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Win back old leads with a gentle email series
A short, automated email series that reconnects with past enquiries who never bought, offering something useful rather than pestering.
When to use it
Set up once, then add old leads every quarter
Step by step
Gather leads who said yes to emails
From your sheet or inbox, list past enquiries from the last year or so who agreed to hear from you. Leave out anyone who asked not to be contacted.
Import and tag them in Mailchimp
Import the list into Mailchimp as a CSV saved from Google Sheets, and give them a tag such as 'Old lead 2026'.
Write the series with AI
Paste this prompt into your AI assistant.
Prompt to copyWrite a 3-email re-engagement series for people who enquired about [service] in the last year but didn't buy. My business: [one line]. What's new since then: [new offer, prices, results]. Email 1 (day 0): friendly 'thought you might find this useful' with one genuine tip. Email 2 (day 7): a short client story with a result, no names. Email 3 (day 14): a simple invitation to [book a call / special offer until date], with an easy 'not interested' link. Each under 120 words with 2 subject line options. British English, warm, no pressure.Build the automation
In Mailchimp, create an automated journey (Customer Journeys, if your plan includes it) that starts when the tag is added, then sends the three emails with waits of 7 days between them. On a free plan, schedule them as three regular campaigns to that tag.
Handle replies personally
Reply to anyone who responds yourself and move them into your sales tracker.
What you get
Email 1 subject: A quick tip for your spring garden. 'Hi Laura, you asked about patio cleaning last year, so here's a trick: a stiff brush and warm soapy water clears most algae before you need a pressure washer...' Results after 3 weeks: 64 sent, 31 opened, 5 replies, 2 calls booked.
Tips
- Only email people who agreed to hear from you; UK and EU rules on marketing emails are strict.
- Remove anyone who doesn't open any of the three emails, to keep your list healthy.