Gmail Follow Up Reminder Hacks That Help You Close More Deals

It's that time of day again. You've booted up your computer. You've opened your inbox. You’re now staring at a long list of prospects to follow up with.

Your coffee’s in hand, somehow already cold.

The challenge? 

Sifting through your inbox, desperately trying to remember who needs to be followed up with and why and when and where.

The solution? 

The Gmail follow up reminder.

That reminder is your safety net, making sure no lead, big or small, slips through the cracks. 

In this blog post, we'll talk about how to use Gmail follow up reminders, the benefits of auto-reminders, the role of sales sequences, and more.

Using Gmail’s follow-up reminder: A quick guide

Ever noticed the little clock icon in Gmail? 

If you’d never seen it before, now you can’t unsee it. 

Here's how the Gmail follow-up reminder (AKA the “snooze” button) works:

1. Open the email you need to revisit.
2. Click the clock icon. It's called "Snooze."
3. Pick when you want to be reminded about it. Maybe tomorrow? Next week? It's your call.

Now, that email will pop back up when you want it to. And as a bonus, it’ll disappear from your inbox until you need to see it again.

Learn more about Google's Snooze button here.

Beyond the basic Gmail reminder

While Gmail offers a neat basic follow-up reminder, there are other tools that take this feature to the next level.

Tools like Mixmax’s sales engagement platform.

For those of us in sales and customer success, it’s not just about sending reminders; it's about sending the right reminders, at the right time, and in the most efficient way possible.

Not only does Mixmax have a reminder feature for individual emails in your inbox, it also lets you set up conditions for the follow-up reminder (“if no reply by” or “regardless”) as well as save notes so you know exactly what you need to do when it pops up.

Mixmax follow-up reminder feature in Gmail

You can try Mixmax’s follow-up reminder feature with a free trial.

Fun fact: Mixmax lives on top of Gmail, so you’d essentially have access to both reminder options simultaneously.

Benefits of individual email follow-up reminders

Setting up a Gmail follow-up reminder has many benefits for revenue teams in terms of moving deals along, but it also helps alleviate mental strain and boost productivity.

Here’s how.

Productivity boost

Automated reminders mean less time sorting through old messages and more time addressing current tasks.

Clean inbox

With Gmail follow up reminders, you don’t need to leave emails unread as a makeshift reminder (don’t deny it–we all do that). This promotes a tidier inbox, reducing digital clutter and enhancing efficiency. 

Increased sales and renewals

A lead or an existing customer might miss out on your initial email. But a timely follow-up can redirect their attention, leading to higher conversion rates or renewals.

Happy customers

Customers feel valued when their concerns are addressed ASAP. Setting a reminder to follow up on feedback not only helps in resolving issues but also shows that you’re attentive and care about the customer.

Happy prospects

Brand reputation is everything. When prospects get quick responses, it inherently builds trust and shows them what a relationship with your company will look/feel like if they move forward with the deal.

Email prioritization

Not all emails require immediate attention. By scheduling follow-up reminders, you can set aside less urgent emails and get to them when you’re less occupied, ensuring every email gets your attention in due time.

Automatic follow-ups in sales sequences

Let us paint a picture for you.

Let’s say you’ve just sent a batch of cold emails to a list of 100 prospects.

A day goes by. Then three. And before you know it, a week has gone by without a single response.

Here’s what you start to ask yourself:

• Was there an email deliverability issue?
• Did anyone open my email?
• Did anyone click on my email?
• Did my email suck?
• Is it time to follow up?
• What is the meaning of life?

Ok. Deep breath.

First of all, if you’re going to scale your outreach, sending one-off cold emails probably won’t work.

You need a sequencing tool that can help you set up initial emails, automate follow-ups, set up reminders & tasks, simplify multi-channel outreach—all that good stuff.

If you’re using Mixmax, you have access to all these fancy sequencing features. We’ll show you what that looks like in the next section.

How to set up automatic follow-ups

Ready to set up those automatic follow-ups as part of your sales sequences? Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

Understand the prospect’s journey

Before diving in, map out the journey you want the prospect to take: Initial contact with observation about the prospect, gentle reminder, value proposition reinforcement, last-ditch check-in with funny gif, etc.

Leverage the right tools

Platforms like Mixmax make setting up sequences with various stages intuitive. Navigate to the Sequences tab and let the platform guide you. You can create automatic emails, manual emails, automatic follow-ups, call tasks—the works.

Mixmax Sequences

Craft compelling content

Your follow-ups should evolve and should always offer some type of value to your recipient. It can be a solution to a problem, an industry report, an engaging article/stat/podcast/webinar, or a relevant testimonial. Whatever you do, don’t just pitch without adding value.

Set up behavior-based triggers

Gone are the days of generic follow-ups. If a prospect opens an email but doesn’t click any links, your next follow-up might highlight what they missed. If they clicked but didn’t convert, the next message might address potential objections. Mixmax lets you set up these types of triggers for follow-ups.

Iterate, iterate, iterate

Setting up your sequences is step one. Regularly reviewing performance (via analytics), seeking feedback, and making tweaks ensures they remain effective.

P.S. Check out this article from Business News Daily on the importance of sales persistence.

Best practices for efficient follow-up reminders

Beyond the obvious benefits of never missing an email, setting up follow-up reminders also requires a bit of strategy. Here's how to maximize their potential.

Segmentation

Group your contacts. High-value leads should be your top priority, and they may require more frequent follow-ups. Similarly, critical customer issues need immediate attention, while more general feedback can be addressed later.

Personalization & relevance

Every follow-up should have a personal touch. Mention previous interactions, reference their LinkedIn posts, or note unique points from past discussions. This shows recipients that they're not just another name on a list.

Note: "Personalization" doesn't mean using their first name in the subject line.

Clear call to action

Make it clear what you want the recipient to do next. Whether it’s a response, a meeting, or checking out a resource, a clear call to action increases the chances of getting the desired action.

Right timing

While Gmail's Snooze function is fantastic, be mindful of the times you set for follow-ups. Mixmax’s Recommended Send Times feature lets you send follow-up emails at the right time based on data it collects about your recipients (i.e. when they're most likely to be active in their inbox).

Recap

You started with a coffee in hand, an inbox full of prospects, and that nagging feeling of, "Did I forget someone?"

But now you know that with Gmail and Mixmax’s follow up reminders, you can:

• Snooze an email to a specific time and date
• Set conditional reminders like "if no reply by" or "regardless"
• Enhance your outreach with behavior-based triggers
• Prioritize emails based on their urgency and relevance
• Add personal notes for a clearer context when the reminder pops up
• Set up automatic follow-ups in your sales sequences

Keep in mind that it's not just about remembering—it's about remembering smartly. By leveraging these tools and using sequences to automate your sales follow-ups, you’ll ensure that no lead or customer is forgotten.