Business owner, entrepreneur or job seeker, you need to follow up with someone by email: for a partnership project? To get back in touch with a future client? Or to follow up on your application? You have already sent a follow-up email to professionals, but it has gone unanswered. In this article, we explain with concrete examples how to follow up with professionals effectively.
How do you write a follow-up email?
A follow-up email sums up the situation for your future clients and confirms the next meeting. It brings together the context, the environment and the objectives set. It must also contain a call-to-action button.
Personalize your emails
The golden rule is to personalize your emails. Above all, do not send the same follow-up email to all your prospects and partners, or you risk driving them all away. You can also get back in touch with the person directly by phone to check that they received your email. While you are at it, suggest a meeting!
The structure of a follow-up email
Your follow-up email must contain:
- The personalized greeting: “Hello + last name/first name”;
- The opening line: “I hope you are well, or I hope your event went well…”;
- The context: date of the meeting + reminder of the situation, “following our last meeting, you would like…”;
- The project: details of the solution, “we had proposed a budget of… to carry it out”;
- The call to action: open questions to suggest a date to talk, “are you available to talk it over?”;
- The transition: “hoping to see this project through…”;
- The closing: a polite formula such as “looking forward to hearing from you, have a great rest of your day, and of course I remain available…”.
Prospect follow-up email example
“Hello Emma,
I hope our meeting helped you in your plans to get training on the LinkedIn® professional network.
To discover the Proinfluent™ Method in more detail, your training to get up to 1 prospect a day and 5 business clients a month with LinkedIn®, I invite you to book an appointment in my calendar.
Now is the time to take advantage of it, and you are certain to get results with the “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” guarantee, so click here to join the Proinfluent™ Method.
Or reply to this email if you still have questions for me.
Best regards,
Yannick Bouissière”
Here is an example of a follow-up email from Proinfluent. Concise and precise, it clearly sets out the details of an attractive offer. The end of the email offers the possibility of talking directly with the company’s founder, which also helps build trust. In fact, I personally answer every request and I personalize all my emails.
Client follow-up email example
“Hello Yannick,
First of all, I hope you are well. We are delighted to be able to consider this long-term collaboration!
I am getting back to you regarding… (project + details). We have not received the necessary items requested during our meeting on… (date).
Here are the items we need to meet your deadline:
–
–
–
Could you send us the documents before the end of the week?
I look forward to hearing from you and remain available to discuss this and answer any questions.
Antoine”
Sales follow-up email example after a meeting
“Hello Olivier,
First of all, thank you for our meeting on… (date).
We enjoyed our conversation and would be delighted to move forward together to bring your project to completion. Since I have not heard back from you about my previous email, I am following up.
Please note that we have taken your main objectives into account, namely:
–
–
–
We have taken note of your budget and wanted to find a win-win arrangement for an effective collaboration. I would like to tell you more about it: when are you available? I can make myself free on… (suggest several dates).
Looking forward to hearing from you, and hoping we can work together, I wish you a pleasant rest of the morning.
Marie”
Follow-up email example after a meeting with no reply
Your previous follow-up email went unanswered. There can be several reasons for this. Your future client has not yet had time to look into it, their company is going through a rough patch, they studied the project but in the end do not have the budget… So your email remains in limbo. However, whatever the reason, you need to know whether or not your project will go ahead. Here is an example of a follow-up email you can draw inspiration from.
“Dear Sir,
First of all, I hope you have been well since our last meeting on (date). Regarding the event project for the opening of your next store, scheduled for… (date), I am getting back to you to find out whether you have had a chance to consider the budget we proposed.
In order to put the whole communication strategy in place, as mentioned in my previous email, we need to know the timeline.
Are you available on… (date) so that we can discuss it?
Wishing you a pleasant rest of your day,
Élodie”
You can also leave a follow-up voicemail. You can read an article on this topic here.
Short and effective follow-up email example
You can also send a very short email such as:
“Hello Antoine,
I am following up on my previous email of… (date), which went unanswered.
Regarding the opening of your store, is the project still on? As I have not heard back from you, when are you available to talk it over, or should I contact someone else?
Looking forward to your reply, I wish you a pleasant rest of your day.
Best regards,
Sam”
Follow-up email example for an unanswered unsolicited application
Are you looking for a job? You applied for a position advertised on a job board or you sent an unsolicited application. But you still have not heard back? Don’t hesitate to send a follow-up email.
“Dear Sir or Madam (insert the recruiter’s name),
Following my application for the position of…, I sent you my cover letter and my resume on….
The values of your company and the description of the position I am applying for match my profile perfectly. I would like to be able to carry out all the projects with you. My experience as a… now allows me to propose an action plan based on the requirements set out in your offer.
I am attaching my resume and cover letter to this email again, and I remain entirely at your disposal for an interview so that I can present my background and my motivation to you.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great weekend,
Maxime B”
To land an interview, I recommend taking a look at this resume template, designed after years of improvement. Once you have the interview, don’t forget to send the person a thank-you email.
Freelance follow-up email example
“Hello Jean-Michel,
Following our phone call on… (date), I sent you the article about… (title) on (date), as agreed.
It contains all the requested information, namely:
- the SEO-oriented topic,
- 3,500 words,
- the optimized images.
I am getting back to you to find out whether you have been able to review it. Do you have any suggestions for improvement? When are you available to talk it over?
I am available on… (date). What do you think?
I look forward to discussing it and to hearing from you. Have a great day.
Best regards,
Anaïs”
Follow-up email: 7 examples and expert secrets for following up with professionals: in conclusion
- Always personalize your emails;
- Be precise, with one objective per email;
- Adapt your tone to the person;
- Always suggest a solution and a date to discuss the project;
- Be kind;
- Don’t push too hard;
- Give your layout some breathing room: bold, bullet points, italics.
Follow-up email: a summary in three questions
How do you word a follow-up email?
Your follow-up email should spark the curiosity of your future business partner. It absolutely must be personalized, with a polite greeting, the context of the project, the solution you want to offer and an open question to suggest a conversation. Always be kind and use an appropriate tone.
How do you follow up with someone who does not reply to your emails?
To follow up with a prospect, email is the most effective tool. Without hounding the person, one or two follow-ups are welcome. Get straight to the point with short texts and one objective. If they still do not reply, you can contact them directly by phone.
Which subject line for a follow-up email?
The subject line is just as important for your follow-up email. For example, you can phrase it as a question to attract attention and make your future client want to open it. More classic but effective: when you have already had a first meeting with your client, a subject line such as “event project progress pending” lets your future business partner see right away what it is about, without wasting time.
