4 builders who never spoke to each other

Follow up a few times, then stop

Two or three spaced attempts over weeks catches the prospect whose timing was simply wrong, and open tracking tells you which of them is worth the effort. Past that point the silence is the answer, and continuing costs you more than the lead was worth.

The method

1. 01

   Follow up one to three times on an unanswered cold email, spacing the attempts over weeks or months rather than days.

2. 02

   Follow up at most three times on an inquiry, then stop: past that, assume there is no urgent problem worth solving.

3. 03

   Follow up on cold pitches and accept that the outcome depends on the prospect's timing more than on your email, so a no now is not a no later.

4. 04

   Turn on open and click tracking on cold emails and spend your follow-up effort on the people whose behaviour shows interest.

5. 05

   Keep the nudge itself short: reference the specific thing you last discussed and ask where it stands.

What it returned

• Three follow-ups maximum.

• Monk points to a client named Joanna as an outreach that only worked because of when it arrived.

• Maguire's rule of thumb: a prospect who opened the message three times is worth chasing, one who never opened it is not.

Sources

• How to Get Clients Through Cold Outreach (Templates & Tools Included!) - Double Your FreelancingAnnie Maguire · doubleyourfreelancing.com · One final tip: Always follow up! · 2022-05-02
• Episode 88: How Delia Monk earned $100,000 in *Her First Year Freelancing* (!!) From Cold Agency Outreach - Double Your FreelancingDelia Monk · doubleyourfreelancing.com · AI-Generated Summary: · 2023-10-23
• The Ultimate Guide to Building Client Relationships - Double Your FreelancingAustin Church · doubleyourfreelancing.com · Practice great follow-up. Stay in touch. · 2016-09-12
• How to Find Consulting ClientsGreg Kogan · gkogan.co · Things I Don't Do · 2015-10-21