospect has met. As a result, they’re likely to engage with your email. Moreover, since you specify how you can help them, the prospect will have more incentive to respond.

Subject: Pleasure Meeting You at [Networking Event], [Prospect’s Name]!

Hi [prospect’s name],

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you at [networking event].

I thought about what you mentioned regarding [prospect’s pain point], and we might have just the solution for you. 

[Your product/service] offers [feature #1] and [feature #2], which have proven to help companies in the [prospect’s niche] space overcome [pain point #1], [paint point #2], and [pain point #3] cost-effectively.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to get on a call with you.

Please let me know how you’d like to take this forward.

Best,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

8. Sales Follow-Up Email after a Demo

It’s always crucial to follow up with a potential client once you’ve done a demo for them.

Why?
You’re probably not the only company in talks with a prospective client — your prospect may be consulting with sales reps from your competitors as well.

To stand out, you must follow up with qualified leads soon after your demo, asking them if they have concerns or would like more clarification about something. Doing so lets you stay on top of the prospect’s mind and drastically improves conversion chances.

Subject: Thank You for Your Time, [Prospect’s Name]!

Hi [prospect’s name],

Thanks for taking the time to discover how [your product/service] can help [prospect’s company name] achieve:

• [Goal #1]
• [Goal #2]
• [Goal #3]

If you have any questions or want to explore [your product/service] further, just hit me up.

Schedule a call here: [link to your scheduling tool].

Regards,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

9. Sales Follow-Up Email offering Exclusive Gifts or Vouchers

When a prospect hasn’t responded to your previous cold outreach emails, sending them an email with gifts or vouchers is bound to capture their attention. Since your email offers them something exclusive, they’d be encouraged to give things a try.

Besides, when you add a request for feedback in your gift email, the prospective client would realize that you genuinely care about what they have to say.

Subject: An Exclusive Voucher/Gift Just for You, [Prospect’s Name]!

Hi [prospect’s name],

I had shared some info about how [your product/service] can benefit [prospect’s company name].

Try out [your product/service] with [voucher code] to make a more informed decision. You’ll get exclusive access to premium features like [feature #1], [feature #2], [feature #3], and more.

I’d love to hear your feedback after you’ve given [your product/service] a try.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

10. Sales Follow-Up Email to Break Up with the Prospect

If you’re still not getting anywhere with a prospect, consider sending them a breakup email.

Maybe they aren’t the right person to contact, or they just aren’t that interested in hearing from you. Either way, if you keep trying, you’ll come across as one of those pushy salespeople who annoy prospects and refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.

Instead, let the prospect know that your sales team won’t reach out again unless asked to.

Subject: Can I Close Your File, [Prospect’s Name]?

Hi [prospect’s name],

I tried getting in touch with you to offer some suggestions on how I believe [your company name] can help [prospect’s company name] improve [prospect’s business aspect]. 

However, it looks like you’re busy, and I don’t want to bother you any further.

If possible, could you please let me know which of the following situations applies to you:

1. You’re satisfied with [competitor’s product/service] and don’t need [your company’s] help.
2. You’re interested in [your product/service] but aren’t ready to make a purchase decision just yet. In that case, I’ll reach out again in [a month, a few months, next year]. 

Many thanks,
[Your name]
[Your signature]

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Next, I’ll go over some pointers to improve your sales follow up email conversions:

3 No-Nonsense Tips to Ensure That Your Sales Follow-Up Emails Succeed

To make sure that your sales follow up email has the desired impact, here are three practical email sales tips for your sales team:

1. Be Patient

While every salesperson loves a hot lead, most of your sales will come from leads that require a little more effort.

The key is to develop a follow-up system in your sales cycle so that you can consistently follow up with and nurture those leads over time. That said, your sales reps should send your first follow-up message about a day or two after the initial email.

Remind the potential customer who you are and what you discussed the last time. It may also be a great idea to add additional information, such as the next steps (or a few action items) you have in mind.

Additionally, be sure to give your recipient more time between each follow-up. You should wait four or five days instead of just one for the third follow-up.

2. Send Out Your Sales Follow-Up Emails at Optimal Times

A good strategy for boosting your response rate (or reply rate) is to send out sales follow up emails at optimal times — when your prospects are most likely to respond.

Research suggests that you keep these time frames in mind when sending follow-ups:

• If you’re a B2B company, send your follow-up email to sales prospects on a Saturday at 10:00 AM for the best open rates.
• If you’re a B2C company, schedule your follow-ups to reach the potential customer at 12:00 AM on a Saturday for the best open rate.

Remember, these are just general guidelines.

The best time to send your follow up emails can vary from prospect to prospect.

I recommend that you leverage the A/B testing feature of an email outreach tool to find the optimal times for your follow up emails.

3. Automate Your Sales Follow-Up Emails

Creating an excellent sales follow up email takes a bit of work.

As a sales rep, you should achieve your sales targets without coming across as one of those rude or pushy salespeople. Additionally, you’ll need to reach out to as many sales prospects as possible while ensuring that you send them personalized emails.

All these aspects can make writing a sales follow up email time-consuming.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be.
You can quickly get the follow-up process rolling with GMass.

What Is GMass?

GMass is an email outreach and email marketing automation tool that works entirely inside Gmail. Its ease-of-use has made it a popular software used by employees in powerhouses like Google and Uber and social media giants like LinkedIn and Twitter.

The tool’s also perfect for you if you’re a small business owner, sales professional, marketing specialist, customer support (or customer service) agent, or just a regular email sender.

GMass lets you easily create a workflow to send automated emails as follow-ups.

You can also quickly customize everything about these follow-up emails, like the:

• Follow-up schedule.
• Email subject line and body of your follow-up emails.
• Number of automated emails to send as follow-ups, and more.

For example, once you’ve sent out your sales email campaign, you can configure GMass to send a follow-up two days later to anyone that hasn’t replied to or didn’t open the email.

GMass also offers several other features that can help improve your sales follow-up success:

• Automatic Email Personalization: Send automatically personalized emails with customized subject lines, paragraphs, images, links, attachments, and more to improve conversion chances.
• Email Scheduling: You can schedule your sales emails to go out at optimal times so that they reach sales prospects when they’re most inclined to respond.
• Reporting and Analytics: Access detailed reports after each email campaign to analyze metrics like the total number of recipients, open rate, response rate, and more.
• Click Tracking: See who clicks on a link in your email campaign. Once someone has clicked a link, GMass will automatically compile a report and send it to a dedicated folder within your Gmail account.
• A/B Testing: Find the most compelling subject lines and email body content to use by testing different versions of your cold emails and finding the one that works best.

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Wrapping Up

Sure, mastering the sales follow up email can be tricky. But it isn’t impossible.

Ensure that you ace your subject line, personalize your follow-up, and send it at the right time. Once you’ve sorted those aspects, you’ll have no difficulty engaging your sales prospects!

The downside is that crafting the perfect sales follow up email can become time-consuming, even if you’re a seasoned salesperson or marketing professional.

That’s where GMass comes in.

GMass’s powerful email features take the hassle out of writing follow-ups. With features like automatic email personalization and automated follow-ups, GMass does it all.

Download the GMass Chrome extension for free to up your email sales game today!