What you'll get
- 12 copy-ready blocks
- Spreadsheet-ready
- 1 table
- 8 min read
- Follow-up rules (pin above your drafts)
- Follow-up 1: the fact you left out (day 3)
- Follow-up 2: a different angle (day 6)
- Follow-up 3: proof, no ask (day 9)
- Follow-up 4: a second person in the account (day 12)
- Follow-up 5: the honest close (day 15)
- and 6 more
How to use it
- Step 1: Start only after a researched first email to a named person in an account you chose.
- Step 2: Before each follow-up, find one new thing: a fact, a different angle, a piece of proof or another person.
- Step 3: Send from a real person's mailbox, as a reply in the same thread unless the template says otherwise.
- Step 4: Stop the moment they reply, and use the reply templates in Part 3.
- Step 5: After the last email, apply the stop rule. Do not restart the sequence next week.
Most follow-ups fail for one reason: they repeat the first email in fewer words. A senior buyer who did not answer the first time has no new reason to answer the second. Every email in this sequence adds something the last one did not have.
Part 1: The sequence at a glance
| Step | Working day | What is new | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| First email | 1 | Your reason for writing | Person A |
| Follow-up 1 | 3 | A fact you left out | Person A |
| Follow-up 2 | 6 | A different angle on the same problem | Person A |
| Follow-up 3 | 9 | Proof, with no ask | Person A |
| Follow-up 4 | 12 | A second person in the account | Person B |
| Follow-up 5 | 15 | An honest close | Person A |
The spacing is a default for email on its own. Adjust it to your market. If you also call or use LinkedIn, place those touches on the days between.
Follow-up rules (pin above your drafts)
1. Every follow-up adds one new thing. If you have nothing new, wait until you do.
2. One question or one ask per email.
3. Under 80 words. Readable on a phone without scrolling.
4. No "just bumping this", "circling back" or "did you see my last email?".
5. No invented urgency and no guilt.
6. Every fact about their company is true and you can show where you found it.
7. Identify yourself and honour opt-outs under the email rules for their country.Part 2: The five follow-ups
Follow-up 1: the fact you left out (day 3)
Research needed: one more fact about the company, with a source.
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
One thing I should have included: [new fact about their company, with source].
It made me think [one-line implication for their team]. Does that match what you're seeing?
[Your name]Follow-up 2: a different angle (day 6)
Research needed: what this role is measured on. Move from the company's problem to this person's part of it.
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
A different way into the same topic. For most [their role]s, [problem] shows up as [the measure they own: cost to serve, time to hire, audit findings].
Is [measure] something you're being asked about this year, or is the pressure somewhere else?
[Your name]Follow-up 3: proof, no ask (day 9)
Research needed: a customer you may name, or an honest description of the type of company. Quote results only as published.
Subject: How [customer or type of company] handled [problem]
Hi [First name],
No ask in this one. [Customer or type of company] was in a similar position: [situation]. They changed [what they did]. [Outcome, only as published.]
The part that might apply to [company] is [specific parallel].
Write-up here if useful: [link]
[Your name]Follow-up 4: a second person in the account (day 12)
A new thread to someone else on the buying committee. Say openly that you wrote to their colleague.
Subject: [Topic] at [company]
Hi [First name of person B],
To be open with you, I wrote to [person A] about [topic] and haven't heard back, which may mean it sits elsewhere.
From [person B's function], the question is usually [their concern]. How does [company] look at that today? If someone else owns it, a name is all I need.
[Your name]Follow-up 5: the honest close (day 15)
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
I've written a few times and I don't want to keep landing in your inbox if the timing is wrong.
I'll stop here. If [problem] moves up the list, or someone else at [company] is the better person, a one-line reply is all I need.
Thanks for reading.
[Your name]Part 3: When they do reply
Reply to "not now"
Hi [First name],
Thanks, that's clear. Two quick questions so I come back usefully: when does [planning cycle, budget round or contract] next come up, and is there anything I should read before then?
I'll put a note in for [month] and leave you alone until then.
[Your name]Reply to "I'm not the right person"
Hi [First name],
Thank you, that saves us both time. Who looks after [specific part] at [company]? If you're comfortable with it, I'll mention that you pointed me their way.
[Your name]Reply to "send me more information"
Hi [First name],
Glad to. So I send the right thing and not a brochure: is the main question [option A, e.g. how it fits with your systems] or [option B, e.g. what it costs to run]?
One page on whichever you choose will follow today.
[Your name]Log every reply against the account, not only against the person. "Not now, we review suppliers in March" is a timing fact about the whole company.
Part 4: The stop rule
After follow-up 5 with no reply from person A:
- Stop writing to person A for at least 90 days.
- Keep the account open if it still scores well. Continue with person B and find person C from the buying committee.
- Come back to person A only with a new trigger: a change at the company, a new role, a published initiative. Start a new thread and say what changed.
- Honour an opt-out for good. If anyone asks you to stop, stop, and mark it on the account.
Part 5: Tracker
Follow-up tracker header (paste into a spreadsheet)
Account Tier Person Role First email sent FU1 FU2 FU3 FU4 (to whom) FU5 Reply What they said Next action Come-back dateWorked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Follow-ups 1 and 4 from a warehouse-software seller to "Northfield Logistics". Names are invented.
Follow-up 1, filled in
Subject: Re: Second distribution centre
Hi Dana,
One thing I should have included: Northfield is advertising three planner roles for the new site (careers page, this week).
It made me think planning for both sites will sit with a new team. Does that match what you're seeing?
Sam CarterFollow-up 4, filled in
Subject: Slotting at Northfield
Hi Marcus,
To be open with you, I wrote to Dana Whitfield about planning for the second distribution centre and haven't heard back, which may mean it sits elsewhere.
From IT, the question is usually whether a planning tool fits the warehouse system you already run. How does Northfield look at that today? If someone else owns it, a name is all I need.
Sam CarterCheck before you send
- What is new in this email that was not in the last one?
- Could it be sent to another company unchanged? If yes, rewrite it.
- Is there exactly one question or one ask?
- Is it under 80 words?
- Have I checked whether anyone else in the account has replied since the last send?
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
How many follow-up emails should I send after no reply?
Five, over 15 working days, in this sequence. Each adds something new, and the fourth goes to a second person in the account. After the fifth, stop writing to the first person for at least 90 days.
How long should I wait before following up?
Here the first follow-up goes on working day 3, then one every three working days (days 6, 9, 12 and 15). Adjust it to your market, and place any calls or LinkedIn touches on the days between.
What should a follow-up email say?
One new thing: a fact you left out, a different angle, a piece of proof or a question for another person. If you have nothing new, wait until you do.
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