If you're tired of losing leads because you forgot to follow up—or because your sales emails sound like they came from a robot—this guide is for you. We're going to get hands-on with Klenty and show you how to build trigger-based follow-ups using its advanced workflow automation. No fluff, no “growth hacking,” just practical steps so your follow-ups land at the right time, every time.
This is for anyone who actually wants to close deals: sales reps, founders, or anyone whose job involves chasing people over email. You don't need to be a technical wizard, but it helps if you’re comfortable poking around in new tools.
Why Trigger-Based Follow-Ups Matter
Let’s get one thing out of the way: The best follow-up is the one that actually happens. Most salespeople fall into one of two traps:
- They forget to follow up, so hot leads fizzle out.
- They set up generic, boring drip campaigns that get ignored or land in spam.
Trigger-based follow-ups solve both problems. Instead of blasting everyone with the same message or relying on your memory, you create rules like “If a prospect opens my email but doesn’t reply in 2 days, nudge them.” Or “If they click a link, send them something more specific.” The result? More conversations, less guesswork.
Klenty’s advanced workflow automation is supposed to make this easy. And it mostly does—if you know where to look and which features are worth your time.
Step 1: Get Your House in Order
Before you even touch automation, get your basics right.
- Organize your leads. Use Klenty’s lists or segments to group your prospects. If your CRM is a mess, clean it up first.
- Plan your messages. Don’t just write, “Checking in to see if you got my last email.” Make your follow-ups useful or interesting. Automation can’t fix boring copy.
- Map out your triggers. What actions matter to you? Opens, clicks, replies, or even custom events (like a demo booked). Be specific.
Pro Tip: Sketch your ideal follow-up journey on paper. It saves a ton of time once you get into the tool.
Step 2: Understand What Klenty Workflow Automation Can—and Can’t—Do
This is where folks get tripped up. Klenty’s workflow automation is solid, but it’s not magic.
What works well: - Automating emails based on opens, clicks, replies, and manual tags. - Updating lead statuses, bouncing prospects between lists, or triggering internal notifications. - Chaining multiple actions (like sending an email, then creating a task).
What doesn’t: - Super-complex logic (like multi-branch if/then/else flows) can get clunky. - Real-time triggers are “near real-time” at best. Expect a short delay. - Integrations with external tools are hit or miss. Use native integrations or Zapier for anything fancy.
Ignore: Overly complicated workflows. If you can’t explain your automation to a coworker in one sentence, it’s probably too much.
Step 3: Build Your Trigger-Based Workflow
Here’s how to actually set this up in Klenty.
3.1. Navigate to Workflow Automation
- Log in to Klenty.
- Go to the “Automation” or “Workflows” section. (Klenty likes to move menu items around, but it’s usually in the main sidebar.)
- Click “Create Workflow” or “New Automation.”
3.2. Set Your Trigger
This is the event that kicks off your follow-up.
- Common triggers: Email opened, link clicked, no reply after X days, email bounced, prospect status changed.
- Choose the trigger that fits your process. Example: “Email not replied to within 3 days.”
Note: Don’t use too many triggers at once. It’s easy to end up spamming your prospects if you’re not careful.
3.3. Define Your Actions
What happens when the trigger fires?
- Send an email. You can pick a pre-written template or write something new.
- Create a task. Useful if you want a human to step in (like making a call).
- Move or tag the prospect. Handy for segmenting hot vs. cold leads.
- Notify someone. Send a Slack, email, or internal notification.
Real-world tip: Start with just one or two actions. You can always add more later.
3.4. Add Conditions (Optional)
You can add conditions to make your workflow smarter.
- Example: Only send the follow-up if the prospect is in “Decision Maker” segment.
- Or: Only trigger if the prospect hasn’t replied to any email in the last 30 days.
Don’t overthink this. Start simple, then add conditions as you see what works.
3.5. Review and Activate
Take a minute to double-check:
- Triggers make sense? (Double negatives are sneaky—“Not replied after X days” vs. “Replied.”)
- Actions are targeted? (No one likes three emails in one day.)
- You’re not automating yourself into a PR disaster? (Seriously, test with your own email first.)
Turn on the workflow. Watch it run.
Step 4: Test, Watch, and Adjust
No automation survives first contact with real prospects. Here’s what to do next:
- Test with yourself or a teammate first. Don’t blast your whole list until you know it works.
- Monitor results. Use Klenty’s analytics to see open rates, reply rates, and where people drop off.
- Tweak your triggers or messages. If people aren’t replying, maybe your follow-up is off. If people unsubscribe, maybe you’re too aggressive.
- Check for edge cases. What happens if someone replies late? Or clicks but doesn’t reply? Build in “escape hatches” so you don’t annoy people.
Pro Tip: Set a recurring calendar reminder to review your automations every month. What worked last quarter might not work today.
Step 5: Keep It Human
Automation is great, but don’t let it turn you into a robot:
- Personalize where it matters. Use merge tags, but also add real context when possible.
- Don’t overdo frequency. If you’re not sure, err on the side of fewer emails.
- Manual tasks are your friend. Sometimes, a quick phone call or LinkedIn message beats another automated email.
What to ignore: Any advice that says you can “set it and forget it.” That’s a fast way to burn your list.
Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Here are the pitfalls I see most often:
- Over-automation: If your workflow is 15 steps long, you’ve probably lost the plot.
- Not testing with real data: Dummy accounts are your friend.
- Ignoring reply handling: If someone replies, make sure they’re instantly removed from future follow-ups.
- Forgetting to pause during holidays: Automated emails sent on Christmas Day don’t make you look smart.
A Quick Example: A Simple Trigger-Based Follow-Up
Let’s keep it real. Here’s a workflow you can actually use:
- Trigger: Prospect hasn’t replied 3 days after your initial email.
- Action: Send a short, helpful follow-up (“Just wanted to see if you had a chance to consider…”).
- Condition: Only run this if the prospect hasn’t replied to any previous emails.
- Backup Action: If no reply after 7 days, create a manual task to review the lead or try a different channel.
That’s it. Simple, effective, and you’re not annoying anyone.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overcomplicate It
Setting up trigger-based follow-ups in Klenty isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thought. Start with a single workflow, watch how it performs, and tweak as you go. The best automation is simple, predictable, and doesn’t make you sound like a bot. Iterate, learn, and keep it human—your future self (and your prospects) will thank you.