One-pager · free, built to print
Re-open Kit: What to Send When a Prospect Goes Quiet After a Proposal
About a week into the silence, send a short re-open with no guilt in it: give them an easy excuse, share one piece of news, and make saying yes tiny. No answer? One more email with real news, then an honest close. Three emails across roughly five weeks. This page is free to read and built to print.
Updated
What is the five-week cadence?
Our practice cadence, a guideline and not a study result:
| When | Send |
|---|---|
| About 1 week after the silence starts | The re-open (Template 1) |
| About 3 weeks | One proof, trigger or resource email (Template 2) |
| About 5 weeks | The honest close (Template 3) |
| 90 days later | A calendar reminder to re-open with a fresh trigger |
Template 1: the re-open (under 50 words)
Three jobs: hand them an excuse, bring news, make yes tiny.
Figured things got hectic over there. Quick update: [one new result, resource or change]. Want to pick it back up? I'm free Thursday at 2 or Friday at 10. Not the right moment? Reply "later" and I'll check in next month.
Template 2: one email with real news
Pick the version you actually have the news for.
| Play | Use it when | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Proof | A similar company just got a result | "[Similar company] just hit [result] in [timeframe] with the setup we talked about. Short version below. Does that still map to what you're working on?" |
| Trigger | Their world moved (a hire, a launch, a new exec) | "Just read about [company news]. In my experience that pushes [the problem we discussed] up the list. Should we get it moving before [their deadline]?" |
| Resource | You can help whether or not they buy | "Nothing to sign here. Since you're working on [their project], here's the [checklist, benchmark or template] our clients use for it. Happy to talk it through if useful." |
If nothing in the email is new to them, don't send it.
Template 3: the honest close
Sounds like now isn't the moment, so I'll step back. Whenever it is, I'm one reply away.
It is short, guilt-free and easy to answer later. It also closes the loop so your pipeline shows reality.
Why do prospects go quiet?
Rarely because the answer is no. The usual suspects are a firefight (new priorities), embarrassment (the promised "next week" passed) or a blocker (the proposal hit a budget freeze or a skeptical approver). The cure is the same for all three: make the way back painless. Guilt, as in "I haven't heard back," makes it harder.
Checklist
- [ ] The first re-open waits about a week and is under 50 words.
- [ ] It contains one piece of real news, not "just following up."
- [ ] The yes is tiny: two named slots or a one-word reply.
- [ ] Each later email has new news, or it doesn't go.
- [ ] After the honest close, I stop and set a 90-day reminder.
Where to go next
- The full play with the reasoning: what to send when a prospect ghosts after a proposal.
- When the deal is stuck, not paused: why B2B deals end in no decision.
- Timing after a demo: how long to wait to follow up after a demo.
- If the champion left: what to do when your champion leaves.
Sources
- The templates and the five-week cadence are Pipe Playbook practice guidance, not study results.