What Not to Say in a Follow Up Sales Email After No Response

Navigating the tricky waters of follow up sales emails after no response can sometimes feel like you’re tiptoeing across a slackline. You’re there to remind your prospect of your existence, but without becoming that unwelcome email clutter. Hit the wrong notes, and voila, your message has the same impact as that awkward silence at a gathering. In this guide, we’ll journey through the labyrinth of sales communication, pinpointing what you should absolutely steer clear of saying in your follow up sales emails. Plus, we’ll sprinkle in some effective, actionable strategies to refine your outreach and supercharge your results.

Introduction: The Art of the Follow Up

A follow up sales email is a golden ticket to reconnect with a prospect who gave you the silent treatment. It’s a crucial maneuver in any salesperson’s toolkit, especially in B2B realms where inboxes are like a junk-drawer of half-forgotten sales pitches.

Sending one of these follow ups isn’t just pegging them on the ear about your existence. It’s a chance to re-ignite lost sparks of interest, offering genuine value that nudges them back to the conversation continuum. And when executed with style and tact? Your response rate might just rocket through the ceiling. But here’s the catch—don’t do it right, and you may very well slam the doors shut on future chances.

In my years coaching sales teams, I’ve seen how small tweaks make or break outreach efforts. One tech startup took their reply rate from meh to marvelous (a solid 35% leap) by simply tweaking their follow up language.

The secret sauce? Knowing which words stifle conversation before it even begins. Ease off the aggression, skip the guilt trips, and be direct with a purpose, et voilà, your emails start hitting the mark. The secret is doing the tightrope walk between persistence, respect, and genuine personalization.

Why Follow Up Matters: Sprinkle a Bit of Psychology

Why spend your focus on follow up emails when prospects seemingly ghost you initially? Because, dear friend, sales is a classic game of numbers, bolstered by timing and a sprinkle of psychology.

Research says that up to 80% of sales need, on average, five or more follow ups. Yet, countless sales folks throw in the towel after two, tops. Keep the convo rolling with a strategically spaced email follow-up sequence, and you’ve tilted the odds way in your favor.

Follow ups aren’t just about pestering; they’re about showcasing your resilience and professionalism without brain-numbing persistence. When your message lands politely and right at the edge of their attention span, it keeps you relevant. It’s that handy bookmark that reminds them of the shiny choice sitting quietly in their inbox.

Nail your follow up strategy, and watch trust blossom. Trust isn’t that easy win, but it’s the mighty foundation of lasting business relationships. Relevant follow ups boost open rates, response eagerness, and let you book more on your calendar. Master it like a pro, and you might just find yourself with shorter sales cycles, juicier leads, and revenue spikes that would make anyone’s finance department grin.

Miss out on this craft, and you’re sure to see those once-promising opportunities slip right through the cracks, thanks to radio silence, misinterpretations, or disinterest.

What Not to Say: Words That Spoil the Follow Up Soup

There are missteps that repeatedly nail the coffin on sales efforts. Here’s the breakdown of phrases that’ll take your follow up emails from cool to canned.

1. Spare the Push & Demand

Hopelessly hollow lines like:

• “Why haven’t you responded yet?”
• “I need a reply now!”
• “Respond ASAP.”

These drip with desperation and bossiness. They pin pressure on the prospect and often trigger the classic response—zero response. Keep it cool, maintain the vibe of respect—their schedule is cluttered, acknowledge that with patience.

2. Ditch the Guilt Parade

Phrases that stink of guilt include:

• “I thought you were interested…”
• “Ignoring this won’t help you.”
• “Surprised you haven’t replied.”

Not a path you want to tread, as guilt-tripping is rapport suicide. People don’t appreciate the implicit shame—if they wanted that, they’d spend more time on social media.

3. Say No to Bland, Vague Messages

Basic emails that only say:

• “Just checking in.”
• “Following up.”
• “Any updates?”

They sound about as interesting as plain rice on its own. Lack specifics, and they’ll be forgotten faster than last Tuesday’s lunch.

4. Avoid Drowning in Info Overload

Bombarding them with jargon-laden, lengthy emails or product specs? Oof, just don’t. Keep it lean and clear. Maybe they ignored the first because hey, time’s a commodity.

