"Just checking in to see if you've had a chance to review..."
You've sent this email. I've sent this email. Every salesperson alive has sent this email.
It's also the most useless email in sales.
Here's why: "just checking in" is about you, not them. It tells the buyer three things:
- Thing 1
You have nothing new to share.
- Thing 2
You're hoping they'll do the work of restarting the conversation.
- Thing 3
And you couldn't think of a reason to email other than the fact that they haven't replied yet.
The buyer reads it, thinks "nothing's changed since last time," and archives it.
Read it as the buyer
Three emails in a buyer's inbox. Tap each one.
The buyer reads it, thinks "nothing's changed since last time," and archives it.
ArchivedThe second says "I'm still thinking about your problem."
Same goal. Completely different signal.
OpenedThe fix isn't complicated. Every follow-up needs to pass a simple test:
Does your follow-up add something?
That means adding something.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
"Just checking in on the proposal I sent last week. Let me know if you have any questions."
"I came across this case study from a company in your space that tackled the same problem you mentioned. Thought it might be useful context as you review the proposal. Happy to walk through it if helpful."
Same goal. Completely different signal. The first email says "I'm chasing you." The second says "I'm still thinking about your problem."
The principle: every message must add value. If you can't think of something to add, wait until you can. Silence is better than noise.
Silence is better than noise.
If you want copy-paste templates for every follow-up scenario (not just the nudge), we put together a complete template library with 7 emails covering everything from first meetings to dead deals.
