Strategic Business Selling Tip: Best Practices of Email Follow-Ups

This week finds me conducting a really innovative Strategic Business Selling program for Strategic Account Managers.

This week's agenda includes best practices for email follow-ups, which is an opportunity to address something that I have noticed with many Sales Professionals during the last several months.

I’ve noticed too many Sales professionals starting their follow-up email with:

“I just wanted to follow up…”

It’s been bothering me for a while, so I conducted some research and am sharing my thoughts and findings.

Reasons why it feels off to me

1) It’s Passive and Timid

• The phrase signals a lack of confidence and authority.
• It puts the salesperson in a subordinate position (“just” implies you're apologizing for reaching out).
• Don’t start out apologizing, especially if you haven’t done anything wrong.

• There’s no new insight, no reason to engage, no hook.
• It feels lazy.
• Potential clients are busy. If your message doesn’t help them move forward or learn something, they tune it out.

• It sounds like every other salesperson chasing a deal.
• Research in behavioral psychology shows people resist when they feel sold to, especially without a compelling reason.
• It puts the client on the defensive, almost accusing them of not responding, and being on the defensive will also trigger resistance.

• “I just wanted…” is all about you, not them.
• In high-value sales, everything should be framed around their needs, problems, and value.
• Basically, they probably don’t care what you are doing if there is no value.

Interesting Data

Here are two reliable sources sharing some interesting insights:

Gong.io Sales Call Data

• Gong analyzed millions of sales emails and found that:
  • Emails that lead with value or new insight have a 35% higher response rate than ones that lead with “Just checking in” or “Following up.”
  • The phrase “just checking in” had a negative correlation with deal success.

LinkedIn’s State of Sales Report

• Top-performing reps are 2x more likely to use insight-based selling, where follow-ups add perspective, content, or challenge the status quo.

Suggestions

Here are a few immediate thoughts and suggestions:

FNAME, I was thinking more about our conversations regarding [MAINTOPIC] and found an article that aligns with the challenge you mentioned, which I thought you’d find helpful.

FNAME, we’ve been thinking a lot about the types of challenges and opportunities we’ve discussed and proposed collaborating on with you. In the meantime, here is our new blog on the [TOPIC] that I hope you will find interesting.

FNAME, based on what you shared, our team has taken the liberty of mapping out a couple of additional ways we could help improve your [specific goal]. I would appreciate your feedback.

FNAME, I wanted to share a recent client success story that I think you will find interesting. The client (in the ______ industry) has been facing very similar challenges and opportunities to the ones we have proposed to you, and here are some of the outcomes of their program.

FNAME, I was doing my daily reading on YOUR COMPANY, and I noticed [industry trend or deadline] is approaching fast. How are you planning for that? Do you have any thoughts about accelerating the skill development to be able to handle it?

Hi FNAME, when we last spoke, you shared that you were evaluating solutions to [OPPORTUNITY]. Will you share any updates on where you are in that process now, and how I can best support your thinking?

FNAME, it has been a while since we last connected. Are you still exploring options in this area, or has the priority shifted? Either way, I'm happy to support you or step back. Let me know when you have a chance.

In summary, all the so-called experts say, “Sell the value.” Without positioning yourself as a sales professional with the skills and empathy to understand and communicate value, it simply won’t work. “I just wanted to follow up” is a big value detractor!