If you’re on a sales team, you already know: the fortune’s in the follow-up. But between chasing leads, updating the CRM, and keeping your inbox from catching fire, remembering who to ping (and when) can feel impossible. This guide is for anyone who wants to stop letting deals slip through the cracks, and start using actual reminders that work—without adding more busywork. We’ll look at how to use Mailtoaster to schedule follow-up reminders that actually help, not just clutter your calendar.
Why bother with scheduled reminders?
Let’s be honest: most people think they follow up more often than they do. The reality? We forget, or we procrastinate. Relying on memory (or yet another sticky note) is a losing game. Scheduled reminders in Mailtoaster keep you honest, and they make sure you don’t drop the ball with leads just because your day went sideways.
Step 1: Get set up with Mailtoaster
If you’re already using Mailtoaster, skip ahead. If not, here’s what you need:
- A Mailtoaster account
Sign up with your work email. Don’t bother with your personal account unless this is a side gig. - Connect your email
Mailtoaster usually works with Gmail and Outlook out of the box. If your company uses something weird, you might have extra hoops to jump through. - Basic permissions
You’ll need to let Mailtoaster manage your inbox for reminders to work. It’s safe (as far as these things go), but if your IT team panics over every new tool, warn them first.
Pro tip: Don’t try to onboard your whole team at once. Get it working yourself, then show them it’s not another “sales enablement” nonsense tool.
Step 2: Understand how Mailtoaster handles reminders
Mailtoaster isn’t magic. Here’s what it actually does:
- Lets you set a follow-up reminder directly from your inbox or its dashboard.
- Sends you an email or notification at the time you picked.
- Optionally, can resurface the email thread in your inbox so you don’t have to hunt for it.
What it doesn’t do: - Write your follow-up email for you (some tools try, but the results are… uncanny valley at best). - Sync reminders with your CRM automatically (unless you jump through API hoops). - Read your mind and know the “right” time to follow up. That’s still on you.
Bottom line: Reminders are only as good as the system you’ll actually use. Don’t overthink it.
Step 3: Scheduling your first follow-up reminder
Here’s how to actually set a reminder in Mailtoaster, step by step:
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Write your initial sales email
Send your pitch, proposal, or intro as you normally would. -
Click ‘Set Follow-Up Reminder’
After you hit send, look for the Mailtoaster prompt (usually a button or sidebar). If you don’t see it, check their knowledge base—sometimes browser extensions block it. -
Pick your time
- You’ll get options like “in 2 days,” “next week,” or a custom date/time.
- Be realistic—no one wants a reminder at 9pm on a Friday.
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For sales, 2-3 business days is the sweet spot for a first follow-up.
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Add a note (optional, but smart)
- Jot a quick note: “Check if they read the proposal,” or “Mention Q3 budget.”
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You’ll thank yourself later when you can’t remember what you sent.
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Save the reminder
That’s it. You’ll get a nudge when it’s time.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother with “smart” timing suggestions—most are just guesses. Trust your gut about when to follow up.
Step 4: Managing and tracking your reminders
After a few days, you’ll have a bunch of reminders coming in. Here’s how to keep it sane:
- Inbox notifications: Mailtoaster will send you emails or dashboard alerts. Don’t snooze everything—otherwise, what’s the point?
- Snooze or reschedule: If you’re swamped, it’s fine to push a reminder back. Just don’t keep kicking the can forever.
- Mark as done: Once you send the follow-up, clear the reminder so you’re not nagged for no reason.
- Bulk actions: If you’re juggling dozens of leads, batch-manage reminders once a day. Don’t let them pile up.
Pro tip:
Set aside 10 minutes at the start or end of your day to handle all your follow-up reminders. Make it a routine, not an afterthought.
Step 5: Using templates to speed things up
If you’re writing the same “just checking in” email every day, stop. Mailtoaster’s templates aren’t perfect, but they’ll save you time:
- Set up basic templates for your common follow-ups (“Did you get a chance to review…?”).
- Customize before sending—don’t sound like a robot.
- Avoid over-automating. Personal beats fast, every time.
What works:
Using a template as a starting point, then tweaking it for the person.
What doesn’t:
Blindly blasting the same follow-up to everyone. People notice—and it kills trust.
Step 6: Looping in your team (if you want)
If you’re a lone wolf, skip this. But if you work with a sales team:
- Shared reminders: Mailtoaster lets you assign or share reminders. Handy if you’re covering for someone on vacation, or if leads bounce between teammates.
- Permissions matter: Don’t give everyone access to everything—just to what they need.
- Avoid tool overload: If your team already uses a CRM that does reminders, don’t double up. Use one system, or you’ll spend all day managing reminders about reminders.
Pro tip:
Do a quick check-in once a week with your team. What’s working? What’s just noise? Kill what isn’t helping.
What to skip (and what to watch out for)
- Don’t stack reminders for every minor step. If you set a reminder for “call,” “email,” “send LinkedIn message,” and “circle back,” you’ll be overwhelmed in days.
- Be careful with notification fatigue. Too many nudges and you’ll start ignoring them all.
- Don’t treat reminders as a substitute for real pipeline management. They’re a tool, not a full system.
Real talk: What Mailtoaster does well (and where it falls short)
What works: - Quick to set reminders, right from your inbox. - Simple interface—doesn’t require a week of training. - Light enough that you’ll actually use it.
What doesn’t: - No real integration with most CRMs unless you pay extra or mess with APIs. - “AI” features are mostly fluff—don’t expect it to write smart follow-ups. - If your sales process is complex, reminders alone aren’t enough.
Keep it simple—and don’t let reminders run your day
At the end of the day, the best reminder system is the one you’ll actually use. Mailtoaster is good for keeping sales follow-ups from falling through the cracks, but don’t drown in your own notifications. Start small, use reminders for the stuff that matters, and tweak as you go. The deals won’t close themselves, but at least you won’t forget to try.