Why 'Just Checking In' Is the Worst Email in Sales
The Short Version
"Just checking in" tells the buyer you have nothing new to offer. Every follow-up needs one test: does this email give the buyer a reason to reply that didn't exist yesterday?
"Just checking in to see if you've had a chance to review..."
You've sent this email. I've sent this email. Every salesperson alive has sent this email.
It's also the most useless email in sales.
Here's why: "just checking in" is about you, not them. It tells the buyer three things:
You have nothing new to share. You're hoping they'll do the work of restarting the conversation. And you couldn't think of a reason to email other than the fact that they haven't replied yet.
The buyer reads it, thinks "nothing's changed since last time," and archives it.
The fix isn't complicated. Every follow-up needs to pass a simple test: does this email give the buyer a reason to reply that didn't exist yesterday?
That means adding something. A relevant article about their industry. A case study from a similar company. A new data point that connects to what they told you in the meeting. An answer to a question they raised that you didn't have at the time.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
Instead of:
"Just checking in on the proposal I sent last week. Let me know if you have any questions."
Try:
"I came across this case study from a company in your space that tackled the same integration challenge you mentioned. Thought it might be useful context as you review the proposal. Happy to walk through it if helpful."
Same goal. Completely different signal. The first email says "I'm chasing you." The second says "I'm still thinking about your problem."
The principle: every touchpoint must add value. If you can't think of something to add, wait until you can. Silence is better than noise.
If you want copy-paste templates for every follow-up scenario (not just the nudge), we put together a complete template library with 7 emails covering everything from first meetings to dead deals.
Andrew has spent 12 years running go-to-market and sales for high-growth B2B companies. He founded Sixty Seconds to give every sales team access to the GTM firepower previously reserved for funded startups with large headcount.
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