How to chase an enquiry without sounding like a robot

Why some follow-ups feel pushy

A pushy message is usually about the sender. 'Just checking in', 'following up on my last email' and 'did you see my message?' all really mean 'I want something'. They give the reader nothing.

A human follow-up gives the reader a reason to answer. It might be the answer to a question, a small piece of useful news or an easy next step.

Timing: quick first, then spaced out

Reply to a new enquiry as soon as you reasonably can during working hours. A quick reply tells the person you are paying attention. After that, leave gaps. If they gave you a date, use their date.

Otherwise try a gentle rhythm: a few days after the first reply, then about a week later, then one last note after a longer gap. Adjust it to your trade. A wedding photographer and a plumber live on very different clocks.

Begin with a personal first line

Open with something only this person could have been sent: their question, their event, their town or the product they asked about. If you cannot write a personal first line, you may not have enough to say yet.

Ask for one clear next step

Ask for one thing, and make it easy to say yes to. 'Would Thursday morning or Friday afternoon suit for a visit?' is far easier to answer than 'Let me know your thoughts.' Two choices work better than an open question. Do not add a second request in the same message.

Four short messages to adapt

Imagine a small guest house answering a family that asked about a room. These are ideas for the shape of each message, not scripts to copy.

• First reply: 'Hi Anil, thanks for asking about the family room. It is available on the dates you mentioned. Shall I hold it while you decide?'
• A few days later, with something useful: 'Hi Anil, I forgot to say the room has a ground-floor entrance, which some families find easier. Would a quick call help?'
• A gentle check: 'Hi Anil, I am planning next week's bookings, so I wanted to ask whether your dates have changed. No pressure either way.'
• The last note: 'Hi Anil, I will stop messaging now so I do not crowd your phone. If you would like to go ahead later, just reply here.'

Make the last message a kindness

The final message tells the person you will not keep chasing, leaves the door open, and lets you close the lead cleanly. After it, move the lead to your lost or later stage and write the reason in a note. If anyone asks you to stop at any point, stop at once.

Match the channel and the tone

Use the channel the person used to reach you. Keep each message short enough to read on a phone. Avoid capital letters, a pile of emojis and attachments nobody asked for. Write the way you would speak to someone standing at your counter.

Keep the record in one place

In AI Marketing Master, a lead's follow-up tasks, notes and contact history sit together in the CRM, and your team can get new-lead alerts by email, web push or WhatsApp where it is set up. Whoever takes the next step can read what was said before writing a word.