If you’re in B2B sales or marketing and drowning in a sea of leads that go nowhere, you know the pain: people go dark, and your pipeline stalls. The reality is, most deals don’t close on the first try. Follow-up is where the magic (and the money) happens—but doing it manually is a slog.
This guide is for anyone who wants to stop dropping the ball on follow-ups and let software do the heavy lifting. We’ll walk through how to automate follow-up emails using Getcorrelated, what actually works in real-world B2B outreach, and what’s just noise. No fluffy promises—just a grounded, step-by-step playbook.
Why Bother Automating Follow-Ups?
Let’s cut to the chase: people are busy, and your email is rarely their top priority. Most B2B deals die in the follow-up gap. Here’s why automation matters:
- Consistency: Humans forget. Software doesn’t.
- Speed: Automated emails go out while you sleep—or while you’re on your third coffee.
- Scale: You can follow up with 10 prospects or 1,000 without breaking a sweat.
- Data: You get tracking: who opened, who clicked, who ghosted.
But don’t expect automation to fix a broken process or bad messaging. If your follow-ups are bland or annoying, no tool will save you.
Step 1: Get Your Follow-Up Strategy Straight
Before you touch any software, figure out what you’re actually going to say. Automation amplifies what you put in—garbage in, garbage out.
What Works: - Short, clear, and specific emails. - One call to action (e.g. “Book a call,” “Reply if interested,” “Download the guide”). - Personalization: Use the prospect’s name, reference a previous conversation or their company. - Real value: Why should they care? If you’re just “checking in,” you’re easy to ignore.
What to Avoid: - Overly generic templates (“Just following up…” with nothing else). - Robotic language. - Long paragraphs. - Attaching huge PDFs or pitch decks out of the blue.
Pro Tip
Write 2-4 follow-up emails, each with a slightly different angle. Don’t just resend the same message.
Step 2: Organize Your Contacts and Triggers
You can’t automate if your contacts are a mess. Getcorrelated works best when your data is clean.
- Import or sync your contacts. Make sure names, emails, and company info are accurate.
- Segment your leads. Not all prospects should get the same follow-up. Use tags or lists—think “Demo Requested,” “No Response,” “Pricing Inquiry,” etc.
- Decide on triggers. What should kick off a follow-up sequence? Examples:
- Someone fills out a form.
- A deal moves to a certain stage in your CRM.
- A prospect opens your last email but doesn’t reply.
Skip This: Don’t try to automate every possible scenario right away. Start with your most common use case and build from there.
Step 3: Build Your Email Sequences in Getcorrelated
Here’s where you use Getcorrelated’s automation engine. It’s not rocket science, but a little planning goes a long way.
How To Set Up a Follow-Up Sequence
- Create a New Sequence
- In Getcorrelated, look for “Sequences” or “Automations.”
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Click “New Sequence” (or similar—UI changes, so if you don’t see it, check their docs).
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Add Steps
- For each step, set:
- Timing (e.g., 2 days after last email, 5 days after no reply).
- Email content (paste in your message, use personalization tokens like {{FirstName}}).
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Don’t overload your sequence. 2-4 follow-ups per lead is usually enough. After that, you risk being the person they complain about on LinkedIn.
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Set Your Triggers
- Choose what event starts the sequence (e.g., form submission, manual add, deal stage change).
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Pro Tip: Start with a manual trigger until you’re confident, then automate.
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Add Conditional Logic (Optional)
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If Getcorrelated supports it, add logic like:
- “If the recipient clicks a link, stop the sequence.”
- “If no reply after 3 emails, alert a sales rep.”
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Test Everything
- Send test emails to yourself.
- Check for formatting, broken links, typos, or weird merge tags (seeing “Hi {{FirstName}}” is a bad look).
Honest Take
Don’t get sucked into building a 10-step “nurture journey.” Most B2B buyers decide in the first few touches. Keep it simple and human.
Step 4: Monitor Results and Adjust (Relentlessly)
Automation isn’t set-and-forget. You need to watch what’s working, kill what’s not, and improve over time.
Track These Metrics: - Open rates: If these are low, your subject lines or sending reputation may be the problem. - Reply rates: The real gold. If no one’s answering, your message isn’t hitting home. - Bounce rates: High bounce rates mean your list is bad or you’re being flagged as spam. - Unsubscribes/Spam complaints: If these creep up, dial back your frequency or tweak your messaging.
What to Ignore: - Vanity metrics like “number of emails sent.” Who cares if none of them work?
Pro Tip
Every month, review your best-performing emails. Copy what’s working, and ruthlessly cut what isn’t. Don’t be precious about your copy.
Step 5: Handle Edge Cases and Human Touch
Not every situation can or should be automated. Here’s where most people mess up:
- High-value deals: If you’re chasing a six-figure contract, don’t rely only on automation. Mix in personal emails, calls, or even (gasp) a handwritten note.
- Negative replies: Set up alerts for out-of-office, “not interested,” or angry responses. Have a plan for manual follow-up.
- Referrals or introductions: If someone says, “Not me, but talk to Jane,” take that thread offline and respond personally.
Automation is a tool, not a crutch. Use it to buy yourself time for the stuff that actually needs your brain.
Common Mistakes (And How to Dodge Them)
- Sending too many emails: More is not always better. If you’re annoying people, you’ll know soon enough.
- Ignoring personalization: If every prospect gets the same bland message, your replies will be crickets.
- Forgetting to QA: Bad links, broken merge tags, or weird formatting make you look sloppy.
- Not syncing with your CRM: Deals can fall through the cracks if your tools aren’t talking to each other.
- Overcomplicating your sequences: Simple works. Complex breaks.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automating follow-up emails in Getcorrelated isn’t magic—it’s just a way to make sure you actually do the follow-up that moves deals forward. The trick is to keep things simple, start with your most common workflow, and improve as you go. Pay attention to what actually gets replies, and don’t be afraid to scrap what isn’t working.
Don’t let automation turn you into a robot. Use it to make sure you’re always in the right inbox at the right time—then jump in with the personal touch when it matters. That’s how real B2B conversion rates go up.