# Stage Aware Follow Up

> Use this skill when a live deal needs its next touch and the right move isn't obvious — a prospect replied warm but never booked, a call happened and the thread went quiet, a proposal or agreement is out and unsigned, a booked meeting was a no-show, or the deal has gone cold. Produces the exact next message plus the date and hook of the touch after it, so no warm thread is left un-dated. Trigger phrasings: "follow up with", "they replied but never booked", "chase the booking", "they ghosted", "agreement sent, no response", "what do I send next", "the thread went quiet", "post-call email", "they no-showed", "re-engage this deal".

- Skill: `swan-gtm/stage-aware-follow-up` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add swan-gtm/stage-aware-follow-up`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/swan-gtm/stage-aware-follow-up/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: swan-gtm (https://skillmd.com/u/swan-gtm)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/swan-gtm/stage-aware-follow-up

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Applies to any deal that has already produced a reply and now needs its next touch. Produces one message, plus the date and hook of the touch after it.

## Name the stage first

The stage determines the message. Get it wrong and every draft is wrong.

| Stage | Where the deal is | Touch cadence |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Replied warm, nothing on the calendar | day 0 → 2 → 4 → 7, then demote |
| 1 | Between booked meetings | same day → day before → meeting day |
| 2 | Decision pending, no agreement | same day → 2 → 4 → 7 → 14 |
| 3 | Agreement out, unsigned | hour 0 → 24h → day 2 → 4 → 7 → 14 |
| 4 | Proposal sent in writing, no meeting held | same day, ask for the meeting → then Stage 2 |
| 5 | Long-term nurture | every 30–45 days, indefinitely |

If it's earlier than the cadence allows, say so and offer to draft anyway.

## Stage 0 is where most pipeline dies

Warm replies accumulate and nobody walks them onto the calendar. The reply gets a good answer, the thread gets orphaned, and the yes decays. The goal here is a meeting — not more conversation, not more free value for its own sake. Value is the vehicle; the booking is the destination.

- **Every touch does two jobs at once**: earns the meeting with a *new, concrete* reason — something found while building their asset, how the scoring worked, which segment looks strongest, a benchmark, a quick win spotted — *and* carries the booking ask. Never one without the other.
- **The ask is direct.** Banned soft-asks, all of which hand them an exit: "when you surface", "whenever works", "no rush", "happy to chat sometime", "feel free to grab time".
- **A buying question is a buy signal.** Answer it in one line, then ask for the meeting in the same message. Never let it open into unpaid Q&A.
- **If a promised asset is the reason for the meeting, present it live.** Sending it ahead spends the reason and the meeting evaporates. Deliver it standalone only after two explicit refusals — then gracefully, with the offer left standing.
- **Hot buyer: send the link and stop selling.** When they say "let's set up a call" or "send me a time", the only correct move is the booking link plus what you'll bring. Banned replies: "which day works?", "send me your email", "send me a few times", "I'll have someone coordinate." Each hands control back, and the yes evaporates in the gap.
- **A no-show is hot, not lost.** Same day, no blame, fresh link — it's usually a calendar miss. Never end a thread on an unanswered "are you joining?"

## Never break up

No "closing the loop", "last note from me", "won't keep pinging", "door's open if anything changes". Cap active touches inside a stage at seven — then the prospect **demotes to nurture, not to silence**. Demotion is silent: slow the cadence, never announce it. Follow up less often rather than not at all.

## Every touch earns its send

Before output, ask: *would this be worth sending even if they never buy?* If no, rewrite.

Never generate: "just checking in", "circling back", "did you see my last email", "hope this finds you well", invented deadlines, guilt, weekend sends, "when's a good time?" (propose windows or send the link), or any message to an un-booked warm replier that contains no ask.

Close every draft with `NEXT-TOUCH: [date] — [specific hook]`. That line is the mechanism that stops warm threads from being orphaned.

## What good looks like

The tell of a good operator: they treat a positive reply as an unfinished job, not a win. The mediocre version answers warmly, feels productive, and never asks again — the thread reads friendly and produces nothing.

Good output is a message whose reason for existing is information the prospect doesn't have yet, with the ask attached, that could not have been sent to anyone else this week — plus a dated next touch already written down before this one goes out.

## Rules

- MUST carry a booking ask in every touch to a warm replier with nothing on the calendar.
- MUST end every draft with the date and hook of the next touch.
- NEVER state the meeting's duration in the copy.
- NEVER send a breakup, or announce a change in cadence.
- NEVER send the same value drop to the same prospect twice.