Reactivate

The Re-Approach Template

“Just checking in” is a message with no reason to reply. A re-approach built from the deal's own history, what they wanted, why it stalled, what has changed, gives the person an actual reason to come back.

The cost of not having one

When a dead lead does get a message, it is almost always “just following up” or “checking in”. It carries no information, no reason, and no relevance, so it gets ignored, like the three before it. The lead is not cold because they stopped caring, they are cold because nothing you have sent gave them a reason to warm up.

A re-approach written from the record is the opposite. It references the exact thing they were looking at, names the reason it stalled, and points at what has changed since. That is not a nudge, it is a reason, and reasons get replies.

What good looks like

This is the standard. A re-approach that earns a reply:

  • Starts from the record, not a template. It uses what the CRM already knows: the deal, the stall reason, the history.“When we spoke in March, budget was the sticking point.”
  • Names a reason it is landing now. Something has changed, on their side or yours, that makes this worth reopening.A new package, a price change, a new case study, a new quarter.
  • Leads with them, not you. The whole thing is about their situation, not a re-introduction of your company.No “I wanted to reconnect and share what we've been up to”.
  • Asks for the easiest yes. A low-commitment question, not a request for their time.“Worth a fresh look?”, not “can we book a call?”.
  • Is short and human. A few lines that sound like a person remembering a real conversation.Three or four sentences, no template smell.

The test: the person reading it could tell, in one line, that you actually remember their specific situation, not that you found their name on a list.

What it looks like in practice

Here are worked re-approaches by stall reason. Notice each one opens on their situation, names why it stalled, and gives a reason it is landing now.

The record saysThe re-approach
Stalled on price in Q1“Hi Sam, when we spoke in the spring, price was the sticking point. We've since put together a lighter package that might fit better, want me to send it over?”
Went quiet after a proposal“Hi Sam, you went a bit quiet after the proposal, no problem at all. Has this dropped off the priority list, or is it still something you're weighing up?”
Wrong timing last year“Hi Sam, this time last year the timing wasn't right. New year, new budgets, is it worth a fresh look now?”
Lost to a competitor“Hi Sam, I know you went another way last time, totally fair. Now you're a few months in, how's it landing? Happy to be a useful second opinion.”

Three questions to sharpen yours:

  • Pick a dead lead. Without a template, can you write one true sentence about their specific situation? That sentence is your opener.
  • What has changed since the deal stalled, on your side or theirs, that gives a real reason to reach out?
  • Read your last re-approach. Could it have been sent to anyone? If so, it is checking in, not re-approaching.

Build it faster with AI

Short on time? Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI assistant. It will interview you and produce a first draft. Treat it as a draft, and only that. A model cannot weigh the nuances of how your business actually sells, and it cannot install the process into your CRM or run it for you. But it is a fast way to a solid first version.

The prompt
You are a B2B sales expert. Help me write a re-approach to a dead lead, built from the record, not a generic “just checking in”.

First, ask me these one at a time, and wait for each answer:
1. What do you sell, and what is a typical deal worth?
2. Tell me about one dead lead: who they were, what they wanted, and why the deal stalled.
3. What has changed since, on your side or theirs, that gives a real reason to reach back out?

Then, using my answers, produce:
- A short re-approach message that opens on their specific situation, names why it stalled, and points at what has changed
- An easy-yes ask: a flicker of interest, not a request for their time
- Two alternative openers in case the first does not land
- A one-line rule I can reuse to write these from the record for any dead lead

Keep it short and human. No “just checking in”, no “I wanted to reconnect”. Do not pad it.
The shortcut

Writing one good re-approach is easy, and the worked examples above show you how. Writing a different, genuine one for every dead lead in your CRM, drawn from each record, then sending them and handling the replies, is a different job entirely, which is why it never gets done. We write the re-approach from each record, send it in your name, and work the replies to booked meetings, so “just checking in” is never sent again.

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