| name | client-follow-up |
| description | Post-meeting and post-interview follow-up protocol. Use this skill after any client meeting, interview, or significant external interaction. Handles thank-you timing, tone matching, relationship tracking, and follow-up scheduling. Trigger when the user mentions "follow up," "thank you note," "after the meeting," "post-interview," "send a note," or "check in with" someone. Also applies to the job search context for post-interview debriefs and follow-up emails.
|
| model | sonnet |
| user-invokable | true |
Client Follow-Up Skill
Intent
- Speed matters — A follow-up within 2-4 hours of a meeting signals professionalism and enthusiasm. Same-day is minimum. Next-day is acceptable. Two days is too late.
- Tone matching is critical — Match the other person's communication style. If they're casual, be casual. If they're formal, be formal. Never be more formal than your counterpart.
- Reference something specific — Generic "great to chat" emails are forgettable. Reference a specific moment, idea, or next step from the conversation.
- One clear next action — Every follow-up should either confirm a next step or propose one. No dangling threads.
- Track everything — Log the interaction, the follow-up, and the expected response timeline. Don't rely on memory.
When to Use
- After a client meeting or discovery call
- After a job interview (any round)
- After a networking conversation that has potential
- When a follow-up date arrives and no response has been received
- When re-engaging a stale conversation
Process
Step 1: Capture the Interaction
Immediately after the meeting/interview, record:
- Who was there — Names, titles, roles
- What was discussed — Key topics, decisions, commitments
- Tone & dynamic — Formal? Casual? Warm? Transactional?
- Next steps agreed — What did each party commit to?
- Timeline — When is the next touchpoint expected?
- Signals — Positive, neutral, or concerning indicators
Store this in the project's communications/ directory as a dated markdown file.
Step 2: Draft the Follow-Up
Timing rules:
| Context | Send within | Format |
|---|
| Client meeting (first) | 2-4 hours | Email |
| Client meeting (ongoing) | Same day | Email |
| Job interview | 2-4 hours | Email |
| Networking coffee | Same day | Email or LinkedIn |
| They owe you something | Day after their stated timeline | Email |
| No response to your follow-up | 1 week | Brief check-in |
Structure:
- Opening — Reference something specific from the conversation (not "great to meet you")
- Value add — Reinforce why this matters / what excited you (1-2 sentences max)
- Next step — Confirm what was agreed, or propose one
- Close — Short, warm, matches their tone
Length: Under 150 words for standard follow-ups. Nobody wants to read an essay.
Step 3: Tone Match
Read any prior communication from the person. Match:
- Length — If they write 3 sentences, you write 3-5 sentences
- Formality — If they sign "Jackie" not "Jackie Rafter, MBA", you sign "Jimmy"
- Emoji/punctuation — If they use exclamation marks, you can too. If they don't, don't.
- Structure — If they write in paragraphs, mirror that. If they use bullets, mirror that.
See references/tone-patterns.md for examples.
Step 4: Schedule Follow-Up Tracking
Set a follow-up date based on:
- They gave a timeline: Follow up the day after their stated deadline
- No timeline given: Follow up in 1 week
- High-stakes (job interview final round): Follow up in 3-5 business days
- Low-stakes (networking): Follow up in 2 weeks
Log the follow-up date in the project's tracking system or daily log.
Step 5: The Re-Engage (When They Go Silent)
If no response after your follow-up:
- Wait the full interval — Don't send multiple messages in rapid succession
- Change the angle — Don't just "bumping this up." Add new value: an article, an idea, a relevant update
- Keep it short — 2-3 sentences max
- Know when to stop — After 2 unanswered follow-ups, move to passive tracking. Don't chase.
Rules
- Always check
communications/ for prior tone before drafting
- Never send a follow-up without user review and approval
- Log every follow-up to the daily log
- If the user says "draft a follow-up," produce it but do NOT send it
- Reference the guardrails rule: no external communications without explicit confirmation
