Master the art of the sales reminder with these 8 sample emails for your prospects
Did you know that 80% of sales are made between the 5th and 7th reminders? And yet no less than 48% of sales reps say they don't follow up...
It's true that sales follow-up can be exhausting, but it's a fact: prospecting is one of the main tasks of an SME, and it remains indispensable.
But how do you follow up a prospect without appearing heavy-handed or insistent? How do you know when is the right time and what terms to use?
We'll answer your questions in 8 simple points to help you stop letting your prospects slip through your fingers. You'll also find free downloadable examples of ready-to-use follow-up emails!
8 examples of sales reminder emails according to prospect profile
Example 1 - Follow-up after a first meeting
Subject: Further to our discussion - next steps?
Hello [First name],
Thank you again for your time last [day]. Our discussion gave me a better understanding of your objectives, particularly with regard to [specific issue]. You mentioned [key point from the meeting] and I've been thinking about a suitable approach to support you.
I'd like to suggest that we get back in touch to work together on a tailor-made solution.
Would you be available on Thursday or Friday to discuss this quickly? A 20-minute slot would be sufficient.
Yours faithfully, [Name] - [Name of your company].
Example 2 - Follow-up with no response to a proposal
Subject: Were you able to view our proposal?
Hello [First name],
I sent you a proposal on [date], and I wanted to make sure that you had received all the information. It is sometimes useful to go over things again after reading them, especially if certain details need to be adjusted (deadlines, terms and conditions, budget, etc.).
I'll be happy to listen if you need further clarification or if you still have questions. And if the proposal is no longer relevant, don't hesitate to let me know!
Just let me know what suits you best for the future.
Good day, [Signature]
Example 3 - Post-demo follow-up or free trial
Subject: What do you think of [name of product or service]?
Hello [First name],
You've had a chance to try out [name of product or service] recently, and I wanted to hear from you. Have you had a chance to explore the main features? What did you think of them? Did it address any of your current issues?
A lot of users come back to us with questions after an initial test phase, and a quick update can often unblock the next steps.
If you'd like, I can arrange a short session with you to review your feedback together and see how we can maximise the impact of our solution.
What do you think?
[Signature]
Example 4 - Soft relaunch after 2 months' silence
Subject: Is your project still on track?
Hello [First name],
We spoke a few weeks ago about [name of project / product], and I just wanted to get back in touch with you. Is the need you mentioned still relevant? Or has your thinking evolved in another direction?
For my part, I've continued to think about relevant solutions to support you. If you're happy with this, I'd be happy to arrange a quick meeting to see where you stand. I'm available this week or early next week, depending on your schedule.
In any case, thank you for our previous discussions.
I look forward to hearing from you,
[Signature]
Example 5 - Follow-up to a content download
Subject: Did our [name of content] provide you with answers?
Hello [First name],
You recently downloaded our guide on [topic] - I hope you found it useful. This type of content often raises questions or highlights new opportunities. If some of the topics covered resonate with your current issues, I can suggest a discussion to see how we can take things further.
You can reply by return email, or simply let me know when you would like to discuss it together.
I look forward to hearing from you [Signature].
Example 6 - Follow-up for a "lost" deal
Subject: A project put on hold... to be relaunched?
Hello [First name],
I know that you had to put the [name of product / objective] project on hold some time ago. Since then, we've made a number of changes, some of which could make our solution even more relevant to you.
I can send you a quick update or arrange a meeting if you'd like to reassess the project from another angle.
Don't hesitate to let me know if it's the right time to talk again. I am available this week or at a time of your choice.
Best regards,
[Signature]
Example 7 - Follow-up with a new offer or news item
Subject: Something new that might interest you
Hello [First name],
I wanted to let you know about the recent launch of [new feature/offer], designed specifically for [sector/use case]. This could address some of the concerns you expressed in our previous discussions.
If the subject is still on the table, I can send you a condensed presentation or arrange a quick briefing to see how this new feature might fit in with your current needs.
Let me know if you'd like me to send you these elements.
Yours sincerely, [Signature]
Example 8 - Direct reminder to arrange a meeting
Subject: Would you like to arrange a meeting?
Hello [First name],
I'm getting back to you following our last conversation. I think that a quick 20-30 minute meeting would allow us to structure the next steps and answer any questions you may have.
We could discuss the next steps together, refine the outline of your project, propose a roadmap or simply check that our approach is still in line with your objectives.
Would you be available on Tuesday or Thursday morning? I can adapt to your schedule if necessary.
See you soon,
[Signature]
How do you politely follow up a customer? 8 steps for your sales reminder
#1 - Analyse the situation
Taking a little time to analyse the situation before rushing to your telephone or keyboard is a lifesaver. Bear in mind that your sales performance depends on your ability to support the prospect, not pester them with messages!
To help you do this, there are some key questions to ask yourself:
- How far along is your prospect in their buying journey?
- Is he in the middle of the funnel, trying to work out how to solve his problem?
