Automating client follow-ups without a costly CRM

Requests arrive through the website, by email, on Instagram and by phone. Each one needs a reply, then a follow-up if the person goes quiet. Without a reminder, you follow up when you think of it, which means too late or never.

A prospect who does not reply has not necessarily said no: they were often busy with something else. A short follow-up at the right time is enough to restart the conversation. That is exactly what an automation does, without forgetting anyone.

• 01On request: a personalised acknowledgement that restates the need and gives a reply time.
• 02Day 2, no meeting booked: a short follow-up, one question ("any question about your project?") and one simple action, reply with two time slots.
• 03Day 7: a concrete example (a project, a page about their sector), then the request moves to a monthly follow-up.
• 04Quote sent: a reminder at day 3, another at day 10, and at day 21 a message that closes the file and asks, in one line, what got in the way.
• 05Project delivered: at day 7, a request for a review and a testimonial; later, a maintenance offer and a referral request.

• 01A database: the list of requests with their status (new, call booked, quote sent, won, lost). A Google Sheets spreadsheet is enough to start; a database takes over as volume grows.
• 02A sending service: Brevo, for instance, sends emails from your own address, with an unsubscribe link. Its free plan allows 300 emails a day at the time of writing.
• 03A clock: Google Apps Script (free with a Google account), n8n or Make. Every hour, it checks which requests need a follow-up and triggers the email.

• 01A follow-up stops as soon as the person replies or the status changes: nothing is worse than an automatic reminder after a call.
• 02Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing is honoured immediately.
• 03Your domain is authenticated (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) before the first send; otherwise your messages land in spam.
• 04Emails go out on working days, in daytime, as if you were writing them yourself.
• 05Each step has a window: a request caught up late never receives three messages at once.

• 01The context in one sentence: the request or quote concerned.
• 02A single question, easy to answer.
• 03A single action: reply to the email, with time slots if needed.
• 04A signature with your name: a follow-up reads better when it comes from a person.
• 05No pressure: the last message leaves the door open.

With a spreadsheet, Brevo and a few dozen lines of Google Apps Script, an organisation comfortable with these tools can build this sequence itself. It is the system running on ylnstudio.com: every request gets an acknowledgement, then follow-ups at day 2 and day 7 as long as nothing has moved.

If you would rather hand it over, YLN Studio's System stage sets up a CRM connected to your forms, automated emails (confirmation, follow-up, reminder) and online booking, from €2,400 excl. VAT, delivered in 3–4 weeks. The free 45-minute diagnostic shows what makes you lose requests today.