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Tips, Advice & Articles

Specifically for small businesses interested in CRM and prospect management

Simon Washbrook

How to Stop Leads Going Cold: A Simple 3-Step Follow-Up Process

How to Build a Simple Process So No Lead Goes Cold Again

If you’ve ever spotted an old prospect’s name and thought, “Oh no… I was meant to follow up with them weeks ago”, you’re not alone.

Most small business owners don’t lose sales because their leads dry up — they lose them quietly. A promised follow-up gets delayed, an interested click goes unnoticed, or a warm conversation drifts into silence. Before you know it, the moment’s gone.

The good news? You don’t need a complicated CRM or endless admin to fix it. All it takes is a simple, repeatable process that works even on your busiest days. Here’s how to make sure no lead ever goes cold again. Simply follow these 3 steps every day and you’ll close more sales!

 

Step 1: Reactive Follow-UpsThe ones you already know about

These are the prospects you’ve promised something to:

  • Send a quotes / meeting follow-ups 

  • Check with a prospect the day after a meeting

  • Reply to a question

Daily habit: Start your day here. Even ticking off a few keeps deals moving forward.


Step 2: Proactive Follow-UpsThe ones showing interest

Some prospects won’t tell you directly — but their actions do:

  • Opened your email 3+ times

  • Looked at your LinkedIn profile

  • Revisited your website

Weekly habit: Check these signals once or twice a week. They’re warm — follow up while they’re still thinking of you.
💡 Tools like popcorn CRM do this for you automatically, so you can spot buying behaviours without sifting through reports.


Step 3: Nurture the Not-Yet-ReadysThe ones worth keeping warm

They’re not buying today, but they might in six months.

  • Share useful resources via a monthly email newsletter

  • Create relevant blogs and share them on Linkedin, tagging the contacts 

  • email or call them with a light, value-led check-in

Monthly habit: Segment these leads and send them something helpful once or twice a month. Keep it light, friendly, and zero-pressure.


Keep it All in One Place

Scattered notes = missed leads.
Choose one simple system to store:

  • Call notes / reminders

  • Follow-up reminders

  • Engagement history

Make it quick to update and easy to view at a glance — so Future You isn’t left guessing.


Your Simple Follow-Up Plan

  1. Block 20 mins daily for reactive follow-ups

  2. Block 10 mins twice a week for proactive follow-ups

  3. Send 1–2 nurture messages a month to your not ready yets

  4. Keep it all centralised in one tool you’ll actually use

Do this, and you’ll never ask, “Who was I meant to follow up with today?” again.


💬 Ready to make follow-up effortless?
With popcorn CRM, you can see exactly who to contact, spot when leads are warming up, and keep all your notes, reminders, and history in one simple place. No fuss. No spreadsheets. Just more sales moving forward.

👉 Book your free popcorn CRM demo today

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