- Is he at the end of the funnel looking for a solution?
👉 Gathering this information will enable you to understand their level of maturity, their issues and their objective. You can then adapt the rest of your sales strategy accordingly, to make it as effective as possible.
#2 - Take the time to get to know your prospect well
If you have the opportunity to make contact with this prospect, make the most of this time to get to know him in greater depth.
And the best way to do this is to get to know them before the end of your last contact:
- Find out what your prospect's objectives are in the short or medium term,
- any difficulties they may have in achieving them
- and any important events for them over the next few months (product launch, trade show, etc.).
💡 You can then suggest that they talk about this in more detail during a future call to propose a sales action plan with your solution and what return on investment they'll be able to get out of it.
#3 - Choose the right moment to relaunch
When is the right time to follow up your prospect? Big dilemma!
Too early and they may get the impression that you're insistent and won't have had time to think. Too late and they may have already forgotten about you and signed up with your competitor.
Some people will tell you to put a recovery plan in place at :
- D+3, then D+10, then D+20,
- or twice a week for the first month, then once every fortnight.
But the real right time is when your potential customer is calling 😉 (especially in B2B).
Your prospect will be more inclined to schedule another call with you, for which you'll be prepared to maximise your chances of convincing them to support you over the long term.
#4 - Personalise your message
Copying and pasting is your worst enemy. An effective sales reminder is a tailor-made message that shows you've understood who your prospect is, what they're going through and what they're looking for. Before you click "send", ask yourself the right questions:
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What was their reaction during the first exchange?
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What did they mention as a barrier, objective or deadline?
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Has he recently shared any content, news or useful business information that could be linked to your product?
👉 By incorporating these elements, you show that you're listening, that you're committed to the commercial relationship and, above all, that you're not just another mass prospecting email .
#5 - Find the right channel for your reminder
Email? Phone call? Message on LinkedIn? Follow-up on social networks? Not all communication channels are created equal, and above all, not all speak to your prospects in the same way.
Some will never pick up the phone, but will read your e-mails. Others will only respond to DMs on LinkedIn. Still others are only available on video at 8am sharp with coffee in hand.
💡 Multiply your points of contact. If your follow-up email goes unanswered, try a phone call or a message on the networks. Don't wait for the prospect to come to you, be present, but never intrusive!
What if they never reply? They probably weren't that qualified.
#6 - Work on your sales pitch
Your sales pitch is one of your most powerful weapons of persuasion, and you need to prepare it! It should contain :
- the characteristics and specific features of your product or service,
- its advantages (mention only those that interest them),
- how it can have a positive impact on your prospect (how it will help them solve their problem).
What makes a good sales pitch? It helps the person you're talking to to easily imagine themselves using your product, and starts to see their problems disappear. In short, it's enough to pique their curiosity and make them seriously consider accepting your offer.
Whether on the phone or in writing, here's how to present your sales pitch in a natural, professional way:
- Start by summarising the prospect's situation and the issues they face;
- remind them of certain points you discussed together during the previous meeting;
- if you're on the phone, leave a moment of silence to get them to confirm what you've just said;
- Follow up with your sales pitch, adapting it according to what your prospect has already said.
#7 - Create a clear and engaging call to action
You don't just follow up "to ask for news". A sales reminder should guide the prospect towards a specific action. And the simpler and more direct it is, the more effective it will be.
Avoid limp formulas such as "Don't hesitate to contact me again". Instead, say: "Are you available on Tuesday morning for a quick telephone review? "or "Can I send you a costed proposal by the end of the week? "
A good call to action is a message that clicks. It sets out a next step, gives a concrete objective and encourages constructive discussion. You reduce vagueness, capture interest and your response rate climbs.
💡 Did you know? According to the VP of Marketing at Toast, emails that include a call to action can increase the number of clicks by 371% and sales by 1617%.
#8 - Show prospects that you're interested in their business
Prospects (and customers) like to be valued and to feel that you're interested in them - but not too much! There are a number of small things you can do to achieve this:
- Congratulate them by email, telephone or via social networks following an event that directly concerns them (publication in the press, successful webinar, news on Linkedin such as a promotion, etc);
- Forward them an article or document that might be of interest to them in the context of their business (innovations in their field, regulations coming into force in their sector, etc.).
Classic mistakes to avoid when sending out a sales reminder
Dunning too early or too late
A sales reminder that's too quick gives the impression that you're in a hurry, that you're trying to sell at any price, without giving your prospect time to think. Too late and your prospect has either forgotten your sales proposal or moved on to another contact.
The right tempo? It depends on the context and the type of prospect. In B2B, we often recommend a period of 3 to 10 days between two contacts, adapting according to the stage in the sales process (after an initial phone call, after a quote or after a content download).
💡 Tip : vary the dates, monitor reactions, test different days of the week and adapt your reminders to each customer profile. The idea is not to spam, but to remain visible at the right time.
