{"id":938,"date":"2020-06-25T16:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/?p=938"},"modified":"2020-06-25T16:03:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T16:03:00","slug":"follow-up-email-after-no-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiza.co\/blog\/follow-up-email-after-no-response\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Send a Follow-up Email After No Response"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the sales world, nothing can be said to be certain except death, taxes\u2026 and the majority of your carefully curated leads will never respond to your cold emails.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Truth #1: <\/strong>Most salespeople don\u2019t send enough follow-up emails. Even for top performers, booking a meeting typically requires at least 5 touches<\/a>. But most salespeople give up after the second email. See the problem? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We get it. Nobody wants to play into the \u201cannoying salesperson\u201d clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sending an initial cold email can feel unnatural; to send a follow-up email after no response can feel downright uncomfortable. A follow-up email is typically filled with more uncertainty than picking up the phone in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many emails should I send?\u00a0<\/em>
Should I wait 2 days or a week?
Am I being annoying?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth #2: <\/strong>You are not annoying by sending follow-up emails. It’s called professional persistence. And you don\u2019t have to resort to pushy tactics in order to send an effective follow-up email for sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how \u2014 and why \u2014 do you follow up an email with no response? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your cold email response rate<\/a> and <\/em>your sales prospecting<\/a> process, we have a two-part guide: the \u2018do\u2019s and don\u2019ts\u2019 of sending<\/strong> a follow-up email and specific tips for writing<\/strong> an email that will get responses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Should You Send a Follow-up Email for Sales? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Remember that stat from above \u2014 that a top sales performer still needs to make contact 5 times to make a sale? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That number jumps up to 8 touchpoints for the average sales rep. This includes leads who respond to your initial email, but should give you a good idea of the uphill battle you. Why not make cold email easier on yourself by creating personalized, consistent follow-up emails? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow-up emails (yes, plural) are the foundation for making multiple touches (without leaving 8 voicemails, that is). You can (and should) work in phone calls, social media and video, but make sure you\u2019re not neglecting email. A follow-up to your initial cold email will garner you more responses over the course of weeks and months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More: 7 Sales Prospecting Tips to Implement This Year<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are three of the major reasons why sending a follow-up email after no response is always <\/em> a good idea: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Stay top of mind for longer. <\/strong>Sometimes we just need our memory jogged. For busy decision-makers with full inboxes, a thoughtful follow-up can do the trick. <\/li>
  2. Test out different messaging to see what sticks. <\/strong>If your first message was about a 15-minute call, a follow-up means you have the opportunity to try an interest-based CTA<\/a> or shorten your subject lines<\/a>. in your second message. Shorter your subject lines and write less in the email itself. <\/li>
  3. Decrease your chances of falling through the cracks. <\/strong>Just 25% of sales emails<\/a> are opened in the first place. It\u2019s not necessarily that your prospect didn\u2019t want <\/em>to respond; maybe they just didn\u2019t see your message. By sending multiple follow-ups (including via phone and social media), you increase your chances of being seen. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t let potentially interested leads get away. Every sales rep should follow up at least <\/em>a handful of times from initial contact. But how?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Note: Please don’t actually write “How’s it hanging?” in your follow-up email. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    How Do You Send a Follow-up Email After No Response?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Now we get down to the nitty gritty. You know follow-ups are necessary, but how do you send the best <\/em>follow-up emails? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like many things in sales, the follow-up email is an art form just as much as a science. But here are the tried-and-true tips we use in our own outbound sales efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Get your timing right<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You don\u2019t want to follow up too soon (or too late). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll see numbers all over the map on this one. Some sales experts say 3 days for a follow-up, others say 5 days, and still others say a week or more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reality is when <\/em>to send a follow-up email depends on the length of your sales cycle. Shorter cycles may need a first follow-up after 3 days and a second follow-up after 5 days. For longer cycles, adjust this to 5 days and 2 weeks (especially if you\u2019re including other touchpoints in the meanwhile). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In general, you can\u2019t go wrong by following up every 3-4 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Review and revise how you close your email <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Cold emails are short \u2014 every little bit counts. Instead of keeping things the same for every email in your sequence, change up how you close out your prospecting emails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whether you\u2019re selling enterprise software or a small business tool, there\u2019s no need to stick to decorum. One of my favorite ways to close an email? \u201cStay awesome \u2014 I will if you will.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Create a fresh email every single time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Replying to your original email with something like \u201cHi, just checking in\u201d<\/em> will make your follow-up emails more annoying than they have to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instead, create a new thread each time you send a follow-up email. It gives you a fresh start and the prospect a new chance to respond without giving them the feeling that you\u2019re bugging them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nobody wants a pity response. You\u2019re looking for genuine interest, so build it anew in each email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Don\u2019t apologize <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSorry to bother you again\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stop. Start again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s no need to apologize to your prospects for following up. If you truly believe that what you\u2019re selling is worth their time, make that belief shine in your message. Saying sorry reduces your authority and makes you sound desperate for the sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On that note, avoid generic language that screams \u2018follow-up cold email\u2019. No need to say \u201cJust checking in on my last email,\u201d when you can say \u201cHi Tim, what\u2019ve you been reading this Tuesday?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Add secondary touchpoints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re reading this post, it\u2019s likely because you\u2019re focused on email outreach for sales. But an email sequence isn\u2019t the only tool in your arsenal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We highly recommend using multiple channels to change up how you contact prospects. Phone calls and LinkedIn connection requests will go a long way! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These don\u2019t even have to be direct <\/em>follow-ups. Before you send your next email or make your next call, take time to engage with your prospect\u2019s content on LinkedIn or Twitter. Then reference it next time you get in touch with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. Don\u2019t get tricky<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Make a subject line and first line worth opening, but no need to be dishonest. Adding multiple \u2018re:\u2019 tags to your subject line, for example, may get your prospect to open the email. But it will royally tick them off when they realize you don\u2019t have an ongoing conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep your message clear and your relevance abundant. Dishonesty will not be appreciated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. Change up your CTA <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you asked for a 15-minute phone call in your first email, ease up with an interest-based CTA in the follow-up email. (And let\u2019s be real, no discovery call takes 15 minutes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A great interest-based CTA reduces the action required of the prospect to just a handful of words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIs this something you\u2019re interested in hearing more about?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSure, let\u2019s do it.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re still not getting any traction, add a link to an interesting piece of content (more on that below). And let\u2019s be real, no discovery call takes 15 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    8. Automate your follow-up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    No need to make things harder on yourself. There are plenty of mail merge and email automation tools out there to help you with your follow-up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep your outreach and follow-up consistent by scheduling your main (personalized) sequence all at once. You can always fill in the gaps with more timely communication throughout the outreach process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    9. Change up your message<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It won\u2019t be effective to write \u201cAny thoughts on my last email?\u201d <\/em>two, three or four times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Try some of these instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n