Professional Email Phrases for Client Check-Ins

“Just checking in” is sales Latin for “I have nothing valuable to say.” It’s the default move when a buyer goes dark. But come on, folks...those emails are easy to ignore. Why? Because they’re forgettable. They don’t re-ignite the conversation. They add zero value. They just show you’re still around. For the love of Jebus, stop checking in. Start resurfacing tension. Here’s a better approach: 1. Recap their problem in their language. “You mentioned routing inefficiencies are costing the district 10+ hours a week and delaying parent notifications - is that still a challenge?” When you anchor to their words, you cut through the noise. 2. Tie back to impact - not features. Don’t remind them how slick your product is. Remind them what happens if they don’t act. “When we spoke, this was a Q2 priority. If that’s changed, no worries - but I’d love to understand what’s shifted.” Give them an exit (without slamming the door) “If now’s not the right time, totally get it. I’ll be here when it makes sense to reengage.” It’s respectful. It’s professional. It keeps your positioning intact. 3. If you really want to test for engagement, switch channels: - Text. - LinkedIn DM. - Light Slack ping (if you’ve already earned that access). - And if you’ve earned the right? Nudge a peer or adjacent stakeholder: “Hey [Manager], I’ve been working with [Name] — haven’t been able to connect recently. Not sure if priorities have shifted, but happy to share what we’ve covered if helpful.” Not every deal dies because of disinterest. Sometimes your champion just got buried. But you’ll never know if you’re only “just checking in.”

The phrases “I’m just checking in” and “I’m just following up” are common among salespeople. They’re also ineffective and may even hurt your sales efforts.  When prospects hear these phrases, they immediately sense an accountability push which may not align with their level of commitment. They think you’re about to try to hold them to something, they’re not sure what it is, and they’re immediately on guard. Instead of using these generic phrases, dive straight into the purpose of your follow-up. For example, rather than saying “I’m just following up to see if you received the proposal,” pivot to “Now that you’ve had the proposal for a few days, would it make sense to discuss next steps?” For instance, compare “I’m just checking in to see if you need anything” with “I’m just following up from our meeting last week. You asked me to send you a proposal, and I haven’t heard anything back from you or the team and was wondering if I could answer any questions for you. Give me a call at …” If that’s all you knew to do and you did that, then it’s certainly better than nothing. In some cases in which the buyer really needs what you are offering, you really did a good job at building rapport, your price was really good, and the other bidders dropped the ball or were weak, this type of message may work. However, it could be better. You don’t have to count on all those things to go right for your pitch to work. Consider this option: “Now that you’ve had the proposal for a few days, would it make sense for us to discuss next steps? I know you have your third quarter meeting next month, and if we act now, I’m certain I can help your team grow your revenue numbers before the end of the reporting period. I’m working from home today, so it will be easier for us to connect today: 555-555-5555.” If you sent something to someone, don’t check in to ask if they received it. Move forward on the belief they did get it and reintroduce them to their problem. This not only saves time but also keeps the momentum in your sales process. This approach reminds the prospect there’s something they need to solve and creates a sense of urgency. By addressing their specific needs—improving quarterly revenue numbers and providing a time frame—you position yourself as a valuable partner rather than an intrusive salesperson. A follow-up should never feel like an obligation—it should feel like an opportunity for your prospect to solve their challenges. My sales training program offers you the language and tools to make every follow-up meaningful. You’ll learn to create urgency while keeping the conversation centered on their needs. Use the time to highlight how your solution addresses their challenges or aligns with their goals. A personalized touch will make your follow-up stand out, building trust and rapport.

Something I've learned in the past year as a solopreneur supporting small agencies and in-house content teams: They're busy as hell and don't always know what help they need. That doesn't mean they don't need your help. If you have an established relationship with a current or potential client, don't be afraid to send that monthly check-in email. Remind them of your availability. Ask how that project is going. Offer your services if they could be useful. I regularly send these emails to my recurring clients. I don't hear back on each one, but I don't sweat it, because sometimes I hear: "Thanks for writing, it's been on my to-do list to reach out to you about a new project." "I've been meaning to set up a call about something I'd love you to work on, what's your avail this week?" "I don't have anything at the moment, but you're reminding me that I might have a referral for you!" Here's a template you can swipe: --- Hi [CLIENT], hope you're doing well. How's it going with [THE PROJECT/PROBLEM/COOL THING THEY'VE MENTIONED]? I have some availability [SPECIFIC TIMEFRAME] for new projects, so wanted to check if there's anything I could take off your plate or help with. You mentioned your archived blog content [INSERT SOMETHING THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT NEEDING HELP WITH IN THE PAST] the last time we spoke. I recently helped another client run an audit [TELL THEM HOW YOU CAN SPECIFICALLY HELP] to determine what older content to keep and how to udpate it, so I've got a great system for that now. Talk soon, [YOUR NAME, OR THE NAME OF THE CYBORG WRITING FOR YOU] --- There's no hard sell, and no expectation of a reply. I find that sending emails like this every month, or maybe every other month depending on the response rate, is not too intrusive and gives clients just the right nudge to respond if they do have work for you.

