How to Follow-Up

Read time: 5 minutes

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Most sales reps don’t follow up enough. That’s a fact. Studies show that 80% of deals require at least five follow-ups, yet almost half of sales reps give up after one. If you stop following up too soon, you’re losing opportunities.

Buying decisions involve multiple people (~7 on average), and prospects are busy running experiments, writing grants, managing teams, or generally just doing their job. If you’re not following up, they’re probably not thinking about you.

The good news? A smart follow-up strategy can set you apart.

The bad news? Most reps do it wrong.

Either they:

1. Don’t follow up enough and assume silence means no interest.

2. Send weak follow-ups like “Just checking in” or “Following up on my last email” (which add no value).

3. Only engage one person and don’t connect with other decision-makers.

4. Don’t understand urgency and follow up at the wrong pace.

Let’s fix that.

The Biggest Follow-Up Mistakes

1. Not Understanding Prospect Urgency

If you don’t know how soon a prospect wants to move forward, you’re guessing on when to follow up. Some deals need fast follow-ups (next-day), while others may not be urgent for months.

What to do:

• Ask about urgency upfront: “What’s your timeline for making a decision?”

• Listen for buying signals: Are they actively looking, or just exploring?

• Adjust follow-ups accordingly: A hot lead needs faster follow-ups, while a long-term deal needs spaced-out check-ins.

Example:

• Fast-moving deal? Follow up within 24 hours and stay engaged every few days.

• Long-term interest? Follow up in a few weeks with new insights to keep the conversation warm.

2. Giving Up Too Soon

Most reps send one or two emails, then stop. But your prospect isn’t ignoring you – they’re just busy doing their job. It often takes five to eight follow-ups to get a response.

What to do:

• Space follow-ups every few days at first, then extend to once a week.

• Mix up your approach: email, phone, LinkedIn, even a video.

• Try someone else at the company.

3. Sending “Just Checking In” Emails

A weak follow-up sounds like this:

This adds nothing. Your follow-ups should always give, not ask.

What to do:

• Share something useful: a case study, an article, or an answer to a previous question.

• Offer a new insight: “I saw this study on improving XYZ and thought of your team.”

• Summarize the value of your solution: “Based on our last call, we could help you with XYZ.”

4. Staying Single-Threaded

Many reps rely on just one contact in a company. But big decisions involve multiple people – scientists, managers, procurement, and leadership. If your contact goes silent, your deal dies.

What to do:

• Ask who else needs to be involved: “Would it make sense to loop in your operations lead or finance team?”

• CC additional stakeholders when sending follow-ups.

• Send shareable summaries that your contact can forward internally.

• 1:1 follow ups with the different people involved in the process

A Simple Follow-Up Framework

A great follow-up has four key parts:

1. Style – What channel/medium is best for this follow-up? (email, LI, text, video, pdf, etc…)

2. Urgency – When to follow up, matching your follow-ups to the prospect’s timeline.

3. Value – Why your email is worth reading.

4. Forwardability – Can your contact easily share it with others?

1. Timing: When to Follow Up

• Right after a meeting – Send a recap within 24 hours.

• Prospecting sequence – Follow up every 3-5 days at first, then weekly.

• After a proposal – Follow up in 2-3 days if no response.

• Ghosting? If no response after 5+ touches, try someone else at the company.

2. Matching Follow-Up Cadence to Prospect Urgency

Before following up, you need to know how fast the prospect wants to move. If you don’t, you risk following up too soon (and annoying them) or too late (and losing momentum).

How to gauge urgency:

• Ask directly: “What’s your timeline for making a decision?”

• Look for internal deadlines: Are they aiming to launch a new project? Upgrade by a certain date?

• Assess engagement: Did they request a proposal quickly? Are they introducing you to other stakeholders?

Adjusting your follow-up:

• Hot lead? “I know you’re looking to decide this quarter. Let’s touch base Friday after you meet with your team.”

• Longer-term lead? “Since you’re planning for next year, I’ll check in next month with some relevant case studies.”

3. Adding Value Every Time

Every follow-up should help the prospect, not just remind them you exist. Here’s how:

• Answer a question they had during a call.

• Share a relevant case study or whitepaper.

• Summarize key benefits of your solution.

• Highlight an industry trend they might find useful.

• Offer a new idea based on their needs.

4. Make Your Follow-Ups Forwardable

Your follow-up might not go directly to the decision-maker. Make it easy to share by keeping it short and clear.

Example follow-up email:

5. Use Video to Stand Out

Most sales reps only use email. A quick personalized video can grab attention and feel more engaging.

When to use it: After a call, when re-engaging a quiet lead, or when explaining something complex.
What to say: Recap key points, show a quick demo, walk through some data, explain a proposal, or answer a question.
Keep it short: 1-2 minutes max.

Example email with video:

Conclusion

Most deals don’t move forward because the sales rep disappears first. The best sellers keep momentum going by:

• Following up multiple times (not just once or twice).

• Providing value in every message (not just “checking in”).

• Engaging multiple stakeholders (not just one person).

• Matching follow-up pace to urgency (so you're not too soon or too late).

• Making follow-ups clear and easy to share.

• Using video to simply complex topics and stand out (no other reps are doing this)

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Episode 56: [Leadership] - Build an international sales culture with Debora Marchese

• Why your whole company needs to get behind an international sales strategy

• Differences in selling in US, Italy, Taiwan, UK

• You can't just hire someone to "run" international sales

• How to build a distributor network and empower them

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2. Training for Reps: A skill development platform for life science sales reps who want to improve their sales skills, exceed their quota, and take the next step in their career.

3. Training for Teams: If you want to upskill your team around prospecting, driving to close, key account management, AI, or any other topic, we can put together a training plan specific to your organization’s needs.

4. Strategy Call: Need more than training? Want help implementing and executing your sales strategy? In a 30-minute call, we will assess your company’s current situation and identify growth opportunities.