7 Professional Ways to Follow Up

Following Up After Counter-Proposals: The Art of Professional Persistence

Last week, we explored how to make counter-proposals in business negotiations. This week, let's tackle one of the trickiest aspects of business communication: following up. That is when you re-engage with someone after you do not hear back from them.

The Follow-Up Dilemma

One of the things that I find hard in business is knowing when to follow up, especially by email. Because each situation and each person is different, there cannot be one correct answer.

If you follow up too soon, you may appear 'pushy'. On the other hand, the reason that the person did not reply to you might be that they didn't receive your email or it was stuck in their spam folder.

In some cases, I do not follow up at all. For instance, after years of doing business in Italy, I've learned that if certain contractors don't reply promptly, it's often a warning sign that they might not be reliable to do business with. I've learned not to chase them - sometimes no response is actually valuable information!

7 Professional Ways to Follow Up

1. "I'm touching base about..."

A gentle way to restart the conversation.

2. "I wanted to check in on..."

Shows interest without applying pressure.

3. "Have you had a chance to consider..."

Acknowledges that people need time to review proposals.

4. "I'm following up on our discussion about..."

Direct but professional.

5. "Just circling back regarding..."

A casual but professional way to reconnect.

6. "I'd welcome your thoughts on..."

Invites dialogue and shows openness to discussion.

7. "Shall we schedule a meeting to discuss..."

Moves the conversation forward constructively.

Cultural Considerations in Follow-Up Communications

It can be difficult to know when to follow up with different cultures. In my experience, you can follow up quicker when dealing with people in northern Europe the UK or the USA.

When dealing with people in southern Europe you may have to be more patient.

Timing Your Follow-Up

As previously discussed, this can only be a guide because every situation is different:

• Initial follow-up: 2-4 business days

• Second follow-up: 5-7 business days after first

I very rarely follow up more than two times unless circumstances have changed. For instance:

💡 Quick Tip: Always check if there's an expected response timeline in your initial discussion. If someone says "I'll get back to you next week," wait until two days after that timeframe has passed before following up.

Example email

This is how I would draft a follow up email, as an example that you can use as a template.

Learning from Experience

Over the years, I've developed these personal rules:

1. Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off about the communication pattern, it probably is

2. Document Everything: Keep a record of all follow-ups

3. Add Value: Each follow-up should bring something new to the conversation

4. Be Understanding: Technical issues, busy periods, and personal emergencies happen to everyone

5. Know When to Move On: Sometimes, no response is your answer

Vocabulary: Pushy

Pushy - adjective - trying too hard to persuade someone to do something

How Much is Enough? From Le Negresco to the Mexican Shore

Last week's story about Madame Jeanne Augier at Hotel Le Negresco in Nice reminded me of the story of the Mexican fisherman and the American businessman on holiday.

The Mexican fisherman spent his days in a small coastal village, sleeping late, fishing a little, playing with his kids, taking siestas with his wife, and spending his evenings drinking wine with friends.

One day, a visiting American investment banker saw the fisherman bringing in his small catch and asked why he didn't stay out longer to catch more fish.

"This is enough to support my family's needs," the fisherman explained.

The banker, seeing an opportunity, enthusiastically outlined a business plan: "You could get a bigger boat, catch more fish, then buy several boats, eventually creating a large fishing fleet. Then you could build a processing plant. After 15-20 years, you could sell the company for millions and retire!"

"Then what?" asked the fisherman.

"Then you could retire to a small coastal village, sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandkids, take siestas with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking wine with friends."

The fisherman smiled and replied, "But that's exactly what I'm doing now."

We could say that the Mexican fisherman was running what we call a "lifestyle business" - and so it was with Madame Augier. She lived in a suite on the top floor of her luxury hotel. She thought of the staff as her family. Sometimes she would come down to dine in her Michelin-starred restaurant with guests.

How would her life have improved if she had either expanded her portfolio with other hotels or sold her hotel to the highest bidder? If she had sold, she would have probably still wanted to live in a suite in a luxury hotel and dine in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Perhaps Le Negresco was the ultimate lifestyle business.

For both the Mexican fisherman and Madame Augier, the question wasn't "How big can this become?" but rather "What makes a life well-lived?" Their stories remind us that sometimes, having "enough" is the ultimate luxury.

Arguably, Le Negresco has become too big to be considered a lifestyle business. However, I still like the term because of the principles Madame Augier used to run the business.

Can you think of a business that you could start and run to align with your ideal lifestyle? Or perhaps, you already have one?

Expression of the Day: Lifestyle business

Lifestyle - noun - someone’s way of living, for example, the things they do, where they live, what they spend their money on etc.

Lifestyle Business

Lifestyle business - a business set up and run by its founders with the primary aim of living or maintaining a certain lifestyle.

What is a Lifestyle Business?

A lifestyle business is an enterprise run primarily to maintain a particular level of income and personal satisfaction, rather than to maximize revenue or scale rapidly. It's designed to sustain the owner's preferred way of life while providing meaningful work and sufficient income. Unlike growth-focused businesses that aim for constant expansion, lifestyle businesses prioritise work-life balance, personal fulfilment, and maintaining control over one's time and decisions.

Do you have any Business English Questions?

Please email me and I will do my best to answer them in future newsletters.

Until next Wednesday - have a great week!

Iain.

www.communicateenglish.com