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

Do not make this follow up email mistake if you actually want people to reply. Stop using language that apologizes for your existence while pretending to be polite. If your email opens with any of these, you already lost. ❌ "Hope you’re having a great week!” ❌ "How have you been?" Those are not well wishes or curiosity-driven questions. They are update requests wearing a Hallmark mask. If you genuinely want to wish someone well, do it without tying it to your sales agenda. Once you attach it to a follow up, it stops being kind and starts being transparent...in a bad way. Now let us talk about the holy trinity of weak follow ups. ❌ "Just circling back around..." ❌ "Just touching base..." ❌ "Just checking in..." Cars circle back. Baseball players touch base. Parents check in. You are none of those things. You are a professional asking another professional for an update you already agreed on. The word “just” is doing all the work of shrinking you so you do not have to be direct. That is not polite. That is scared. Here is what direct and human actually sounds like. “𝘏𝘪 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?” Clear. Respectful. No groveling. No verbal bubble wrap. - I'm Steve. I write unapologetic content about sales, marketing, business ideas that work, and the parts of my life that taught me the hard way. Click Follow if you prefer clarity over comfort. - Check out the comments for the follow-up line that makes me vomit.

Sales reps email "just checking in" an average of 5 times per day. Does this work?  Rarely. The habit of saying "just checking in" negatively impacts your sales efforts: ⇒ It doesn't add any value to the conversation. ⇒ It can come across as lazy or insincere. ⇒ By using this phrase, you miss opportunities to engage meaningfully. Here are 10 tips to stop saying "just checking in" and do something else instead: 1. Provide Value:  Instead of "just checking in," offer a useful piece of advice or a relevant resource. For example, "I came across this article that might help with your current project." 2. Ask Specific Questions:  Directly ask for the information you need. For example, "Can you update me on the status of the proposal we discussed?" 3. Share a Success Story:  Highlight a recent success that relates to the prospect's industry. For example, "We recently helped a company similar to yours achieve X. Would you like to hear more about it?" 4. Offer a New Insight:  Share a new piece of information or a market trend. For example, "I wanted to share some recent data on how companies in your sector are handling Y." 5. Suggest a Next Step:  Propose a clear next action. For example, "How about we schedule a call next week to discuss this further?" 6. Follow Up on a Previous Conversation:  Reference a specific point from your last interaction. For example, "Last time we spoke, you mentioned interest in Z. I have some additional information that might be useful." 7. Invite to an Event:  Offer an invitation to a webinar or industry event. For example, "We’re hosting a webinar on [topic] next week. Would you be interested in joining?" 8. Highlight a New Feature:  Inform them about a new feature or update. For example, "We’ve just launched a new feature that could benefit your team. Would you like a demo?" 9. Ask for Feedback:  Request their opinion on something specific. For example, "I’d love to get your feedback on our latest product update." 10. Express Genuine Interest:  Show that you care about their progress. For example, "How are things going with your current project? Is there anything I can assist with?" By replacing "just checking in" with these strategies,  you can make your follow-ups more engaging and valuable. This ultimately leads to better responses and stronger relationships. ♻️ Share this cheat sheet to help more sales reps improve their follow-up game. ______ 📌 p.s. FREE GIFT: If you’re looking to streamline sales plays across your sales team, you can click here: https://www.distribute.so/

Here's 10 ways that you can "check in" with Prospects without coming across like a needy, commission-breath desperado Simple, yet effective. 1. Did they do what they said they were going to do? ↳"When we last connected, you said you were going to do X, how much progress have you made? 2. Did you do what you said you were going to do? ↳ "I said I would do Y, here's what I've achieved so far" 3. New info about their company ↳ "The new partnership with Accenture looks promising. How much does that impact your project about X?" 4. New info about your company ↳ "Just a heads up, we have just released our updated roadmap for Q4, here's a link to share any additional feature requests" 5. Peer connection ↳"Thought you'd find it useful to know that another financial services company I met with is also thinking about changing Y" 6. Change of circumstances  ↳"The Intl office has decided to pause on the pilot. How do you think this will impact our project?" 7. Industry change - relevant ↳"The recent petition for X change is gaining momentum. Considering our convo last week, this could mean stronger grounds for your initiative - here's the link to the update" 8. Useful insight  ↳"Hearing this for the 5th time this week. CFO's are asking for XYZ during these solution reviews - it may make sense for us to get ahead of this" 9. Relevant personal info ↳"Between us, I'm exploring a promotion to a new team. We've made great progress this year so I've started a continuation and handover plan - can we get on a 15 minute call?" 10. Impromptu meeting ↳"As luck would have it, I'm now going to be in Austin for an extra day - lunch on me?" What else would you add? Stop doing pointless check-ins. Be intentional. — Enjoyed this? ♻️ Feel free to repost it to your network Join 2000+ revenue leaders in my Symbiotic Sale weekly newsletter (check link in the comments)

