If you’re tired of deals slipping through the cracks because you forgot to send that “just checking in” email, you’re not alone. Manual follow-ups are a pain, easy to mess up, and nearly impossible to scale. This guide is for anyone using Heybase who wants to automate the grunt work, so you spend less time chasing and more time closing.
Below, I’ll walk you through exactly how to set up automated follow ups in Heybase. I’ll also point out what actually works, what’s just noise, and what to watch out for—so you don’t waste time on “AI-powered” nonsense that doesn’t move the needle.
Why Automate Follow Ups at All?
Let’s get real: most leads don’t respond to your first email. Or your second. If you’re relying on memory or sticky notes, you’re probably losing deals you should be winning.
Automating follow ups means: - You never forget to check in. - Prospects feel nudged (not nagged). - You free up brain space for actual selling, not babysitting.
Most sales teams think they’re following up enough. They’re almost always wrong.
Step 1: Get Your Heybase Workspace Ready
Before you jump into automation, make sure your Heybase setup isn’t a mess. If your pipeline is a dumping ground, automation will just create more noise.
What to check: - Are your deals organized into the right stages? (If you’re tracking everything in “In Progress,” fix that first.) - Do you have a clear owner for each deal? Don’t automate messages from random addresses. - Is your contact data up to date? Automation only helps if it goes to the right person.
Pro tip: Avoid importing your entire address book. Start with active deals or warm leads. Quality over quantity.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow Up Process (Don’t Skip This)
Automation is only as good as your process. If you automate bad follow ups, you’ll just annoy more people, faster.
Ask yourself: - How many times do you want to follow up before closing the file? - What’s a reasonable time gap between touches? (Hint: daily is too much unless you’re selling to your mom.) - What channels will you use? Email only, or mix in SMS or LinkedIn? - When should a real human take over? (e.g., after a reply, or on the third nudge)
Example basic sequence: 1. Day 0: Initial proposal sent. 2. Day 3: Follow up #1 — “Wanted to see what you thought.” 3. Day 7: Follow up #2 — “Any questions I can answer?” 4. Day 14: Final check-in — “Should I keep this open or close it out?”
Keep it simple. You can always layer on more steps later.
Step 3: Set Up Automated Follow Ups in Heybase
Now for the meat and potatoes. Here’s how to actually automate follow ups in Heybase (as of early 2024). If the interface changes, the basics should still apply.
3.1. Use Heybase’s Built-in Automation Tools
Heybase offers automation features like sequences, templates, and triggers. Here’s a straightforward way to use them:
- Go to your deal or workspace.
- Find the “Automations,” “Sequences,” or “Workflows” option—Heybase sometimes changes the label, but it’s usually in the sidebar or deal actions menu.
- Click “Create Sequence” or “Add Workflow.”
- Add steps to your sequence:
- For each step, set:
- Time delay after last action (e.g., 3 days)
- Message template (customize, don’t just use the default “Just checking in…”)
- Channel (email, in-app, etc.)
- You can usually insert tokens like {First Name} or {Company} to personalize. Do it sparingly—too much “Hi {First Name}!” and you sound like a robot.
- For each step, set:
- Set stop conditions.
- Make sure your sequence stops if the prospect replies. Nothing kills deals like an auto-email after someone just responded.
- Some teams also stop the sequence if the deal moves stages (e.g., from “Proposal Sent” to “Negotiating”).
- Save, review, and activate.
- Test it on a dummy deal with your own email first. See what it looks like, if the timing works, and if the messages sound human.
What works: - Short, direct follow ups with a clear next step (“Let me know if you want to discuss this week”). - Keeping your total sequence under 4–5 touches unless you’re in a super long B2B cycle.
What doesn’t: - Long, rambling follow ups. Nobody reads them. - “Breakup” emails that sound passive-aggressive (“I guess you’re not interested…”). Just don’t.
Step 4: Use Templates, But Don’t Sound Like a Bot
Heybase lets you save and re-use email templates, which is great. But most sales automation fails because everyone uses the same tired templates.
How to avoid sounding like a robot: - Write your templates like a real person talks. - Ditch filler like “Hope this finds you well.” - Reference something from your last conversation—anything that proves you aren’t blasting 500 strangers. - Adjust your CTA each time (“Want to hop on a call?” → “Should I send over a quick summary?”)
Quick example:
Hi {First Name},
Just wanted to check if you had any questions about the proposal I sent over.
If you’re still interested, let me know—happy to jump on a quick call or answer anything by email.
Thanks!
That’s it. No Shakespeare required.
Step 5: Track What’s Working (and What’s Not)
Automation isn’t set-and-forget. You need to tweak your approach based on what actually gets replies.
In Heybase, you can: - Track open and reply rates for each follow up sequence. - See which steps get ignored (or worse, marked as spam). - Adjust timing and messaging without re-writing the whole sequence.
Ignore: - Vanity metrics like “email opens” if you aren’t seeing replies. - Overly granular stats (“Best time to send: 3:14 PM on Tuesdays!”). If your message is good, timing matters less than you think.
What to watch for: - If most deals drop off after the first follow up, your message probably needs work. - If your unsubscribe rate spikes, back off the frequency.
Step 6: Don’t Go Overboard With Automation
Here’s the honest truth: automation can help, but it can’t close deals for you. People still buy from people they trust.
A few rules of thumb: - Use automation to start conversations, not to finish them. - As soon as someone replies or asks a real question, switch to manual. - Never automate “thank you” or “we lost the deal” emails. That’s just lazy, and people can tell.
Red flags: - If your inbox is full of angry “please remove me” replies, your automation is broken. - If you’re getting more unsubscribes than responses, rethink your sequence.
The Stuff You Can Ignore
There’s a lot of noise around “AI follow up generators,” “smart nudges,” and “hyper-personalized outreach.” Most of it’s just lipstick on a pig.
- You don’t need AI to write your follow ups. Nobody can tell the difference—and if they can, it’s usually not a good thing.
- Fancy features like auto-detecting buying signals are fine, but if your actual message is bad, no tool can save you.
- Integrations with 15 other apps? Only add what you’ll actually use. More moving parts = more ways to break.
Wrapping Up
Automating your follow ups in Heybase isn’t magic, but it’s a massive time-saver if you keep it simple. Start with a basic sequence, write like a human, and pay attention to what actually gets results. Don’t try to automate every single touch—use it as a tool to start more conversations and keep your pipeline moving.
Most importantly: set it up, see what works, and tweak as you go. No system is perfect out of the box, but with a little tuning, you’ll spend less time chasing ghosts and more time closing real deals.