How to follow up on an email after no response as a seller

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

No matter how long you’ve worked in sales, mastering follow-up emails is essential to nurturing leads. In fact, it’s common to reach out to prospects many times before you hear back.

In this guide, we'll break down six practical steps to crafting effective follow-up emails as a sales associate. Then, we'll provide three sample emails to help you get started.

How to send a professional follow up email after no response in 6 steps

1. Decide when to send the follow-up.

The timing of your follow-up is just as important as what you include in the message. You want to keep the recipient interested without overwhelming them.

A good rule of thumb is to wait two or three business days before following up on an initial email. But that cadence will vary if you send more follow-ups after the first one.

If your company doesn't have specific guidelines for reaching out to leads, consider developing your own strategy. Think about:

• How many follow-ups you'll send.

• What content you’ll include in each follow-up.

• How far apart you’ll send each message.

• Whether you’ll reply to your initial email and start a thread or write a separate message.

2. Craft a compelling subject line.

If you send a separate email, the subject line is your opportunity to re-capture the recipient’s attention. Use a clear, engaging subject line to prompt action without appearing too aggressive.

A few examples of phrases you can start with include:

• Let’s discuss...

• Gentle reminder to...

• Ready to start...

• Still interested in...

3. Remind them why you’re reaching out.

In one sentence at the start of your email, give a brief reminder of the context of your initial email. That way, they’re reminded of who you are and why you’re reaching out to them.

Plus, if you spoke to the prospect on the phone before, this is a good time to remind them of the conversation you had and when you spoke.

4. Share new details.

Don’t rehash all the information from your initial email in your follow-up. Since the prospect didn’t respond to your first email, you need to give new details that make your pitch more appealing to them.

You can do this by:

• Providing more benefits of what you’re offering.

• Highlighting a testimonial related to your product or service.

• Sharing a relevant industry trend that aligns with the prospect's interests, then connecting it to your product or service.

5. Write a clear call to action.

Every effective follow-up email should include a clear call to action. Think about what you want the recipient to do after reading your email. Should they:

• Schedule a meeting?

• Click on a link?

• Reply to the email?

• Call your office?

State whatever action you want them to take and include the necessary resources for them to follow through (i.e. a phone number, a website link, etc.).

6. Wrap up the email.

End your email by thanking the recipient for their time and telling them you look forward to working with them. This establishes a positive tone and increases the chance you will receive a response.

Follow-up email after no response samples

Email #1

Subject line: John, ready to lower your shipping costs?

Hi John,

I wanted to follow up on the email I sent last week about how our software solutions can streamline your company’s shipping services.

We recently added new features to our software systems that can reduce costs for your shipping operations.

Let’s set up a time to talk. Would 9 a.m. on Wednesday work with your schedule? Please respond to this email to confirm your availability.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Klein

Email #2

Subject line: Let’s discuss your personalized business solutions.

Hi Bethany,

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me on Friday about our website management platform. Have you had a chance to review my proposal?

I would love to continue our conversation and answer any questions you have. Give me a call at XXX-XXX-XXXX so we can discuss personalized solutions for your business.

I appreciate your time and look forward to talking with you soon.

Rick Kasal

Email #3

Subject line: See how these trends can improve your conversion rates.

Hi Nathan,

I wanted to follow up with you and share some industry trends I came across on LinkedIn that are helping companies like yours grow their conversion rates.

See how AI is helping other organizations identify areas to improve across their channels:

[ARTICLE 1]

[ARTICLE 2]

At [Your Company], we specialize in harnessing these trends to empower businesses like yours. See how our solutions can benefit your business today: [LINK]

Thank you,

Amanda Sorentino