Re-engage old inbound leads
Everyone who asked for a demo or downloaded something in the last 18 months and never became a deal. Some are still there, some came back this week, and a few now have the budget they lacked. Find those.
The conversation
Sample accounts and numbers, for illustrationYouTake every inbound lead from the last 18 months that never became an opportunity, check whether the person is still at the company and whether the person or the company has shown a signal in the last 30 days, such as coming back to our site, a new role, hiring or funding, rank them by the signal, and draft a note for each that refers to what they asked for the first time and what has changed since.
Unify3 checks · CRM, job changes and signals
- Collected inbound leads in HubSpot from the last 18 months with no opportunity, with source, first request and disposition, and removed opt-outs and customers.
- Checked each person for a job change and, where they moved, matched the new company to the ICP.
- Read return visits by person and account, and hiring, funding and leadership changes at each company, for the last 30 days.
Two thousand one hundred and forty unconverted leads from the last 18 months. Three hundred and ten people have changed jobs. Ninety-six leads showed a signal in the last 30 days, and those are ranked.
- 2,140
- unconverted leads 18 months
- 310
- changed jobs 92 to ICP companies
- 96
- with a signal now
- 38
- came back to the site last 30 days
- 1Came back to the site38 leads
- 2New role at an ICP company27 leads
- 3Hiring in their department19 leads
- 4Funding or a new leader12 leads
The first request is read from the form or the download that created the lead. A signal is a reason to write now; it is not evidence the lead is ready.
YouShow me the top ones with what they asked for and what changed.
UnifyThe strongest are people who asked a specific question the first time and came back to the same subject. Each row pairs the first request with the change.
| Lead | First request | When | Still there | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Holt · Merridian Systems | Demo request: Salesforce sync | 14 months ago | Yes | Read the integrations page twice this week |
| Nils Berg · Brightpath | Pricing guide download | 9 months ago | Moved to Fernhill Home, Head of CX | New role; Fernhill fits the ICP |
| Elena Marsh · Northwind Labs | Webinar: routing playbook | 11 months ago | Yes | Four support roles posted; Series B in August |
| Tom Ekwe · Lumen Freight | Contact form: territory question | 16 months ago | Yes | Visited the pricing page on Monday |
- What the first request tells you
- Dana asked about the Salesforce sync and came back to integrations. The note can pick up that exact thread; it does not need to reintroduce the product.
- Movers
- Nils downloaded the pricing guide at Brightpath and is now Head of CX at Fernhill Home, which fits the ICP. The note goes to Nils at Fernhill, with the guide as the shared history.
YouOf the 38 who came back to the site this month, what did they read?
UnifyMost came back to the page closest to their first request. Pricing leads, and eleven returned to integrations, which is the subject they first asked about.
- 1Pricing and plan comparison16 leads
- 2Integrations11 leads
- 3Comparison pages7 leads
- 4Security and docs4 leads
A return visit counts only where the visitor is identified as the lead or as the lead’s company. The pages stay with the rep as context; the note opens on the first request.
YouWhich of the 310 who changed jobs are now at a company that fits our ICP?
UnifyNinety-two moved to a company that fits, and 27 of those also show a signal now. The other 218 moved outside the ICP, so their old company keeps the record.
Downloaded the pricing guide at Brightpath. Now Head of CX at a 300-person retailer that fits.
Attended the routing webinar as a manager. Now Director of Support, with budget.
The lead is closed as moved, and the likely successor in the same role is added where one can be verified through Wiza.
YouDraft the notes for the 96 and keep the rest on watch.
UnifyNinety-six drafts are in review, each opening on the first request and the change. The other 2,044 stay on watch and surface when a signal arrives.
- Day 1Email
The Salesforce sync
Dana, you asked us about the Salesforce sync a while back and the timing was not right. The sync has changed since then: it now writes activity and enrichment back to the account and contact, not just the lead. If the question is still open, would a ten-minute look at what it does now be useful?
- Day 6Email
Only if no reply: one paragraph on what a similar team did with the sync, and the same question.
- Dana Holt · Merridian SystemsOwner AnaIn review
- Nils Berg · Fernhill HomeOwner ChrisIn review
- Elena Marsh · Northwind LabsOwner SamIn review
Set up
- Ninety-six drafts held for review Each refers to the first request, names the change, and asks one question. Nothing goes out on a nurture schedule.
