If your sales team is tired of chasing prospects who never reply—or worse, forgetting to follow up at all—you're not alone. Most B2B leads need more than one nudge to convert, but nobody wants to spend half their week on manual follow-ups. This guide is for people who want to automate the grunt work using real tools, not just talk about “optimizing the funnel.”
Below, I’ll walk you through how to actually set up automated prospect follow ups using Lift-ai, with honest advice about what works, what to skip, and how to avoid spamming your leads into oblivion.
Why Automate Follow Ups—And What to Watch Out For
Before you start wiring up automations, it’s worth asking: does automation really increase B2B conversions? The short answer: yes, if you do it right. Most deals don’t close on the first try, and prospects genuinely forget to reply. But too many automated messages can make you look desperate—or worse, like a robot.
Automation helps when: - Your team loses track of who to follow up with and when. - Prospects slip through the cracks after the first reply. - You need to move faster than your competition.
But it can backfire if: - Your messages sound generic or pushy. - You don’t personalize at least a little (even with AI). - You automate so much that you lose control or insights.
The goal is to save time and close more deals, not to fill everyone’s inbox with noise.
Step 1: Get Your Lift-ai Account Ready
First things first: make sure you have access to Lift-ai with the features you need. Some follow-up automations might be locked behind certain plans, so check your subscription before you waste time setting things up.
- If you’re new: Set up your Lift-ai account and connect your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever you use).
- If you’re already a user: Make sure you have admin access, or at least permissions to create automations and edit contact workflows.
Pro tip: Don’t sync every contact in your CRM. Start with a small segment (like new leads from the past 30 days). You’ll spot issues faster and won’t annoy your whole pipeline if something goes sideways.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow Up Sequence
Before you click a single button, sketch out what a good follow up series actually looks like for your audience. Automation will only amplify whatever you put into it—good or bad.
A basic B2B follow up sequence might look like: 1. Day 1: Initial outreach or demo request response. 2. Day 3: First follow up (“Just checking if you saw my last message…”) 3. Day 7: Second follow up (add value, maybe a case study or relevant resource). 4. Day 14: Breakup email (“Should I close your file?”)
Skip the 17-message drip. Nobody wants it, and it’ll get you flagged as spam.
What to include in each message: - One clear question or call to action. - A reason for reaching out (reference their pain point, role, or company). - Something that shows a human is behind the message—AI can help, but don’t let it sound like a robot wrote it.
Write your drafts outside of Lift-ai first, so you (and your team) can review them. You’ll thank yourself later.
Step 3: Build the Automation in Lift-ai
Now for the hands-on part. Here’s how to automate your follow ups in Lift-ai without getting lost in the weeds.
3.1. Create a New Workflow
- Go to Automations or Workflows in Lift-ai.
- Hit “Create New Workflow” (the name might vary depending on updates).
- Choose your trigger: this could be when a new lead enters the pipeline, fills out a form, or replies to a certain email.
Common triggers: - New contact added to CRM - Demo request submitted - No reply after X days
3.2. Add Your Follow Up Steps
For each step in your sequence: - Add a delay (e.g., wait 3 days). - Choose the action (send email, push Slack/Teams notification, add to CRM task list). - Paste in your message (Lift-ai usually supports dynamic fields like {{FirstName}}).
Don’t forget: - Set conditions so the automation stops if the prospect replies. - Use “if/then” branches for different outcomes (e.g., if they opened the email but didn’t reply, try a different angle).
3.3. Test With Real Contacts
- Run the automation on a test contact (use your own email or a colleague’s).
- Check for typos, broken links, and personalization errors.
- Make sure the workflow stops when someone replies.
Pro tip: Test on a few real leads before rolling it out to everyone. There’s always something you missed the first time.
Step 4: Personalize—Just Enough
Lift-ai’s AI tools can help you personalize at scale, but don’t assume it’ll magically make every message hit home. Here’s what actually works:
- Use merge tags for name, company, and recent activity.
- Reference something specific from their website, LinkedIn, or a recent conversation.
- If you’re using AI to draft messages, read them before sending. The bots are better than they used to be, but they still make weird mistakes.
What to skip: Don’t try to fake deep personalization (“I saw your dog on Instagram…”). It’s creepy and usually inaccurate.
Step 5: Watch the Metrics, Not Just the Sends
It’s tempting to judge your automation by how many follow ups go out. Resist that urge. What matters is how many people actually reply, book a call, or move forward in your funnel.
Track: - Open rates (if they’re below 30%, your subject lines need help) - Reply rates (if under 5%, your message is off) - Meetings booked, not just clicks
If your numbers stink, tweak one thing at a time—don’t overhaul everything at once. And if replies drop after automating, check if your messages sound too canned.
Step 6: Avoid the Most Common Automation Traps
Here’s where most teams mess up:
- Over-automation: If every touchpoint is automated, you lose the chance to build real relationships.
- Ignoring replies: Make sure your automation stops as soon as someone writes back. Otherwise, you’ll look oblivious.
- No opt-out: Always give people a way to say “not interested.” It’s not just polite—it’s good for your sender reputation.
And don’t let the AI write everything. The best automations are a mix of smart tools and human oversight.
Step 7: Iterate—Don’t “Set and Forget”
The biggest lie in sales automation is that you can “set it and forget it.” Markets change, prospects get message fatigue, and what works this month might flop next quarter.
- Review your sequences at least once a month.
- Swap in new case studies or product updates when they’re relevant.
- Ask your sales team what prospects are actually saying, and update your copy accordingly.
Automation should help you scale what works, not just let you do more of what doesn’t.
Keep It Simple—And Human
Automating your prospect follow ups in Lift-ai can absolutely increase B2B conversion rates, but only if you treat it like a tool, not a magic wand. Start small, personalize just enough, and keep an eye on what’s actually moving the needle. Iterate as you go, and don’t be afraid to turn things off that aren’t working.
You don’t need a 20-step sequence or the fanciest AI model. Just clear, timely, human messages—sent automatically. That’s it.