Send 4–9 follow – ups over 2–3 weeks before pausing a prospect. Research shows 80% of sales require 5+ touchpoints, yet 44% of salespeople quit after one attempt. Never stop until the prospect explicitly declines or your CRM flags them as unresponsive—provide genuine value with each touch.
Ah, the joys of online shopping! You sit in your pajamas, browsing the vast expanses of the internet, adding things to your cart like a kid in a candy store. You finally hit that ‘Place Order’ button, and suddenly, your inbox is flooded with a barrage of emails. Thank you for your order! Your order is being processed! Your order is packaged! Your order has shipped! Your order is… wait, is this an order or a Netflix series with too many seasons?
Let’s take a moment to dissect this email frenzy.
First off, you receive a ‘Thank you for your order’ email. This one’s harmless enough. It’s like the store clerk giving you a friendly wave as you leave the store with your new shoes—only, in this case, you never actually left your couch.
Next comes the ‘Your order is being processed’ email. Okay, I get it. You want me to know that my order has not been lost in the void of cyberspace. But do I really need an email for that? I mean, I’m not expecting my pizza to take a detour to Mars.
Then we have ‘Your order is being packaged.’ This is where I start to question if I’m actually part of some elaborate online reality show. “Stay tuned for the next episode: ‘Your Order is Packaged and Ready for Shipping’!” Honestly, I could’ve done without knowing that someone is carefully wrapping my new pair of socks.
And just when I think it can’t get any more ridiculous, I get the ‘Your order has shipped’ email. Congratulations! You’ve just sent my socks on a journey. They’re probably more well-traveled than I am at this point.
Now, the next email is ‘Your order is due to be delivered tomorrow.’ I’m not sure who needs this reminder, but it’s like someone saying, “Hey, remember that thing you ordered yesterday? Yeah, it’s still coming.” Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious.
Then we reach the thrilling climax of the email saga: ‘Your order is out for delivery.’ I mean, this is it! The moment I’ve been waiting for! Or, you know, just another email that tells me my socks are on their way.
Finally, we arrive at the pièce de résistance: ‘Your order has been delivered.’ Cue the confetti! My socks have made it home safely!
But wait, there’s more! Just when you thought you could finally close your inbox, you get an email asking for feedback. Because, apparently, after a thrilling journey of emails and shipping, they want to know if I was satisfied with the experience. Did I enjoy the ride of anticipation? Was the packaging up to my standards?
At this point, I start to wonder if I should just turn off notifications. Do I really need to be reminded about every little step in this process? I’m not running a marathon here; I’m just trying to get a pair of socks!
In conclusion, while I appreciate the enthusiasm of these companies to keep us updated, maybe we could tone it down a notch? A simple ‘Your order has shipped’ and ‘Your order has been delivered’ would suffice. After all, I don’t need a play-by-play of my socks’ journey. Let’s save the emails for something that truly needs constant updates—like a game of fantasy football.
So, next time you find your inbox overflowing with follow-up emails, just take a deep breath and remember: you’re not alone. Together, we can navigate this email avalanche, one sock at a time.
Inspired by: “Do we really need 8 to 10 email follow-ups for every online order?” (r/mildlyinfuriating)