What is Follow-up Rate?
Follow-up Rate is the percentage of prospects who received additional touchpoints after the initial outreach.
Formula:
Follow-up Rate = (Number of Leads Contacted More Than Once ÷ Total Leads Contacted) × 100
Example: Out of 100 new leads contacted, 65 received follow-up messages. Your follow-up rate is 65%.
Touchpoints can include:
- Follow-up emails
- Phone calls
- LinkedIn messages
- Calendar nudges or replies to previous threads
Why It Matters in B2B SaaS
- It reflects sales discipline. Most leads don’t convert on the first try—follow-up is where real selling begins.
- It boosts conversion rates. Studies show it takes 6–8 touches to engage most B2B buyers.
- It improves lead ROI. You’ve already paid to acquire the lead—don’t let it go cold due to inaction.
- It enables rep coaching. Low follow-up rates can flag process gaps or discomfort with objection handling.
- It strengthens pipeline creation. Persistent follow-up ensures no viable lead is left behind.
How to Measure Follow-up Rate
- Identify all first-contact leads within a timeframe (e.g., new MQLs this month)
- Count how many received additional outreach beyond the initial touch
- Calculate the percentage using the formula above
- Optionally break down by:
- Rep or team
- Channel (email, call, LinkedIn)
- Lead source or campaign
Best Practices
- Use a multi-touch cadence. Mix email, calls, and social touches across 5–8 steps
- Automate cadences where possible. Sales engagement tools like Outreach and Salesloft help maintain consistency
- Measure reply and conversion rates. Follow-up is only valuable if it drives engagement
- Audit drop-off points. Where are reps stopping? After step 2? Step 4? Address why
- Reinforce in coaching. Use shadowing and recordings to train reps on high-impact follow-up language