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Lead management
The Lead Follow-Up Process That Converts Enquiries Into Clients
A good process beats a good sales pitch, most of the time
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- Premier Books Consultancy
- Cranleys Chartered Accountants
- CJM Accountants
- Towpath Accounting Solutions
- Auditax International
- RS
Quick answer
A lead follow-up process is a fixed, repeatable sequence of contact points from first enquiry to signed engagement, so conversion doesn't depend on any one person remembering to chase. Most practices lose leads not from a weak pitch but from an inconsistent or absent follow-up schedule. Remindoo's pipeline, reminders and proposal filters, free for 60 days, make the sequence automatic to see and hard to miss.
What is a lead follow-up process and why does it matter?
A follow-up process is a defined sequence of contact — first response, proposal, chase, second chase — applied consistently to every lead, rather than left to individual judgement.
Ask most practices what their follow-up process is and the honest answer is 'we send a proposal and wait'. There's no second contact scheduled, no third, nothing. If the prospect doesn't reply, the lead simply fades, not through a decision to drop it but through nobody deciding to keep it alive.
A defined process fixes this by setting the number and timing of follow-ups in advance, so a quiet prospect gets chased on schedule rather than by chance.
Why weak follow-up costs UK practices clients who wanted to say yes
A limited company enquires after finding a firm through a Google search. The partner has a great initial call, sends a proposal within two days, and hears nothing back. A week passes, then two.
The prospect wasn't uninterested — they were simply busy, meant to reply, and forgot, the way most people do with things that aren't urgent to them. A single follow-up email would very likely have got a reply.
That email never got sent, because there was no rule saying it should be, and the partner assumed silence meant no. Three months later the prospect turns up as a new client of a different firm that happened to follow up.
- Proposal sent
- No response after a few days
- No scheduled follow-up
- Assumed as a 'no'
- Prospect forgotten
- Leak: Signs with a firm that chased
Signs you have this problem
- Proposals go unanswered with no second contact scheduled
- 'Follow up' happens only when someone happens to remember
- You can't say how many days, on average, it takes to hear back after a proposal
- Unsigned proposals from months ago are still sitting there, unchased
- Different partners follow up at wildly different intervals, or not at all
How to build a lead follow-up process: step by step
- 1
Respond to every new enquiry within one working day
Speed of first contact matters more than most firms think when a prospect is comparing options.
- 2
Send the proposal within 48 hours of a qualifying conversation
Momentum from a good call fades fast; don't let it fade before the proposal lands.
- 3
Set a fixed follow-up date at the point you send the proposal
Not 'chase if I remember' — an actual date, three to five working days out.
- 4
Send a short, low-pressure second contact
A one-line check-in rather than a re-pitch is usually enough to prompt a reply.
- 5
Set a second and final follow-up if needed
One more contact a week or so later, then move the lead to a clear 'no response' status rather than leaving it open indefinitely.
- 6
Use proposal filters to see everything unsigned
A weekly look at every open, unsigned proposal catches anything that's slipped past its follow-up date.
- 7
Convert immediately on a signature
Move the lead into onboarding the same day it's signed, while the client is still enthusiastic.
Proposal follow-up email
Send three to five working days after the proposal, when there's been no response.
Copy and adapt
Subject: Checking in on your proposal Hi [Client name], Just checking you received the proposal I sent over on [date] — happy to answer any questions or talk through anything that isn't clear. No pressure at all if you're still deciding or comparing options. If it's useful, I'm free for a quick call this week. Best, [Your name] [Firm name]
How does Remindoo support a consistent follow-up process?
Remindoo keeps proposals and letters of engagement visible with proposal filters, so you can see every unsigned proposal at a glance rather than relying on memory to know who hasn't replied. You can set a reminder to follow up on any unsigned letter, so the second and third contact happen on schedule instead of by chance. Every enquiry sits in the leads pipeline with custom statuses, notes and a timeline, so the whole history of contact with a lead is visible to whoever picks it up next, not just the person who had the first call. Automated reminders for the team mean follow-up dates don't rely on one person's calendar. Once a lead signs, converting them into a client happens without re-keying anything. It's free for 60 days, long enough to run a full follow-up cycle on your current pipeline.
Proposal filters
Find proposals by stage, owner and date.
See featureProposals and letters of engagement
Send proposals and engagement letters by email.
See featureCustom lead statuses and pipelines
Track enquiries through your own stages.
See featureAutomated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureLeads overview
Pipeline, owners and next actions at a glance.
See featureWhat changes when you fix it?
| Area | Spreadsheets, inbox and memory | With Remindoo |
|---|---|---|
| First response | Whenever someone gets to it | Same working day |
| Follow-up after proposal | Only if remembered | Scheduled reminder |
| Visibility on unsigned proposals | None | Proposal filters show every one |
| Second contact | Rarely happens | Built into the process |
| History of contact | Lives with one person | Logged on the lead's timeline |
| Conversion on signature | Manual re-entry | Immediate, no re-keying |
See it working with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your leads, services and deadlines.
How many follow-ups is too many?
Two to three spaced-out, low-pressure contacts after the initial proposal is normal; beyond that, the value of another chase drops sharply and it starts to feel like pressure rather than service.
The tone of a follow-up matters as much as its timing. A short, genuinely helpful check-in reads very differently to a prospect than a pushy 'have you decided yet' message. Keep the wording light and offer help rather than urgency.
- First follow-up: 3-5 working days after the proposal
- Second follow-up: about a week after that, if still no reply
- Final follow-up: a brief note that you'll close the enquiry unless you hear back
“Automation saves time and no follow-up is missed.”
Frequently asked questions
How soon after sending a proposal should I follow up?
Three to five working days is a sensible first checkpoint — long enough to give them time, short enough that the conversation is still fresh.
Does chasing too much put clients off?
Aggressive or frequent chasing can, yes. Two or three well-spaced, low-pressure contacts rarely does.
What should I say in a follow-up if I don't want to sound pushy?
Keep it short, offer to answer questions, and give them an easy way to say not yet. Avoid re-pitching the whole proposal again.
How do I know which proposals still need chasing?
A filtered view of unsigned proposals, checked weekly, is more reliable than trying to remember which ones you've followed up on.
Should the same person always follow up?
Ideally yes, for continuity, but the key is that the history of contact is visible to anyone who needs to step in if that person is away.
What happens if there's still no response after three follow-ups?
Move the lead to a clear 'no response' or 'lost' status rather than leaving it open indefinitely — it keeps your pipeline honest about what's actually live.
Ready to run a calmer practice?
See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Comparing options? Read our guide to best crm for accounting firms.
Last updated: . General guidance, not regulatory advice.
Why tracking leads and proposals matters
Every enquiry a practice fails to follow up is lost fee income. A clear pipeline shows which prospects need a reply, a proposal or a follow-up.
Faster replies
Prospects often contact more than one firm, so the firm that replies first and clearly has an advantage.
Consistent proposals
Templates and a services catalogue keep scope and pricing consistent whoever writes the proposal.
Signed terms from day one
E-signed engagement letters confirm scope and responsibilities before work begins.
No re-keying
Converting a won lead into a client keeps the details you already collected.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Reply to every new enquiry within one working day.
- Use lead statuses that match your real sales stages, and review them weekly.
- Send the engagement letter with the proposal so the client signs once.
- Record why lost leads were lost, to improve pricing and messaging.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
