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- Playbook: Revive closed-lost deals and cold leads
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Your cheapest pipeline is already in your CRM: deals you lost on timing, and leads that went quiet.
Best for: any team with a CRM history · Plan: any (email needs a plan with a mailbox, such as Multichannel) · Setup time: about 30 minutes
Why it works#
- Most "no" answers are really "not now": budget, timing, priorities.
- Things change in 3–6 months: new budget, a new leader, a failed alternative.
- They already know you, so there's no cold-start trust problem.
1. Build three lists#
| List | Who | Wait before reaching out |
|---|---|---|
| Closed-lost: timing/budget | Lost deals with reason "timing", "budget" or "no decision" | 90 days after close |
| Closed-lost: competitor | Chose a competitor | 6–9 months (renewal window) |
| Went quiet | Replied or took a meeting, then stopped responding | 60 days |
How to import:
- Export from your CRM with columns: name, email, LinkedIn URL, company,
lost_reason,last_topic,lost_date→ CSV import. Create custom fields for the last three in Settings → Custom fields, then map those columns to them. - Or automatically: when a HubSpot deal moves to closed-lost, send it to a custom trigger that adds it to a "Closed-lost – revive in 90 days" list. A trigger can't fill custom fields, so the copy uses its fallbacks for these people.
Exclude anyone who asked not to be contacted. In Prospects, select them and click Suppress before you enroll the list. Suppressed people are skipped when you enroll. See Do not contact.
2. Sequence#
These people usually have an email in your CRM, so lead with email and use LinkedIn as the second touch.
| # | Step |
|---|---|
| 1 | Visit profile |
| 2 | If / else: has email → continue if not |
| 3 | Email 1: what changed |
| 4 | Delay 5 days |
| 5 | Connection request (short note) |
| 6 | If accepted (wait 5 days) → continue if not |
| 7 | LinkedIn message 2: new proof (only people who accepted) |
| 8 | Delay 7 days |
| 9 | Email 3: the breakup |
Step 2 is optional: people without an email skip the email steps anyway and still get the LinkedIn steps.
Turn on Cancel an invitation if not accepted till (see Settings below). A LinkedIn message waits until the person accepts your invite. Once Prosyo withdraws the invite, the message is skipped and the breakup email still goes out.
On Starter (LinkedIn only), use: visit → connection request → if accepted → message 1 → delay → message 2 → delay → breakup.
Copy#
Email 1: what changed
Subject: Quick update since we last spoke
Hi {{first_name|there}}, it's been a few months since we spoke about {{custom.last_topic|this}} at {{company_name|your team}}.
Since then we've shipped [the thing they were missing / a relevant improvement].
Has anything changed on your side?LinkedIn message 2: new proof
{{first_name|Hi}}, one more thing: [similar company] just got [specific result] with us in [timeframe].
If {{custom.lost_reason|timing}} is still the blocker, no problem. If not, worth a 15-minute catch-up?Email 3: the breakup
Last note from me, {{first_name|there}}. Should I close the loop on this for now, or is it worth revisiting next quarter?The breakup message is often the one that gets a reply. People answer a simple yes-or-no question.
Competitor version (6–9 months later)#
Hi {{first_name|there}}, hope the rollout of [competitor] went well. Many teams review their setup around the one-year mark. If you ever want a second opinion, happy to share what we see working. No pressure either way.3. Settings#
- Cautious or Recommended limits
- Turn off remaining steps when they reply: on
- Cancel an invitation if not accepted till: on, 5 days (the same as the wait in step 6)
- Warm list, so a longer delay between actions is fine
Make it a monthly habit#
On the first Monday of each month, export last quarter's closed-lost deals → import → enroll. Or automate it end to end with a custom trigger.
Metrics to watch#
| Metric | Typical |
|---|---|
| Reply rate | Often 2–3x a cold list |
| Revived → meeting | 15–30% of replies |
Common mistakes#
- Pretending nothing happened. Acknowledge the earlier conversation.
- Same pitch as last time. Lead with what changed.
- Contacting people who asked you to stop. Suppress them first.