Lack of personalisation
Sending a follow-up email with "Hello, I'm coming back to you" without mentioning the prospect's name, the subject discussed or the added value of your product or service is the best way to end up in the bin. And that's something that email algorithms understand too.
Each follow-up message should repeat the key information from the previous exchange. An issue raised, a business objective, a next step envisaged... Mention the date, restate the request made, and above all, provide a response.
📌 Example: "During our conversation on 12 April, you told me about an urgent need to automate the follow-up of unconverted leads. I can send you a sales reminder template optimised for this scenario. "
Sending an email that's too long or too vague
A sales follow-up email that is too dense, poorly structured or lacking a clear call to action dilutes the message and turns prospects away. A vague text leaves room for ambiguity, or even mistrust. A good follow-up email is :
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a clear subject line ("Do we have a date to move forward with your project?") ;
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a quick reminder of the context
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a direct proposal (meeting, return, product details);
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an engaging conclusion, always using a professional greeting.
And above all, just one idea per message. Too much information kills information.
Not providing value (just "news")
This is the most common mistake and the least forgivable. A reminder that only serves to "check in", without proposing anything new, is a waste of time for the recipient.
A new customer testimonial, a limited offer, a practical tool, an updated offer, a response to a previous objection, an invitation to an event... Your sales reminder must offer useful content.
🎯 Your mission? To provide tangible added value to each follow-up email, so that the prospect has a good reason to come back to you.
What tools can you use to automate and improve your reminders?
Did you know that it is possible to automate a large part of your sales management using appropriate software?
That's right, no more long, tedious hours writing and sending out sales reminders. Thanks to the tools we are going to present to you, you can create email templates and automate the rate at which they are sent, according to your needs!
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 Blacksales |  lemlist |  La Growth Machine |  Overloop AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Blacksales | Learn more about lemlist | Learn more about La Growth Machine | Learn more about Overloop AI |
Backsales - Turnkey lead generation and sales follow-up
Backsales is a solution specialising in multi-channel prospecting and B2B sales follow-up. It helps you detect qualified leads, structure your sales follow-up sequences and automate the sending of personalised emails at each stage of the sales process.
Thanks to its functions, you can easily :
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identify potential contacts
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personalise each sales follow-up email with the name, need and subject of the previous exchange,
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adapt the content and the call to action according to the level of maturity.
An effective tool for saving time while improving your response rates.
Blacksales
Sellsy - Automate follow-up and improve the timing of reminders
Sellsy is a French CRM solution designed for SMEs. It helps you manage your sales reminders with precision, from the moment you make contact through to signature. With this tool, you can :
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create automatic reminder scenarios based on key dates (sending a quote, no reply, no appointment),
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monitor open rates and reactions to emails, and adjust your reminder templates in real time,
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manage the automated sending of emails to your prospects according to their profile or behaviour.
A real plus for ensuring smooth customer relations and never forgetting to send out a reminder.
Lemlist - The perfect tool for 100% personalised follow-up emails
Lemlist has the capacity to send super-personalised commercial follow-up emails on a large scale. Thanks to LinkedIn + email + telephone integration, you can manage your multi-channel relaunch campaigns without leaving your interface. Key features:
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personalised messages with dynamic variables (name, position, content visited, date of last contact),
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complete automation of your reminder sequences according to precise deadlines,
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integrated deliverability tool (Lemwarm) to maximise the presence of your reminder emails in the main inbox.
Lemlist is particularly useful for re-launching a prospect who has downloaded content, attended a demo or left an email unanswered.
lemlist
LaGrowthMachine - The art of relaunching a prospect across all channels
LaGrowthMachine is a platform that manages your multi-channel sales prospecting campaigns, with a focus on scalability and intelligent automation. LGM enables you to :
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follow up your leads by email, LinkedIn and telephone calls, adapting the channel according to the rate of engagement,
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create conditional follow-up sequences (e.g. follow-up if the prospect opens the email but does not click),
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connect your CRM tools for centralised follow-up.
A complete solution for teams who want to relaunch effectively without sacrificing the quality of the sales relationship.
La Growth Machine
Overloop - Dunning while you sleep
Overloop takes the automation of sales follow-up even further, thanks to its built-in AI engine. It identifies the leads corresponding to your KPI, writes your follow-up emails and launches the sequences... while you concentrate on your other tasks. Key features include
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automatic detection of relevant contacts
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generation of personalised emails from social profiles and websites,
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analysis of response rates, effective time slots and best-performing email subject lines.
Overloop helps you to follow up your prospects smoothly, accurately and, above all, profitably.
Overloop AI
Sales reminders, at the heart of your sales strategy
As you will have realised, sales reminders are essential if you want to increase your sales and therefore your turnover. The secret is not to be too insistent, and to choose the right people and the right timing!
Although time-consuming, it remains essential to the smooth running of your sales activity. Fortunately, there are tools available to automate and optimise your campaigns with increasingly intuitive functions.
Article translated from French