Write a follow-up sequence you can reuse for buyers who go quiet after a first meeting.
Nadia runs a tuition centre in Jurong East (an invented example). After Mr Lim came in to talk about maths tuition for his daughter Chloe, Nadia followed up with three messages she had already written as templates. Each time, she only had to fill in his details.
Most sellers write each follow-up from scratch when a buyer goes quiet. They try three openings in an empty chat, then send something vague or put it off until the next day. Across a dozen buyers, follow-up becomes the part of the job that quietly never gets done.
A follow-up sequence is a set of three written, reusable message templates with gaps for the details that change from buyer to buyer. Once you have one, following up takes two minutes instead of twenty, and every buyer gets the same careful treatment. To build yours, set aside about twenty minutes and have notes from a recent first meeting ready. They can come from a real meeting or from the practice call in lesson 5.4.
Send message one on the day of the meeting, ideally within a few hours. It confirms what you discussed and the next step you agreed, building on Lesson 5.3, Ask for a next step every time. It has four parts: a first line mentioning something the buyer said, a two- or three-line summary of their situation as you understood it, the agreed next step with its owner and date, and a line inviting them to correct anything wrong.
The template slots, in order:
Thanks for their time today. Something specific they said. A check that you have understood, followed by a two-line summary of their situation and what they want. As agreed, your action by a day, and the next step on a date. An invitation to tell you if you missed anything.
Nadia sent hers the same evening. She thanked Mr Lim for coming in and said she hoped Chloe's netball match went well. She summarised that Chloe, who is in Secondary 2, is comfortable with most topics but loses marks on algebra word problems, and that Mr Lim wants her steady before Sec 3. She said she would send the timetable for the two Saturday classes by Wednesday and that they would speak on Friday evening. She ended by asking him to say if she had missed anything.
Message two goes out a few days later, usually when the agreed step is due or just after a quiet patch. Following Lesson 6.2, Follow-up messages that add something, it must give the buyer something they can use. What that is depends on their situation: an answer to a question they asked, a short guide, a worked example using their numbers, a new option, or a deadline that matters to them. Keep it to three or four sentences and end with one easy question.
The template slots run in this order: a personal first line tied to something they said; that you found, put together or checked the useful thing; what it helps with, in the buyer's terms; an attachment or a one-line summary; and a closing question offering a choice between two simple options for a quick chat.
The Friday call did not happen, so the following Monday Nadia sent message two. She referred to Mr Lim's comment that Chloe freezes when a word problem has more than two steps. She attached three practice questions with worked answers that the centre uses for exactly that problem, for Chloe to try at home whether or not she joins. She asked whether Wednesday or Thursday evening was better for a quick call about the class.
Send message three only if there is still no reply after your follow-up limit. Lesson 6.3, Knowing when to stop and how to leave the door open, covers that limit. Message three says you will stop following up, gives the buyer a face-saving reason, and leaves a clear way back in.
The template slots run in this order: you have not heard back since a stated time; a guess that the timing, the budget or something else is not right at the moment; reassurance that this is fine and that you will stop following up; if things change (name the situation that might bring them back), they can reach you here any time; and a warm closing line that fits the buyer.
Two weeks after message two, with still no reply, Nadia wrote that she had not heard back since they spoke in January and guessed the timing was not right for Chloe at the moment. She said that was fine and that she would stop following up. She told him he could reach her any time if things changed, for example closer to Chloe's mid-year exams, and wished Chloe all the best for the term.
The templates handle the structure. The first line has to come from the buyer, because that is where they decide whether this is a real message from a real person or a mass mailing. A personal first line draws on a phrase the buyer said, a detail about their situation, or something that has happened since you met. "Hope you're well" is not personal. "Hope the move to the new office went smoothly" is personal, but only if the buyer mentioned the move.
If no first line comes to mind, check your meeting notes. If the notes have nothing usable, that is a sign to take better notes next time. Lesson 3.3, Summarise back what you heard, helps with this.
In a good sequence, each message stands alone, each first line belongs to that one buyer only, and no message asks "any updates?"
Write message one as a template with its four parts. Write message two with a personal first line, the useful item and what it helps with, an attachment or summary, and one easy either/or question. Write message three with when you last heard from them, a face-saving reason, a statement that you will stop, a way back in, and a warm close. Then fill in all three for a real buyer, with a personal first line in each.
Pick one buyer you have met recently, real if you can, and have your notes from that meeting ready before you start.
Write the three messages as templates with gaps for personal details. Then fill them in for one real buyer.
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