Episode 049. Why Agencies Lose Deals They Should've Won

3 Mar

Most agencies think they have a lead problem. When you dig into their pipelines, you almost always find the same thing: warm leads that went cold because the agency stopped following up after one or two attempts.

According to HubSpot's 2024 sales data, 80% of B2B deals require at least five follow-ups to close. Yet 44% of sellers stop after just one attempt. That gap is where your revenue is dying.

Why Agencies Give Up Too Soon

There's a particular sensitivity among agency owners, especially women, about not wanting to seem desperate or pushy. The instinct is to send one email, maybe a second, and then assume that silence means rejection.

But silence usually just means busy. Your prospect is dealing with their own fires, their own priorities. Your proposal is sitting in a tab they meant to get back to. They're still evaluating. They haven't said no.

When you don't follow up, here's what the client often thinks: You're too busy for them. You're playing a volume game. You don't actually care about working with them specifically. And honestly? It makes them lose a little respect for you. Because if you won't advocate for your own business, why would they trust you to advocate for theirs?

What You're Probably Doing Wrong

Most follow-up emails fall into one of a few unhelpful categories.

"Just checking in" says nothing. It doesn't move the conversation forward. It signals that you don't have anything new to offer, and it puts the burden back on the recipient to figure out what to do with your email.

"Bumping this to the top of your inbox" is worse. It's a reminder that you sent something they didn't respond to, which is information they already have.

Vague questions like "any updates?" or "thoughts?" are dead ends. You're asking them to do the work of figuring out what to tell you instead of making it easy for them to respond.

These aren't follow-ups. They're anxiety relievers for you, the sender. They make you feel like you did something, but they don't actually help your prospective client decide.

The Three-Part Formula for Effective Follow-Ups

Good follow-ups share three characteristics:

Relevance. Reference something that matters to them. Something you discussed on your call. A challenge they mentioned. A goal they're working toward. This shows you listened and that you're thinking about their situation specifically.

Add Value. Share something new. Maybe it's a case study that addresses a concern they raised. Maybe it's an insight about their industry. Maybe it's simply a clearer articulation of how you could help them achieve what they said they wanted to achieve.

Clear Next Step. End with a yes-or-no question. "Would it be helpful to schedule a quick call to talk through this?" is clear. "Let me know if you have thoughts" is not. Make it easy for them to respond with a single word.

When you combine these three elements, you're not being pushy. You're being helpful. You're positioning yourself as a partner who's thinking about their success.

The Kill Email That Gets Responses

After two or three follow-ups with no response, it's time for the kill email. This isn't giving up. It's giving them an easy out while creating urgency to respond.

The format is simple: acknowledge you haven't heard back, assume they've moved in a different direction, and offer to close the loop. Something like: "I haven't heard back from you, so I'm going to assume this isn't a priority right now. If that changes, I'd love to reconnect. Otherwise, I'll close this out on my end."

This email works because it removes pressure. You're not asking them to commit. You're giving them permission to say no. And somehow, that's exactly what gets people to finally respond. Nine times out of ten, this triggers a reply.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro and the 120% Problem

Michelle Obama's advice on showing up at 120% as a woman and person of color
Why agency owners carry extra weight in every interaction
Setting the tone for intentionality in business development

(00:07:43) The Five-Minute Journal Approach to Intentionality

How morning journaling shifted Melissa's approach to follow-ups
The power of writing down who you want to connect with
Why intention creates momentum in your pipeline

(00:14:08) Why Agencies Leave Money on the Table with Past Leads

The goldmine sitting in your inbox that you're ignoring
Why warm leads are more valuable than cold outreach
The real reason most agencies don't close deals they should win

(00:17:14) The Barbara Corcoran Philosophy on Persistence

"Every successful deal I've ever done came from following up when other people gave up"
What clients actually think when you don't follow up
The difference between desperate and persistent

(00:24:54) The Statistics That Should Wake You Up

80% of B2B deals require at least five follow-ups to close
44% of sellers stop after just one attempt
McKinsey data: 74.6% of B2B sales take four or more months

(00:33:35) What You're Doing Wrong with Follow-Ups

Why "just checking in" makes you look insecure
The problem with "bumping this to the top of your inbox"
How vague questions put the burden on your prospect

(00:37:54) The Three-Part Formula That Actually Works

Relevance: Reference something specific from your conversation
Add Value: Share something new that helps them
Clear Next Step: End with a yes-or-no question

(00:43:34) Cadence and Timing for Your Follow-Up Strategy

Initial phase: touchpoint every five to seven days
Long-term: five to seven total touches over 90-180 days
When to speed up and when to space out

(00:46:56) The Kill Email That Always Gets a Response

The email that works nine times out of ten
Why giving them an easy out creates urgency
How removing pressure gets people to finally respond

This episode is brought to you by:

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