Build-A-Follow-Up

Ever walk past a build a bear and stop dead in your tracks?

In the last several days, I’ve sat and looked up thinking a whole lot…

And what was it that came to me? Build a bear. Yep. Build. A. Bear.

With build a bear, you don’t walk in and they hand you a finished bear.

No no no, that’s not how it works!

You build it.

You pick the base. Stuff the teddy. Give it some heart. Dress her. Name it. Step by step, piece by piece.

It’s intentional. Personal. And because you build it, it actually means something.

Better/best follow-up works shockingly the same way. Not the crappy lazy kind.

You know, where most people treat follow-up like grabbing a random stuffed animal off a shelf.

The generic-prebuilt-mass produced. “Just checking in.” “Circling back.” “Any thoughts?”

No context, meaning, or intention. In fact I verbalized this right into my phone while driving yesterday.

And we wonder why nobody responds.

Nothing was built.

Great follow-up you’re not sending something-that’s super simple, hit a button.

Sending is the easiest part it’s what you manufacture that matters most BEFORE you press send. Your assembly process is everything.

First, you start with the base.

What actually happened last? What did they say mattered? What stage are they in?

Then you add the stuffing.

Something that moves it forward. New info. A decision path. A next milestone.

Then the heart.

Why does this matter to them right now? Not in theory. In reality.

Then the outfit.

Package it so it’s easy. Clear. Fast to understand.

Then you name it.

Give it direction. A next step. A reason to continue.

That helps create a follow-up people are more likely to respond to.

Doesn’t it feel personal? Relevant? Intentional?

Not automated. Not recycled. Not theater.

Are you treating follow-up like it should already exist?

Like there’s some perfect template sitting somewhere?

There isn’t. (templates set the stage, are good structurally but hardly the fix)

You build it from the last conversation forward. Every time. And when you do?

No more feeling forced, no more feeling awkward, waayyy more moving things forward.

The best follow-up is constructed just like that bear. Piece by piece. Built with intention. And made to mean something.

A recap…

The Model: “From Build a Bear to Build a Follow-Up”

Step 1 - The Base (Context)
What happened last? What matters to them?

Step 2 - The Stuffing (Value)
Add something that moves the conversation forward.

Step 3 - The Heart (Emotion / Relevance)
Why does this matter to them now?

Step 4 - The Outfit (Packaging)
How do you present it so it’s easy to consume?

Step 5 - The Name (Next Step)
Give it direction. Make the next move clear.

See you next week, Follow Up Fam.

Manny “That Follow Up Guy” Vargas