5. Stop Ultimatums in Their Tracks

Banish statements like:

• “If I don’t hear back, we’ll assume you’re not interested.”
• “This is your last chance.”
• “Missing out big time here.”

These burn trust instead of build it, boxing the prospect into a corner.

6. Make It Not About You

Focus on the prospect’s needs, not your sales quota. Dodgy phrases include:

• “I really need to hit my target.”
• “My boss is chasing this.”
• “Hoping to close this deal.”

Prospects care about how you serve them, not your stress headaches or your boss’s grillings.

Real World Tune-Up: A Classic Case Study

I once worked with a SaaS company that used follow ups full of pushy, high-handed language. Quotes like “Why haven’t you replied?” and “Please respond ASAP.” made prospects sail away even faster. But after we switched to reminders packed with quick, friendly value-adds like, “Here’s a case study of how we’ve helped similar companies,” reply rates shot up by 27% over just a month.

Strategies for Follow Up Sales Emails: Write Right

Knowing what to avoid is just the start. Here’s how to craft follow ups that pack a punch.

1. Personalization is the Name of the Game

Roll some insights from your CRM. Mention your prospect’s industry hurdles, their new ventures—heck, even mutual people you know. Personalized emails shine brighter in their inbox and build you some trusty street cred.

Example:
“Hi [Name], noticed your team’s foray into new markets. Friends in your sector saw a 15% improvement in conversion using our via magic.”

2. Keep the Value Clear and Relevant

Every nudge should come packed with value:

• Drop in a relevant case study
• Share a guide or checklist
• Present a cool stat to show ROI achieved by others

You then become that helpful resource, instead of that guy just peddling wares.

3. Concise is Key—Keep It Snappy

Time’s ticking for your prospects, too. Go for short paras, bullets where needed, and keep it jargon-light. Make sure reading it’s a breeze.

4. Craft Strong, Polite CTAs

Direct yet gentle CTAs work like a charm. Options like:
“Up for a 10-minute call next week?”
“The full proposal’s ready when you are—let me know!”

Stay clear of woolly CTAs like “Any thoughts?” They’re likely getting the thumbs down.

5. Map out a Sequence with Smart Timing

Spread your follow ups over about two to three weeks, pacing them smartly—for instance, email #2, after 3 days, email #3 a week later, etc. Keep it sensible, no bombardment.

6. Boost Credibility with Social Proof

Mention big-league customers, awards, or eye-catching stats. Testimonials and solid numbers add weight and encourage engagement.

7. Future-Proof those Subject Lines

Subject lines steer open rates. Consider the elements of intrigue, urgency (without the panic), and personalization:

• “[Name], a quick thought on [specific snag]”
• “How [Company] doubled their leads”

On The Ground: A Use Case

One ambitious B2B company SDR shook up their typical templates and timing. They ditched the “Just checking in” emails with a three-step strategy—kicking off with a helpful eBook, segueing into a success story, and concluding with a polite request for a chit-chat. Lo and behold, reply rates doubled in eight weeks, yielding more quality leads.

Conclusion: Ace Your Follow Up Sales Emails

Mastering the art of follow up sales emails after no response is a blend of tact, strategic pacing, and a dash of empathy. Steer clear of aggressive or bland language, focus on pumped-up personalization, succinct CTAs, and well-thought-out timing.

Remember, your follow ups build or break the prospect relationship. Use them to show you understand your buyer’s challenges and are ready to help—not just sell.

Sales leaders, B2B founders, revenue ops professionals, and SDRs who blend these best practices see better engagement, shorter sales cycles, and stronger pipelines.

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Ready to give your follow up sales emails a makeover? Begin by assessing your current templates, wiping any tired or generic language. Add one personalized detail and a clear CTA to each message you dispatch. If you’re hunting for proven techniques and hands-on training, subscribe to our newsletter or book a free strategy call with me. Let’s make your email outreach an engine for your revenue goals.

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Urvashi Patel
Sales Enablement Expert | Revenue Operations Consultant
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Helping sales teams send emails that get responses.

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