Sequence template · 4 steps over 14 days

Following up a proposal that was opened but not answered

For sales teams after a proposal link was opened without a reply: a four-step sequence that uses what the reading data shows and asks for a decision, either way.

Goal. A yes, a no or a named date from every account that opened the proposal

Step 1Day 0, campaign start

Subject Re: {{proposal_title}}

Hi {{first_name|there}},

I saw the proposal for {{company}} was opened, so it reached the right place. Thank you for taking a look.

Proposals usually raise one or two questions that are easier to ask out loud than to type. If that is the case here, I am available for a fifteen-minute call any day this week, and the link stays live at {{offer_link}}.

If there is a section you would like changed before it goes further inside {{company}}, tell me which one and I will revise it.

Day 0 is the first working day after the offer was opened, not the day it was sent. Continue the original thread, so the subject keeps Re:.

Step 2Day 3

Subject Re: {{proposal_title}}

Hi {{first_name|there}},

If the part about {{page_of_interest}} raised a question, that is where most conversations about this kind of proposal start: pricing, scope, or how the first weeks would run.

I can send a short note on that section alone, or walk you through it on a call. Which would you prefer?

Fill page_of_interest from the offer stats (the page read longest). Do not tell the reader you watched them read; ask about the section instead.

Step 3Day 7

Subject Re: {{proposal_title}}

Hi {{first_name|there}},

A direct question, because it helps both of us plan: is a decision on {{proposal_title}} likely by {{decision_date}}, or has something changed at {{company}} since we spoke?

A "no" is a perfectly good answer and saves you further messages. A "not yet" with a month attached is equally useful. What I want to avoid is guessing.

Asks for a decision or a date, and makes no an acceptable answer. Most stalled proposals are waiting for someone to ask this.

Step 4Day 14

Subject Re: {{proposal_title}}

Hi {{first_name|there}},

I will stop here. The proposal for {{company}} stays valid until {{decision_date}}; after that I will assume the timing was wrong and close it on our side, with no hard feelings.

If you would like it reopened later, one reply is enough and I will update the figures rather than send the old version.

Thank you for considering us.

Closes the loop with a real validity date. Use the date written in the proposal, not one invented for the email.

This sequence starts after two things have happened: you sent a proposal as a tracked offer link, and the offer stats show it was opened but nobody replied. It is not the sequence that sends the proposal. Its job is to turn a silent open into a yes, a no or a date, and to do that without pretending you cannot see what the reader did.

Who to put in it

The person you sent the proposal to, and nobody else at first. If the offer stats show a second visitor (a return from a different device, or an access request from a colleague), that is a sign the document is moving inside the company; note it on the company card, but keep writing to your original contact until they name someone else. Who else opened your proposal explains what returns and forwards look like in the stats and what they usually mean.

Add each prospect on the first working day after the open, so day 0 lands while the reading is fresh. Prospects whose proposal was never opened need a different message (was the link received at all?) and do not belong here.

What to change before sending

page_of_interest comes from the reading time per page in the offer stats: name the section, in the proposal’s own heading, that held attention longest. decision_date is the validity date written in the proposal itself, never a date made up for pressure. The golden rules of sending offers and proposals set out the principle every step here follows: refer to what the reader did, offer something specific, and do not announce that you were watching. For how long to wait between an open and the first message, see when to follow up on a proposal based on reads.

How to read the replies and when to stop

A question about a section is an Interested reply even if it sounds critical; answer it, offer a revised version, and stop the sequence. “We are still discussing internally” with a date is a Maybe later; set a reminder for that date and pause the remaining steps rather than letting step three ask again. A no is a no: thank them, close the offer, and record the reason on the company card.

Between steps, check the offer stats. A second full read after step two, or a return the day after step three, is a reason to pick up the phone rather than wait for the next email. Reading time per page covers how to read those patterns without over-interpreting one visit.

Stop after step four and close the offer on the stated date. A proposal you reopen later should carry fresh figures, as the last step promises.