Proposal Follow-Up Sequence
A structured, 5-step sequence for sales teams to re-engage prospects after a proposal has been sent and drive the deal to a decision.
Key Facts
A proposal follow-up sequence should focus on value, not just bumping. Each step must address a potential objection or reinforce ROI.
For warm prospects, a multi-channel sequence (Email + LinkedIn) signals importance without being aggressive. It respects their inbox.
Automating this follow-up sequence from a primary domain is risky. A single spam complaint can damage deliverability for your entire team.
The goal isn't just a reply, it's a conversation. Frame follow-ups around clarifying proposal details, not just asking for an update.
Table of Contents
Introduction
This sequence is built for AE Managers and VPs of Sales managing teams where deals stall after the proposal stage. It's not a cold outreach play; it’s a systematic framework for warm follow-up when a high-intent prospect goes quiet.
Use this to maintain momentum, address objections, and move deals from "proposal sent" to "closed-won" without relying on ad-hoc "just checking in" emails.
Sequence Overview
This sequence is designed to be persistent but respectful. It uses a mix of direct communication (email) and subtle nudges (LinkedIn profile views) to stay top-of-mind without fatiguing the prospect.
- Total Steps: 5
- Duration: 14-21 days
- Channels: Email & LinkedIn
Step-by-Step Flow
Each step has a specific objective, moving from a soft nudge to a final, polite breakup to create urgency.
Step 1: Confirm & Clarify
Subject:
Quick question about the proposal
Body:
Step 2: Soft Nudge
Action: View their LinkedIn profile. Do not send a message or connection request yet.
Step 3: Value Drop
Subject:
Thought this might be useful
Body:
Step 4: Direct Connection
Action: Send a LinkedIn connection request.
Note: Hey [Name], enjoyed our conversation about [Project]. Wanted to connect here.
Step 5: Close the Loop
Personalization and Targeting
This is a warm sequence. Generic templates will fail. The structure is the guide, but the content must be hyper-relevant.
Before sending, reference specific items from your previous calls or the proposal itself:
- Mention a specific goal they shared (e.g., "...the case study on reducing onboarding time by 20%...").
- Reference a specific section of the proposal (e.g., "...any questions on the implementation timeline on page 5?").
- Tie the value-add content directly to a pain point they discussed.
The less it feels automated, the more likely you are to get a response that moves the deal forward.
How to Run This at Scale Without Burning Your Infra
When you have 20 AEs each managing 30+ open proposals, you're sending thousands of follow-up emails a month. This isn't cold outreach, but it carries similar infrastructure risks.
Sending these sequences from your primary corporate domain (yourcompany.com) is a mistake. If a tired prospect marks a follow-up as spam, it damages the reputation for your entire company's domain. This can impact deliverability for marketing, support, and even executive emails.
This is why high-volume sales teams use dedicated sending domains and rotate between multiple inboxes for their outbound and follow-up sequences. Each AE should be sending from a pool of warmed-up inboxes, keeping daily sends per inbox under 50 to protect domain health.
Tools like SuperSend exist to handle this infra and orchestration automatically, so sales teams can focus on closing deals, not duct-taping their sending infrastructure inside a primary inbox.
FAQs
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