Why “I’m Just Following Up” Is the Worst Line in Sales

“I’m just following up…”

“I’m just checking in…”

“I wanted to circle back…”

Salespeople use these phrases every day.

And they give the prospect absolutely no reason to respond.

Think about it from their side.

They open their inbox and see:

“Hi John, just checking in to see if you’ve had a chance to review the proposal…”

What exactly are they supposed to do with that?

You haven’t added anything.

You haven’t created any curiosity.

You’ve just reminded them that they haven’t responded to you.

Try something different.

Every time you follow up, bring something with you.

A new idea.

A useful article.

Something you noticed.

A question you hadn’t asked.

A customer story.

A piece of information that might help them.

Give them a reason to engage.

And don’t be afraid to vary how you follow up.

Email.

Phone.

LinkedIn.

Text, if appropriate.

A voicemail.

Maybe even something physical in the mail.

Think Jason Bourne.

Don’t keep approaching through the same door.

Change the angle.

And when you do reach out, make the message about them, not about your need for an answer.

Instead of:

“Just checking in to see if you’ve made a decision…”

Try:

“I was thinking about our conversation and realized there’s one question I didn’t ask…”

Now I might want to know what the question is.

Following up isn’t the problem.

Following up without bringing anything new is.

So retire:

“Just checking in.”

You can do better than that.