If you're in B2B sales, you already know: most deals die from neglect. Not bad pricing, not poor fit—just radio silence. Following up is the unglamorous secret to closing deals, but doing it manually is a pain. This guide is for anyone using Bellasales who wants to set up reliable, no-nonsense follow-up automation—without getting lost in bells and whistles or annoying prospects with spam.
Why Bother Automating Follow-Ups?
Let’s be blunt: people are busy, and most B2B buyers need a nudge (or three). If you’re relying on memory or sticky notes, you’re leaving money on the table. Automation:
- Saves time and headspace
- Makes sure no deal slips through the cracks
- Gives your team a consistent process
- Lets you focus on real conversations, not reminders
But it’s not magic. Sloppy automation can increase the risk of coming off as pushy or robotic. The goal is to set up reminders and nudges that feel personal, not like a robot is hounding your prospects.
Step 1: Get Your Deals Organized
Before you automate anything, your pipeline needs to make sense. Here’s what to do:
- Clean up your deals: Archive dead leads, merge duplicates, and make sure every deal has a real contact attached.
- Tag and segment: Use tags, stages, or custom fields to sort deals by priority, industry, or next step. This helps you avoid blanket follow-ups.
- Set clear next steps: Every deal should have a specific “next action” (e.g., “Waiting on proposal feedback” or “Demo scheduled”).
Pro tip: Automation only works if your data is clean. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow-Up Triggers
Don’t just blast every contact with reminders. Instead, decide when and why a follow-up should happen. Some smart trigger points:
- No response after X days: E.g., 3 business days after you send a proposal and hear crickets.
- Deal stuck in stage: E.g., if a deal sits in “Negotiation” for more than a week.
- Manual triggers: Sometimes you want to nudge a deal yourself—automation should let you do this easily.
Think about the buyer’s experience. Nobody likes getting three emails in four days just because your workflow says so.
Step 3: Build Your Follow-Up Templates
Automated doesn’t have to mean generic. In Bellasales, you can create email templates with merge fields (like first name, company, last activity). Here’s what works:
- Keep it short and human: “Hi [FirstName], just checking in about [DealName]. Any updates?”
- Reference specifics: Mention the last conversation or what’s next. Avoid “just following up” as your only line.
- Include an easy out: “If now’s not the right time, just let me know.”
What to skip: Over-engineered emails full of buzzwords, or anything that sounds like it came from a marketing robot.
Step 4: Set Up the Automation in Bellasales
Here’s the nuts and bolts. In Bellasales, setting up follow-up automation usually involves:
- Go to the ‘Automations’ or ‘Workflows’ section.
- Create a new workflow: Name it clearly, like “Follow-up: No response after proposal.”
- Set your trigger: For example, “If no reply within 3 days after proposal is sent.”
- Add your action: Send your follow-up email template, assign a task to a rep, or both.
- Define who gets it: Limit to certain deal types, stages, or reps if needed.
- Test it: Send a test email to yourself. Check formatting, merge fields, and timing.
- Turn it on. Then watch what happens (and be ready to tweak).
Pro tip: Start with one or two automations. Don’t try to automate every possible scenario on day one.
Step 5: Watch for Red Flags (and What to Ignore)
Automation is great, but it can go sideways fast. Here’s what to actually keep an eye on:
- Reply confusion: If prospects reply but still get automated nudges, you’ll look clueless. Make sure follow-ups stop if you get a response.
- Timing overload: Too many reminders = spam. Space them out, and don’t be afraid to let a deal go after a few tries.
- Personalization gaps: If your template says “Hi ,” with a blank name, you lose credibility. Double-check your data.
What to ignore: Fancy “AI-powered” suggestions that don’t fit your workflow, or dashboards that promise to “revolutionize” selling but just add noise.
Step 6: Measure and Adjust
Don’t just set it and forget it. Look at the numbers:
- Are more deals moving forward?
- Are prospects actually replying to follow-ups?
- Are you getting angry replies (“Stop emailing me!”)?
If something’s not working, change it. Maybe your timing is off, or your message is too stiff. Iterate. No shame in hitting pause and going back to basics if things feel off.
Pro Tips for Not Being “That Sales Rep”
- Mix it up: Don’t just automate emails. Sometimes a phone call or a LinkedIn message is better.
- Make it easy to say no: People appreciate a graceful exit. Sometimes the best follow-up is, “Should I close this out?”
- Keep it honest: If you’re automating, say so. “Just a quick automated reminder in case this got lost.”
Tools in Bellasales Worth Using (and What to Skip)
Worth Your Time:
- Email sequences: Good for multi-touch follow-ups, but keep them tight (2–3 touches max).
- Task reminders: Great for following up by phone or with a custom note.
- Deal activity timelines: See when you last reached out, and avoid duplicate nudges.
Probably Not Worth It (for Most):
- Overly complex branching workflows: If you need a flowchart to understand your own process, it’s too much.
- AI “next best action” tools: Maybe helpful in massive orgs, but for most, they’re just more stuff to ignore.
- Automating every stage: Some touches need a real human, especially late-stage deals.
Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Automation should make your life easier, not more complicated. Start with the basics: clean data, clear templates, sensible timing. Set up one or two automations, see how they work, and improve from there. The best automation is invisible—your prospects just feel like you’re on top of things.
Don’t sweat the fancy features or the hype. Simple works. And if it stops working, you’ll spot it fast and adjust. That’s real automation.