Guide · Vivre du closing
The Sales Follow Up Sequence That Recovers Lost Deals
Published on September 17, 2026 · Thomas, fondateur de mycloser
Most closers quit after one follow up. Here is the cadence, the channels and the messages that recover deals other people leave on the table.
Contents
A large share of high ticket deals close after the first call. Most beginners never see that revenue because they stop after one follow up.
This is the cheapest lever in the job. No extra leads to buy, no new skill to learn. Just a cadence and the discipline to run it. The difficulty is not following up, it is doing it without becoming the person who gets blocked.
What separates follow up from harassment
It is not the number of touches. It is three things.
You bring something. A message that says "just checking in" brings nothing. A message that answers an open point, or sends something useful, brings something.
You make the no easy. Every touch should make it simple to decline. Counterintuitively, that is what gets replies.
You stop. A prospect who says no stops there. A prospect who has not replied after six touches stops too, with a final message that closes cleanly.
The only real harassment is continuing after an explicit refusal. That damages your reputation and the company's, and on a commission with a chargeback clause it does not even pay.
The cadence
| Touch | Timing | Channel | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Same day | Recap of the call and next step | |
| 2 | Day 2 | Short message | Answer to an open point |
| 3 | Day 5 | Call | Check where the decision stands |
| 4 | Day 9 | Something useful: case study, answer to the objection | |
| 5 | Day 14 | Short message | Direct question, soft close |
| 6 | Day 21 | Final message, door left open |
Adjust to the cycle. Short cycle and lower ticket, compress to ten days. High ticket, stretch across four to six weeks. The principle holds: increasing spacing.
The common error. Three touches in three days then nothing. You produce the pushy effect without allowing time for a decision.
The message that matters most
The first one, sent the same day as the call. Almost nobody puts effort into it.
What it should contain:
- A summary of what the prospect said about their situation, in their words
- What was proposed, in three lines
- The open question, if there is one
- A dated next step
Why it carries weight. The prospect reads their own problem stated cleanly. A meaningful number of deals close here rather than on the call itself. And if this message is done well, every later touch builds on it instead of starting over.
The messages that get replies
After a call with no decision.
"You mentioned the thing to work out was [X]. Have you had a chance to think it through, or is there something you need from me?"
After two silences.
"I don't want to keep chasing you into the void. Is this a no for now, or has it just dropped down the list?"
This is the highest performing message in the sequence. It makes the no easy to say, which is exactly why people answer it. Plenty of prospects reply to this after ignoring four touches.
The final message.
"I'll leave this alone. If it becomes relevant again in a few months, just reply to this and we'll pick it up."
A clean exit leaves the door open. Some come back months later.
What does not work: "just following up", "did you get my message", "circling back". They bring nothing and signal an automated sequence.
Alternating channels
A prospect who ignores three emails will ignore the fourth.
Email. For anything with content: recap, case study, detailed answer.
Short message or DM. Higher read rate than email, more intrusive. Use it if the prospect already engaged on that channel.
Call. Once or twice in the sequence maximum. An unanswered call followed by a short message performs better than the call alone.
The rule. Never the same channel twice in a row without a reply.
The three situations to handle differently
The prospect who said "let me think about it"
There is an unstated objection. The follow up should hunt for it, not repeat your arguments.
"What are you weighing up specifically? If it's [likely objection] I've got an answer. If it's something else, tell me."
Full method in handling objections.
The prospect who needs to talk to someone
Offer a three way call rather than waiting. It tests whether the objection is real, and it stops your proposal being relayed inaccurately by someone with no incentive to sell it.
The prospect who has gone completely silent
Two spaced touches, then the closing message. Do not grind. Silence after four touches is an answer.
Keep them in the system. A prospect who does not buy today can buy in six months. The dormant list is a genuine source of revenue, and working it is also a way into a first contract, covered in how to get your first closing client.
The organisation
Without a system you will forget half your follow ups. That is mechanical, not a discipline problem.
Schedule the next touch immediately after the call. Not that evening, not tomorrow. Within the minute, with a date and a channel.
Note what was said. Without the specific objection, your follow up will be generic and get nothing.
Track touch count. A prospect at six touches with no reply leaves the sequence.
Measure it. Count how many of your deals close after the first call. If that number is near zero, you are quitting too early and leaving revenue behind.
When to stop
After an explicit no. Immediately. A prospect who says no three times means no.
After six touches with no reply. Closing message, then dormant.
If the prospect is not qualified. No point chasing someone with neither the need nor the means. That time belongs to prospects who could actually buy.
The signal to watch. If you are following up out of habit with nothing to add, you have crossed from follow up into pressure.
Frequently asked questions
How many follow ups is too many?
Five or six across two to three weeks on a standard cycle. More on high ticket, where the cycle is structurally longer.
Call or write?
Both, alternating. Calls convert better, messages get read more.
What if they ask me to follow up later?
Get a specific date and log it. "Get back to me later" with no date is a polite no.
How many deals actually close in follow up?
A significant share on mid and long cycles. That is exactly what closers who stop after one touch are giving away.
Can I follow up with someone who bought elsewhere?
Yes, on a long horizon and without pressure. Plenty of people are disappointed by their first choice.
How do I avoid sounding pushy?
Bring something each time and make the no easy. That combination matters more than the number of messages.