- Movers rerouted Ninety-two leads who moved to ICP companies are written to at the new company, and the old company keeps a record with the likely successor.
- The rest on watch The remaining 2,044 leads are checked weekly for a return visit, a new role, hiring or funding, and surface with a draft when one arrives.
The first request and the change are facts from the CRM and the signals. Whether the question is still open is what the email asks.
Old inbound, with and without Unify
The lead database is full of people who once raised their hand. Most were never called, and some are ready now.
| Without Unify | With Unify |
|---|---|
| Old leads get a quarterly nurture email that opens with the product and reads like a newsletter | Every unconverted lead is checked for a job change, and the ones who left are found at their new company |
| Nobody checks whether the person still works there, so a third of the sends bounce | Old leads are watched for signals: a return visit, a new role, hiring or funding at the company |
| A lead comes back to the pricing page and nothing happens, because they were marked unqualified a year ago | The ones showing a signal now are ranked and written to this week, not on the nurture schedule |
| The first note ignores what they asked for the first time | The note refers to what they asked for the first time and to what has changed since |
Start from this prompt
Make it your own in Unify, then review the results.
Take every inbound lead from the last 18 months that never became an opportunity, check whether the person is still at the company and whether the person or the company has shown a signal in the last 30 days, such as coming back to our site, a new role, hiring or funding, rank them by the signal, and draft a note for each that refers to what they asked for the first time and what has changed since.
What else you can ask for
The walkthrough is one path through this workflow. These are the turns people take most often.
- Came back this monthWhich unconverted leads from the last 18 months visited our site this month, and what did they read?Try in Unify
- Moved companiesWhich old inbound leads have changed jobs since they came in, where are they now, and does the new company fit our ICP?Try in Unify
- One sourceTake the leads from last year's conference that never converted, check who is still in role, and rank them by what has changed at their company.Try in Unify
How it changes by who you sell to
- Software
- Software inbound is high volume and half of it was never worked. Ask Unify to take every unconverted lead from the last 18 months, check whether they came back to the site this month, and write to the ones who did about what they read.
- Financial services
- Bank and insurer leads take a year to mature. Ask Unify to check which old leads now have a new role, a new leader above them or a budget cycle starting, and to open on that rather than on the old download.
- Healthcare
- Health-tech leads often came from a conference and went nowhere. Ask Unify to find which of them are still in role, which departments are hiring now, and to write about the department rather than the booth.
- Retail and e-commerce
- Retail leads arrive before peak season and go quiet after it. Ask Unify to find last season's unconverted leads that grew or added a channel since, and to write before this season's planning starts.
- Professional services
- Firm leads come from partners who asked a question and then got busy. Ask Unify to check who is still there, which firms opened an office or a practice since, and to pick up the question they asked.
Next in relationships and reactivation
+6Dormant pipelineCatch dormant pipeline heating upOpen deals that went quiet are not dead. When the account comes back to your site, hires, raises or adds a stakeholder, the deal is warm again and nobody is looking. Catch it the day it happens.
RelationshipsFind a warm introductionStart from the accounts showing intent this month, find the ones where someone on the team already knows the buyer, and spend the favor where it is likely to land.
+3Bad-timing repliesFollow up on 'not now' repliesSomeone said 'not now' six months ago. Find what changed at their company since, and write to that rather than to the old thread.
Connect what this workflow uses
Each guide covers the connection, what Unify reads and writes, and what to check before the first run.
- Connect SalesforceAuthorize Salesforce in Unify, configure CRM field mappings, and choose when to enable writing.
- Connect HubSpotConnect HubSpot to Unify, map Company and Person fields, and plan CRM exclusions and supported write-back.
- Connect GmailConnect Gmail to Unify for sequence emails and replies.
- Connect OutlookConnect Microsoft Outlook directly to Unify.
Questions about this workflow
Which leads are included?
Any inbound lead from the last 18 months with no opportunity created, whatever the disposition: unqualified, no response, nurture or never worked. Opted-out leads and current customers are excluded.
What if the person has left?
The job-change check finds where they went. If the new company fits the ICP, the lead is written to there, with the old request as context. The old company stays on the list with the likely successor.
Why not send to all of them?
Because most have no reason to answer this week. Ranking by a signal in the last 30 days means the note can say why now, and the rest of the list is watched until something changes.
How is this different from following up on bad-timing replies?
That page starts from people who replied to outbound and said not now. This one starts from people who came to you, were never converted, and may never have been contacted at all.