How do I follow up with leads that go cold in TactStack?
Short answer
Build a timed sequence that keeps talking to a lead after the first contact: a fast text, a helpful email, a check-in a few days later, then a monthly touch. Any reply pauses the sequence and hands the person to a human, so nobody gets a reminder after they already answered.
Before you start
- A defined stage for leads that go quiet.
- Two or three genuinely useful things to say.
- A booking link.
- Rules for when to stop.
Step by step
- 1
Define cold precisely
No reply after two attempts, or no movement in seven days. Write the rule so the automation can act on it.
Vague definitions produce sequences that fire at the wrong people.
- 2
Front-load the first day
A text within five minutes, then a second attempt the same afternoon.
The first hour matters more than the next three weeks combined.
- 3
Make each touch useful
What the job usually costs, what to expect, a recent photo, a common question answered. Not just checking in.
Value earns replies; nagging earns opt-outs.
- 4
Spread the tail out
Day three, day seven, day fourteen, then monthly. Alternate text and email.
Long tails win jobs that were never lost, only postponed.
- 5
Pause on any reply or booking
A reply, a booking, or a payment must stop the sequence immediately and notify the owner.
Messaging someone after they already said yes is the fastest trust killer.
- 6
Set an exit and a recycle
After the last touch, mark the lead dormant and add them to a quarterly reactivation list.
Dormant is not dead, but it should not sit in the active pipeline.
What good looks like
- Leads get worked without anyone remembering to do it.
- Replies reach a human immediately.
- Old estimates come back to life on a schedule.
- The pipeline reflects reality instead of hope.
Common mistakes
The ways this goes wrong in communication, and what to do instead.
Sequences that never stop›
Messaging a customer who already booked makes the whole company look careless.
Do this instead: Add reply, booking, and payment as hard stop conditions on every sequence.
Five touches in three days›
Too fast reads as desperate and drives opt-outs.
Do this instead: Front-load day one, then widen the gaps to days and weeks.
Generic check-in messages›
Just following up gives the reader nothing to respond to.
Do this instead: Give every touch one specific piece of useful information or a direct question.
Frequently asked
5 questions about build a nurture sequenceRelated guides
Pick the next thing to set up, or back up a step if something here assumed work you have not done yet.
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The natural follow-on tasks once this one is working.
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Guides that lead into this one, in case you skipped a step.
More in Communication
Nearby tasks that share the same setup and vocabulary.
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