Your network isn’t built by how many emails you send. It’s built by how you write them.📤 A lot of professionals believe networking means sending more messages, more follow-ups, more introductions. But volume isn’t the problem. The real difference is communication quality. I’ve seen two common mistakes in professional emails: • People who sound overly apologetic • People who sound demanding and pushy Both damage credibility. Strong professionals do something different. They write emails that are clear, purposeful, and respectful of time. Every email you send is silently doing three things: → Showing how credible you are → Showing whether you value the other person’s time → Moving decisions forward… or slowing them down And most of the time, weak wording is what breaks it. Here are a few small shifts that instantly change how people perceive you: ❌ “Sorry for the long email…” ✅ “Here’s a quick summary with the key points and next steps.” ❌ “Just checking if you saw this.” ✅ “Following up so we can move forward with the next step.” ❌ “Whenever you have time…” ✅ “It would help to close this by [date] so we stay on schedule.” ❌ “I’ll try to finish it soon.” ✅ “You’ll have the completed version by [date/time].” ❌ “Not sure if this is useful…” ✅ “This supports our objective by doing the following.” ❌ “Does that make sense?” ✅ “Let me know if you need more detail on any part.” ❌ “I was wondering if maybe…” ✅ “Could you confirm this by [date] so we can proceed?” ❌ “I don’t want to take too much of your time…” ✅ “Here’s the division: I’ll handle X, and I’ll need your support on Y.” ❌ “Let me know what you think.” ✅ “Before moving forward, I’d like to confirm we’re aligned.” ❌ “Hope you’re doing well.” ✅ “Reaching out because this directly impacts [project/outcome].” The pattern is simple: Weak emails → vague, hesitant, easy to ignore Strong emails → clear, confident, easy to act on And that difference compounds over time. Because real professional networks aren’t built on constant outreach. They’re built on communication that people respect, trust, and respond to. One well-written email can open more doors than ten forgettable ones. Quick question: What’s one email habit you think might be weakening your professional credibility? Match your right job here: https://lnkd.in/gtUuBt8d

The 5 Follow-Up Messages That Don’t Make You Cringe Most follow-ups sound like: "Just checking in!" (a.k.a. "Please reply so I can close the deal.") That’s why they get ignored. Instead, try these five natural, non-pushy approaches that keep you top of mind—without the awkwardness. 1. The Value-Add Move Nobody likes a follow-up that’s just a nudge. Offer something useful instead—an article, a tip, a case study, or a relevant update. 👉 "Hey [Name], saw this [article/resource] and thought of you. It covers [specific insight]—figured it might be helpful!" Now you’re adding value, not just asking for a response. 2. The Quick Update Got a new feature, a client success story, or limited availability? That’s a perfect excuse to check in naturally. 👉 "Hey [Name], just wanted to share some exciting news—[brief update]. Thought it might be relevant, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!" 3. The Soft Reminder People get busy. A gentle nudge brings the convo back without pressure. 👉 "Hey [Name], I know your schedule is packed, so I just wanted to follow up and see if this is still on your radar. No rush—happy to chat whenever it works for you!" Simple. Respectful. No guilt-tripping. 4. The Social Media Play Engage with their content before sliding into their inbox. A comment, a share, or a quick DM on LinkedIn makes your follow-up feel more natural. 👉 If they post a recent win, congratulate them: "Love seeing this, [Name]! Huge milestone!" Later, when you follow up, it’s just a continuation—not a cold check-in. 5. The Easy Exit Sometimes, the best move is to give them an "out" while keeping the door open. 👉 "Hey [Name], I’d love to know if you’re still interested or if now isn’t the right time. No worries either way—just wanted to check in!" This removes the pressure. And funny enough? It often gets replies. 6. The Bottom Line Follow-ups don’t have to be cringe. If you lead with value, keep it casual, and respect their time, you stay on their radar without sounding desperate. (Share if this made you rethink your follow-up game.) ______ ♻️ Repost to share this with your network 💡 Follow Shelby DiMiceli Clement for more personal brand & social media tips! 📌 Download my FREE Personal Branding Playbook: https://lnkd.in/gXRA9d8d