If you’re running outbound sales or recruiting, you know that follow-up is where most of the magic happens. But if you’re still manually checking for replies and figuring out who needs a nudge, you’re wasting hours (and probably missing deals). This guide is for anyone who wants to let software handle the grunt work—specifically, how to make Lagrowthmachine automatically detect replies and send smart follow-ups, without spamming people who’ve already responded.
I’ll walk you through the setup, flag the common pitfalls, and call out what’s actually worth your time. Let’s get your outreach running on autopilot, but without making you look like a robot.
Step 1: Understand How Reply Detection Works (and Where It Breaks)
Before you dive in, it’s worth knowing what reply detection actually means in Lagrowthmachine. In plain English: the platform monitors your inbox for replies from your prospects, then automatically pulls them out of your follow-up sequence. No more awkward “just bumping this up” emails to people who already answered.
But, there’s a catch: - Lagrowthmachine reads your connected mailbox, not a separate system. If your email is hooked up, it sees replies. - It’s not magic. Sometimes, especially with weird email forwarding setups, laggy mail servers, or out-of-office replies, things slip through the cracks. - False positives happen. If someone CC’s your prospect and replies, or if a bot sends an auto-response, Lagrowthmachine might count it as a reply.
Bottom line: Reply detection saves loads of time, but always check your setup and scan your inbox, especially in the first week.
Step 2: Connect Your Email or LinkedIn Accounts
For reply detection to work, Lagrowthmachine needs access to your inbox. The setup is straightforward, but don’t skip the permissions—it’s where most people mess up.
Here’s how:
- Go to “Accounts” in Lagrowthmachine.
- Choose your channel: Email (Gmail/Outlook/IMAP) or LinkedIn.
- Connect and authorize access.
- For email, you’ll need to sign in and grant permission for Lagrowthmachine to read and send messages.
- For LinkedIn, you’ll log in and approve the integration.
Pro tip:
If you use a shared inbox, or your IT team locks things down, get their blessing first. IMAP setups can be finicky, and sometimes you need an “app password” instead of your real one.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother connecting random aliases or addresses you never use—Lagrowthmachine won’t see replies sent to those.
Step 3: Build Your Sequence and Add Reply Detection Logic
Now, the fun part: setting up your campaign so it stops bugging people who reply.
- Create a new sequence (or edit an existing one).
- Add your steps:
- Start with your initial email or message.
- Add follow-ups as needed (email, LinkedIn, etc.).
- Set your “Stop on reply” rule.
- In each sequence step, check for an option like “Stop sequence if reply detected.”
- Make sure it’s ON for every step where you’d want to pause outreach.
Reality check:
Not every tool makes this super obvious—always double-check that the rule is enabled, especially if you’re cloning an old sequence.
What works:
- Personalizing follow-ups (even a little) increases actual replies, which makes the automation smarter.
- Using multiple channels (email + LinkedIn) catches people who ignore one, but don’t go overboard.
What doesn’t:
- Sending 5+ follow-ups with no reply. If they’re ignoring you after two, more messages won’t help (and might get you flagged as spam).
Step 4: Customize Your Follow-Up Timing
Timing matters. Too soon, and you’re annoying. Too late, and they forget who you are.
In Lagrowthmachine, you can: - Set delays between follow-ups (e.g., 2 days after no reply). - Choose business hours vs. any time. - Randomize send times a bit, so you don’t look like a bot.
Advice: - 2-3 days between messages is plenty. Nobody likes a daily nag. - If you’re reaching out internationally, double-check your time zone settings. - Don’t schedule messages on weekends unless you’re sure your prospects work then.
What to ignore:
The temptation to send more than 3 follow-ups. Focus on quality, not quantity.
Step 5: Test Your Sequence (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
This is where most people cut corners and regret it later.
- Add a test contact (your own email, or a willing friend).
- Run the sequence.
- Reply to the first message.
- Check:
- Did Lagrowthmachine detect your reply?
- Did it stop the sequence as expected?
- Any weird auto-replies or bounces?
Pro tip:
If you’re using LinkedIn messaging, test with a real LinkedIn account—don’t assume email logic works the same way.
What works:
- Testing every new channel or integration before going live.
- Watching your inbox for at least a day after you launch a real campaign.
What doesn’t:
- Trusting the software 100% out of the box. Even the best tools get tripped up by email quirks.
Step 6: Monitor, Adjust, and Clean Up False Positives
You’re live, but you’re not done. Automation isn’t “set and forget”—especially in the first week.
What to watch: - Did any follow-ups go out to people who replied? (Check your “sent” folder and campaign dashboard.) - Are auto-replies (out of office, vacation, etc.) stopping your sequence? If so, you may need to tweak settings or manually resume contacts. - Is your open/reply rate tanking? Too many follow-ups or bad timing can hurt your sender reputation.
How to fix issues: - Manually mark contacts as “replied” or “not replied” if Lagrowthmachine misses something. - Update your email filters or Zapier integrations to flag weird replies. - Prune your sequence—less is often more.
Pro tip:
Set aside 10 minutes a week to review campaign performance. That’s usually enough to catch problems before they snowball.
Step 7: Keep It Human (and Don’t Get Lazy)
Automated follow-ups are a huge time saver, but don’t forget: nobody likes a robot. Personalize where it matters, use merge tags to drop in real details, and never, ever send a “just following up on my last email” five times in a row.
What works:
- Add a new detail or value in each follow-up.
- Keep it short—nobody wants to read a novel from a stranger.
- If someone replies, respond like a human, not with a canned pitch.
What doesn’t:
- Over-relying on templates.
- Ignoring replies because you “trust the system.”
Wrapping Up: Automation Is a Tool, Not a Substitute for Good Outreach
Setting up reply detection and automated follow-ups in Lagrowthmachine isn’t rocket science—it’s mostly about not skipping steps, testing your setup, and keeping your sequences human and relevant. You’ll save hours, avoid awkward double-follow-ups, and (hopefully) get more real replies.
Start simple. Run a test. Tweak as you go. The best outreach is the stuff that feels like it came from a real person—even if most of it didn’t.