If you’re tired of chasing leads with one-off emails and want your outbound to actually get replies, you’re in the right place. This guide walks you through setting up automated email sequences in Close. It’s for B2B folks—sales pros, founders, anyone who needs real conversations, not just a growing “Sent” folder.
There’s no magic bullet, but a well-built sequence saves hours and keeps you from dropping the ball. Let’s get you set up the right way—no fluff, no “growth hacking,” just a straight path to better outreach.
1. Know What Automated Sequences in Close Can (and Can’t) Do
Before we dive in, let’s clear up what Close’s email sequences are actually good for—and where they fall short.
What Works: - Scheduling a series of emails to send automatically to a list of leads. - Personalizing messages with merge fields (like first name, company, etc.). - Pausing or stopping emails if a lead replies (so you don’t look clueless). - Tracking open rates and replies.
What Doesn’t: - It won’t write the perfect message for you. You need solid copy. - No fancy conditional logic (if they open, send X; if they don’t, send Y). - Not a full-blown marketing automation platform—keep it simple.
Bottom line: If you want basic, reliable automated sequences for B2B sales outreach, Close is up to the task. If you want to build “choose your own adventure” funnels, look elsewhere.
2. Prep Your Lead List—Don’t Skip This
You can have the slickest sequence in the world, but if your leads are junk (or your data’s a mess), it won’t matter.
Get your list ready: - Clean your data. Make sure names, emails, and company fields are accurate. Typos make your merge fields look embarrassing. - Segment by relevance. Don’t blast one template to everyone. Group leads by industry, role, or recent activity if you can. - Import to Close. Use Close’s CSV import tool, and map your fields carefully—especially the ones you’ll use for personalization.
Pro tip: If you’re scraping emails or buying lists, expect a lot of bounces and unsubscribes. Quality always beats quantity in B2B.
3. Write Your Email Templates (Keep Them Human)
Close sequences are only as good as the emails you put in them. This is where most people trip up—don’t just copy-paste generic “quick question” templates.
How to write better emails: - Start with a strong subject. Short, honest, and relevant wins. Avoid “Quick question” or “Trying to connect”—everyone’s seen those. - Personalize the first line. Use merge fields for name, company, even something specific to the industry if you have it. - Keep it brief. 3-5 sentences tops. People scan, they don’t read. - One clear ask. Don’t list three things or bury your CTA. - Don’t fake personalization. If you don’t know them, don’t pretend you do.
Example template:
Subject: {Company} & {Your Company}: Quick question
Hi {First Name},
I noticed {Company} is working in {Industry}. I’m reaching out because we’ve helped similar teams [do X]. Would it make sense to chat for 10 minutes this week?
Best, {Your Name}
Pro tip: Write all your sequence emails up front (first touch, follow-up #1, follow-up #2, etc.). Each should add a little value or context—not just “bumping this to the top.”
4. Build the Sequence in Close
Now for the nuts and bolts. Here’s how to set up your sequence in Close:
Step 4.1: Create Email Templates
- Go to “Templates” in Close.
- Click “New Template.”
- Paste in your email, add merge fields, and save. Repeat for each step in your sequence.
Step 4.2: Build the Sequence
- Go to “Sequences.”
- Click “New Sequence.”
- Add your templates in order. Set the delay (in days) between steps—usually 2-4 days is good for B2B.
- Decide if you want to stop the sequence if someone replies or opens the email. (Pro tip: Always stop on reply; open tracking is unreliable.)
- Review the sequence for typos or weird merge fields.
What to ignore: Don’t overthink timing. There’s no magic number of days. Just don’t spam people daily.
5. Add Leads to the Sequence
Once your sequence is ready, it’s time to add leads.
- Bulk add: In Close, filter your lead list and select the people you want.
- Add to sequence: Choose your sequence and start it for the selected leads.
- Double-check: Preview the first email for a few leads to make sure merge fields look right (“Hi {First Name}” is a dead giveaway you missed something).
Pro tip: Start with a small batch first. This lets you catch mistakes before you send to hundreds.
6. Monitor, Tweak, and Don’t Annoy People
Automation is not “set it and forget it.” Keep an eye on how things are working.
- Watch your reply and bounce rates. If nobody replies, your message probably needs work. If you get lots of bounces, your list is bad.
- Look out for spam complaints. Too many and your domain will get dinged—sending fewer, better emails is safer.
- Tweak subject lines and copy. Don’t be afraid to test new approaches, but don’t change everything at once.
What to ignore: Open rates. Email tracking pixels are blocked by lots of clients these days. Replies are what matter.
7. Handle Replies Quickly (and Like a Human)
When someone replies, Close will automatically stop the sequence for that lead. Good. Now answer them fast—ideally within a couple hours. Don’t send a robotic response or a wall of text.
If they say “not interested,” thank them and move on. If they’re curious, set up a call or keep the conversation going. The goal: real conversations, not just getting through your sequence.
8. What About Unsubscribes and Compliance?
Close adds an unsubscribe link to your automated emails if you turn it on (do it—don’t risk your sender reputation). Respect unsubscribes and don’t try to sneak back into inboxes after someone opts out.
If you’re sending to Europe, Canada, or California, read up on local laws (GDPR, CASL, CCPA). Most sales emails are legal if you’re respectful, but don’t be sloppy.
9. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Let’s be honest: most automated outreach fails because people cut corners or get greedy. Here’s what not to do:
- Blasting huge lists: You’ll get flagged as spam and burn your domain.
- Not personalizing at all: Merge fields can’t fix a generic pitch.
- Ignoring replies: Nothing says “I’m a bot” like replying with another automated email.
- Changing your “from” name or email frequently: Looks sketchy and tanks deliverability.
- Sending too many follow-ups: 2-4 is plenty. If they’re not interested after that, move on.
10. Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Perfection
Automated sequences in Close are a tool—not a silver bullet. Start with the basics, send a few batches, and see how people respond. Tweak what’s not working, cut what feels spammy, and don’t try to automate your way out of bad messaging.
Set it up, keep it human, and get real conversations going. That’s what actually moves the needle in B2B outreach.