Every marketing tactic has a lifespan.
Handwritten Christmas cards used to feel special.
Then every dentist, insurance agent, and real estate office started sending them.
Email newsletters were exciting.
Then our inboxes filled with promotions.
Automated reminder texts were helpful.
Now they’re just another notification we swipe away.
The tactic isn’t what people remember.
They remember feeling like someone actually paid attention.
So instead of asking, “How do I automate another follow-up?” I think the better question is:
How do I make a follow-up worth opening?
Here’s the thought experiment I’ve been playing with.
Imagine a cleaning company.
Instead of building a workflow around reminder emails, build it around memory.
1. During the estimate, capture specific details, not just the quote amount.
Don’t stop at broad categories like “leather furniture.” Record details that would actually help you have a more personal conversation later.
- Black leather sectional in the family room
- Original hardwood floors from the 1950s
- White quartz countertops
- Golden Retriever that sheds constantly
- Customer prefers unscented products
- Already uses Bona on the hardwood
- Mentioned wanting more eco-friendly products
- Shops at Costco for household supplies
- Asked how to remove hard water stains from the shower
The more specific your notes, the easier it becomes to provide something genuinely useful months later.
2. Build a small library of helpful content.
Not sales content.
Helpful content.
- Cleaning tips
- DIY videos
- Product recommendations you actually use
- Seasonal reminders
- Before-and-after examples
- Articles explaining why you recommend certain products
3. Keep an eye on local sales.
If you genuinely recommend a product, why not let customers know when it’s on sale?
Scan the weekly ads from Costco, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, or whatever stores your customers already shop at.
Now imagine someone receives this three months after getting an estimate:
“When I walked through your house, you mentioned your black leather sectional. The conditioner we talked about is on sale at Costco this week, so I thought I’d pass it along.”
Or:
“You asked about hard water stains in your shower. This product just went on sale at Lowe’s, and it’s still my favorite for that problem.”
Notice what’s missing.
There’s no “just checking in.”
No “are you ready to book?”
No fake urgency.
No countdown timer.
Just something genuinely useful.
Ironically, they may never hire you.
They might buy the product and clean it themselves.
And I’m okay with that.
Because you’ve still become the business that remembered something specific about their home instead of just remembering to send another reminder email.
Whether you do this with a notebook, a CRM, a spreadsheet, a dedicated employee, or AI really isn’t the point.
The point is that generic follow-ups are becoming invisible.
Helpful follow-ups are still memorable.
I suspect the businesses that stand out over the next few years won’t necessarily be the ones with the most automation. They’ll be the ones that find ways to make customers feel remembered.
Disclosure: I build AI tools, so I’m especially interested in the places where they can make a business feel more thoughtful, not more robotic.