Let’s be honest: most follow-up emails after sales meetings are either forgotten, sent too late, or so generic they’re basically spam. If you’re in sales, marketing, or any role where the next step matters, you know how much a good follow-up can move the needle—or how easy it is to drop the ball. This guide is for anyone sick of losing deals because they didn’t follow up at the right time, with the right message.
We’ll walk through how to automate effective follow-up emails after meetings using Revenuehero, a tool that sits between your calendar, CRM, and email. We’ll keep it real: what’s worth automating, what to personalize, and where to avoid overthinking it.
Why Automate Post-Meeting Follow-Ups?
Before you roll your eyes at yet another “automation will save your life” pitch, let’s be clear: automation is good only if it actually saves you time and doesn’t make your emails sound like they were written by a robot.
Here’s why it’s worth automating your follow-ups:
- You never forget to follow up. Busy days, multiple meetings—forgetting a follow-up is way too easy.
- You respond faster. The first follow-up often wins. Minutes and hours matter.
- You stay consistent. No more “oops, I meant to send you the deck last week” emails.
- You can track what works. Automated tools can help you see open rates, replies, and what’s getting ignored.
But don’t automate everything. People know when they’re getting a canned message, and it feels lazy. The goal is to handle the grunt work automatically, so you can focus on the personal touches that actually convert.
Step 1: Get Set Up with Revenuehero
First, if you’re not already using Revenuehero, you’ll need an account. Revenuehero connects your calendar, CRM, and email so you can automate the boring parts without sacrificing the important stuff.
What you’ll need: - Access to Revenuehero (with the right permissions to connect your calendar and email) - Your CRM credentials (Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use) - Email account you want to send from (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)
Pro Tip: If your team is already using Revenuehero, ask your admin for access. Setting up from scratch is straightforward, but permissions trip people up more than they should.
Step 2: Connect Your Tools
Automation only works if all your tools are talking to each other. Don’t skip this—half-baked integrations are the #1 reason follow-up automation flops.
- Connect your calendar: This is how Revenuehero knows when meetings happen and with whom. Google Calendar and Outlook are both supported.
- Plug in your CRM: This pulls in prospect data and can update records automatically after meetings.
- Set up your email: Revenuehero can send emails on your behalf, but you need to authenticate your email account.
Things to watch out for: - Some CRMs have more robust integrations than others. Salesforce and HubSpot tend to work best; others might need more tinkering. - Double-check permissions. If Revenuehero can’t see your calendar or email, it can’t send anything.
Honest take: If you’re not allowed to connect your calendar or email for “security reasons,” you’re going to hit a wall. Talk to your IT folks early.
Step 3: Map Out Your Follow-Up Sequence
Before you set up any automation, get clear on what your follow-ups should say and when they should go out. Don’t just copy-paste what your competitor is doing.
Keep it simple: Start with just one or two emails in your sequence.
Typical flow: 1. Immediate post-meeting follow-up (within 1-2 hours of meeting): Thank them, recap key points, next steps, and provide any promised resources. 2. Reminder or nudge (2-3 days later, if no reply): Quick check-in, offer to answer questions, lightly push for next steps.
What to avoid: - Long, multi-step sequences for early-stage leads. It feels spammy and rarely works. - “Just checking in…” with no substance. Offer value or new information.
Pro Tip: Save the heavy customization for deals that are actually moving forward. Not every lead deserves a novel.
Step 4: Build Your Templates in Revenuehero
Now for the fun part—building templates that don’t sound like templates. Revenuehero lets you create email templates with dynamic fields (think: recipient’s name, company, meeting date, etc.).
How to do it: - Go to the Email Templates section in Revenuehero. - Start with their default follow-up template if you like, but rewrite it in your own voice. - Use merge fields for things like: - First name - Company name - Meeting date and time - Custom notes (if you want to pull in meeting notes from your CRM)
A basic (non-cringe) template:
Subject: Thanks for your time, {{first_name}} — Next steps from our call
Hi {{first_name}},
Thanks again for meeting today. Here’s a quick recap of what we covered:
- {{custom_meeting_notes}}
Next steps: - {{next_steps}}
Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s anything else you need.
Best, {{your_name}}
What works: - Personalization tokens (but don’t overdo it—too much feels weird) - Recapping their priorities, not your sales pitch - Keeping it short and actionable
What doesn’t: - Cramming in every feature you sell - Vague “let me know” endings with no clear next step
Step 5: Set Up Automation Rules
Revenuehero lets you trigger emails based on meeting outcomes. The most common (and easiest) trigger: “Send follow-up X hours after a meeting.”
How to set up: - Choose your trigger (e.g., meeting ends, no-shows, specific meeting types) - Pick the template you want to send - Set the timing (immediately, after 2 hours, next morning, etc.) - Optionally, add conditions (e.g., only for meetings marked as “Qualified” in your CRM)
Things to consider: - Delay is your friend. Sending a follow-up 30-60 minutes after a meeting feels more natural than “immediately” (which reeks of automation). - No-shows deserve a different email. Don’t send the same follow-up to someone who didn’t show up. - Keep opt-out easy. If prospects reply “stop” or “unsubscribe,” make sure Revenuehero listens. No one wants to annoy leads.
Common mistake: Over-automating. If you have five emails going out in the first week, expect more unsubscribes than replies.
Step 6: Test and Monitor
Don’t set it and forget it. Automated follow-ups can backfire if you’re not paying attention.
What to do: - Test with yourself and your team. Book dummy meetings to see how emails look (and if personalization works). - Watch your stats: open rates, replies, unsubscribes, bounces. - Tweak subject lines and copy if you’re not getting replies.
Pro Tip: Read your automated emails out loud. If they sound awkward or robotic, so will they to your prospects.
If something’s not working: - Are your emails being flagged as spam? Try sending from a different address or tweaking your content. - Are people not replying? Rethink your call to action—maybe you’re not making it clear what you want them to do.
Step 7: Keep Improving (But Don’t Overthink It)
Once you’ve got the basics in place, stay curious but don’t obsess. Simple, fast, and clear beats clever every time in sales follow-ups.
Ideas for improvement: - Personalize more for bigger deals or late-stage prospects. - Use snippets from call recordings if your tools allow it (but only if it’s relevant). - Experiment with timing: sometimes sending the next morning or after lunch gets higher replies.
Stuff to ignore: - Fancy HTML emails with banners and headshots. Text works better for follow-ups. - Overly complex sequences. More steps don’t mean more conversions.
Wrapping Up
Automating follow-up emails with Revenuehero isn’t magic—it’s just a smarter way to make sure you don’t drop the ball. Set up your integrations, keep your templates human, and let automation handle the boring parts. Start simple, see what works, and tweak as you go. The less time you spend messing with your inbox, the more time you can spend actually closing deals.