At Tricle AI, we analyzed 10,000 follow-up interactions to find what actually works.
The finding? You're hunting in the wrong place.
The Data That Changes Everything
Reply rates by contact type:
Cold contacts (never spoken): 2%
Previously engaged contacts (went cold): 15-25%
Contacts who already know you respond 10x better than strangers.
"Previously engaged" means they took a demo, replied once, got to pricing, downloaded content, met you at a conference, or changed jobs and dropped off.
Why the gap?
Cold contacts don't know you, don't understand your solution, and get hit by 50 vendors daily.
Previously engaged contacts already know you, understand what you solve, showed interest once, and have context. Timing was wrong, not fit.
The Math Nobody Runs
Your CRM has 1,500-4,000 contacts who engaged once and disappeared.
Chase 2,000 cold contacts:
2% reply = 40 conversations
Result: 0-1 deals
Re-engage 2,000 warm contacts:
20% reply = 400 conversations
Result: 15-30 deals
Same effort. 15-30x more revenue.
Why Nobody Does This
Three problems:
No memory. You can't remember 2,000 conversations. Tricle reads every email and CRM note, pulls context automatically.
No triggers. "It's been 2 weeks" gets 8% replies. "They just hired" gets 24%. Monitoring signals manually is impossible. Tricle watches job changes, funding, hiring, seasonal triggers—surfaces contacts when timing is right.
No capacity. 2,000 contacts × 18 minutes each = 600 hours. Tricle handles research, drafting, and follow-up. You review high-value ones, approve, done.
What Actually Works
Persistence. Most reps quit after 1-2 attempts. Follow-up #6 (breakup email: "Should I close your file?") gets 2x the replies. You need 5-7 touches.
Signals over calendars. Calendar-based check-ins: 8% replies. Signal-based (hiring, funding, job changes): 24% replies.
Context over research. Mentioning company name adds nothing. Referencing your actual conversation - what they cared about, why they didn't buy - gets replies.
Tricle generates: "Hey Sarah - Last time we talked, budget was frozen until Q1. Saw you just posted for 3 sales roles. Still dealing with manual follow-ups?"
How Tricle Works
Score every contact by re-engagement potential
Monitor triggers (job changes, funding, seasonal cycles)
Draft contextual messages referencing previous conversations
Run 5-7 touch sequences with breakup email at #6
All automated. All personalized. All in your voice.
Real Results
First 30 days:
40-80 conversations from dormant contacts
8-15 meetings booked
2-5 deals back in pipeline
One customer: "We closed more from re-engaged contacts in Q1 than all our cold outreach in Q4."
Start Manual
Not ready for Tricle? Do this:
Pull 20 contacts who went cold (60-90 days)
Find signals—job changes, company news
Draft messages referencing original conversation + signal
Send 5-7 touches, 4-5 days apart, breakup at #6
Get 3-4 responses? The model works. Now scale it with Tricle.
Bottom Line
Cold: 2%. Warm: 15-25%.
Stop chasing strangers. Start converting relationships you already paid to acquire.
