“Just checking in” fails for one reason: it carries no information. It doesn't give the buyer anything, it doesn't ask them anything specific, and it's indistinguishable from the twelve other check-ins in their inbox. The follow-ups that get replies are the ones that respond to what the buyer actually did.
That means the right follow-up depends on the signal. If your proposal went out as a trackable link, you know whether it was opened, how far they got, and who else saw it. Here are six situations, and the email for each. Copy them, then cut them shorter.
The rule behind all six
Every follow-up does at least one of two things: gives them something they didn't have, or asks a question that's easier to answer than to ignore. Two lines is usually enough. Never re-attach the proposal “in case you missed it.” Never apologize for following up. Never ask “any updates?”
1. They opened it in the last hour
The best moment in the process. The proposal is on their screen. A short note now lands as attentive; the same note on Friday lands as pushy. Send it within twenty minutes if you can.
Hi Dana, if it's useful I can walk through the rollout section in 15 minutes this week, that's the part with the most moving pieces. Happy to answer anything by email too.
Alex
2. They spent most of their time on pricing
They believe in the approach; the number is the question. Don't send more proof. Address the price directly, offer the shape of an alternative, and make it easy to say what's in the way.
Hi Dana, one thing I should have said more clearly: the two-phase option exists so the first site is live before the second one is funded. If the total is the sticking point, tell me which of the three lines is the problem and I'll show you what moving it does.
Alex
3. It was forwarded to people you haven't met
The committee has formed and the proposal is now selling without you in the room. The new readers weren't on the call, so the context that made the proposal specific is missing for them. Give your champion something to forward, and ask for the room.
Hi Dana, in case it helps whoever else is reviewing: here's the one-page version with the three numbers that matter and why November is the date. If it's easier, I'll take 20 minutes with the group so nobody has to relay questions.
Alex
The “one-page version” is a real thing to send, not a phrase. We cover writing one in how to write a sales one-pager.
4. Three business days, no open
The proposal isn't being ignored. The email is. Everything about the proposal is irrelevant until somebody clicks. Change the subject line, reference the call, keep it to two lines, and put the link back in. Don't attach anything.
Hi Dana, you mentioned the Friday fire drill on our call, the proposal I sent Tuesday is built around removing it. Here's the link again in case it got buried. Ten minutes on Thursday to go through it?
Alex
If that gets no open either, go through the champion, or a different contact, rather than sending a third copy to the same inbox.
5. Opened once, then a week of silence
They read it and something else won the week. Chasing makes this worse. The email that works here is the one that makes it easy to tell you the truth, including “not now.” A direct question about timing gets more honest replies than another offer to help.
Hi Dana, I don't want to keep nudging if the timing has moved. Should I assume this is a Q4 conversation now, or is there something in the proposal that's holding it up? Either answer is fine, I'd just rather know.
Alex
6. Verbal yes, nothing signed
The decision is made and the process isn't. Your job is to remove whatever step is between “yes” and the signature, and usually that means naming it.
Hi Dana, great to hear it's a go. To hold the November 1 kickoff we need the order form back by the 24th. Is there anyone on your side who still needs to see it before then? I can send them the short version today.
Alex
Cadence, and when to ignore it
If you have no engagement data at all, a calendar is better than nothing: day 2, day 5, day 10, day 20, then close the file with the email from situation five. But a calendar is the floor. Signal overrides it every time. An open today moves your next touch to today. A forward changes what you send. Five days of silence changes the tone. The teams that follow up well aren't the ones with the best templates, they're the ones who know what happened after they hit send.
The mistakes
- Re-attaching the PDF. It says “I assume you lost it,” and it resets the tracking.
- “Circling back.” Along with “touching base,” “bumping this,” and “per my last email.” All four mean “I have nothing to add.”
- Apologizing. “Sorry to bother you” gives the buyer permission to feel bothered.
- Sending proof to a pricing objection. More case studies won't move a number.
- Following up on the calendar when the signal says otherwise. A day-five email to someone who opened it four times yesterday should not read like a day-five email.
Every one of these emails depends on knowing what the buyer did. That's why Veew sends every proposal as a link, writes opens and section time to the CRM deal, posts the moment of open to Slack, and flags the proposals that have gone quiet. The follow-up is still yours to write. You just get to write the right one.