Pro Skill Packs logo PRO SKILL PACKS

Sales emails / How to follow up with a prospect who said they need to think about it

How to follow up with a prospect who said they need to think about it

Go to the messages

Free. No sign-up.

Short answer

When a prospect says they need to think about it, ask what they are weighing before you end the call. Send a short recap the same day with the next step in it. Chase once, three or four working days later, with a question they can answer in a word. Then send a last note and put a date in your list.

QuestionAnswer
Before you hang upAsk what they want to think over
Same dayA recap and one next step with a date
3 or 4 working days laterOne easy question, no new pitch
A week or so after thatThe last note, and a date to look again
Last checked: . Written from what people in this job say in public forums. We have not tested it with live accounts.

The method

“Nothing screams untrustworthy as much as not following up”A seller in r/sales, in a thread on the best sales advice they were given. The recap is the part that shows you were listening.
  1. Before the call ends, ask what they want to think over. It can be the price, that someone else has to agree, the timing, or that they are comparing quotes. You cannot tell which from the words, so ask and write the answer down.
  2. Send a recap the same day: what you agreed, the price or scope as you quoted it, and the next step with a date. It answers the thing they said they would think about.
  3. Agree the date with them: "Shall I call you on Thursday?" A date they agreed to is permission to chase.
  4. If you hear nothing, chase once after three or four working days. Ask one question tied to what they were weighing, not a new pitch.
  5. Send a last note. Say you will leave it with them, and when you will look once more. Then stop.
  6. Log each step in the row: last contact, what they said, next date.

3 messages to adapt

Replace every [BRACKET] with a real fact. If you cannot, delete the line.

  • Same day, the recapSubject: [JOB OR PRODUCT]: what we coveredHi [NAME], Thank you for your time today. To recap: [WHAT YOU AGREED], at [PRICE OR SCOPE AS QUOTED]. You said you wanted to think about [WHAT THEY SAID: PRICE, TIMING, SOMEONE ELSE'S SAY]. I will call you on [DATE] unless you would like a different day. [YOUR NAME]
  • The chaseHi [NAME], you were going to think over [THE THING]. Is the main question [PRICE / TIMING / SOMEONE ELSE'S SAY]? [ONLY IF TRUE: If it helps, I can [ONE THING YOU CAN REALLY CHANGE, SUCH AS SPLITTING THE PAYMENT OR HOLDING THE DATE].] If the answer is no, that is fine. Tell me and I will close it.
  • The last noteSubject: [JOB OR PRODUCT]: leaving it with youHi [NAME], I will leave this with you so I am not in your way. If you want to go ahead, or if something changes, reply here and I will pick it up. I will check in once around [DATE]. [YOUR NAME]

When to send them

  • Recap the same day. Chase once after three or four working days, unless they gave you a date. If they did, use theirs.
  • In the free tool's sales preset a person comes up after 5 working days of silence. To chase earlier, put your date in "Don't chase before".
  • The tool stops listing a person after 3 chases if you count them in "Chases so far".
  • The last note gets a date too. Put it in "Don't chase before".

What to avoid

  • Waiting a fortnight to "give them space" without a date.
  • Dropping your price in the first chase. Ask what they are weighing first.
  • "Just checking in" with no question.
  • Pressure that is not true, such as a deadline you will not keep.
  • More than two chases after the recap.

New free workflows by email. A few a month. Unsubscribe any time.

Follow

Handled by Gumroad. See our privacy page.

See who is due today

Free

Who to chase today

Paste the people you are waiting on, or type them in. It shows who to chase today, and why, and who can wait. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

See who is due today

Prefer a spreadsheet? The free follow-up desk works in Excel and Google Sheets.

Questions people ask

How long should I wait after someone says they need to think about it?

Send the recap that day, then wait three or four working days before the first chase. That is our advice, not a rule. If they named a date, use that one.

What if they need to talk to a partner or a boss?

Offer to put the key points in writing for that conversation, and send them the same day. Then offer a time to talk afterwards.

Should I lower the price?

Not in the follow-up. Ask what they are weighing first. If it is the price, say what you can change in the scope or the payment, and only if you can really do it.

More