Guide
How to reactivate old leads with AI (without spamming your list)
Updated · by Rosh Perera
Most businesses have a list of people who asked about a service and never bought. Reactivating old leads means sending them one short, personal message that references what they asked about and asks if they still need help. AI is useful in three places: sorting the list, drafting each personal opener and sorting the replies. The rules matter more than the wording: only contact people you have permission to contact, keep it to one message and a single follow-up, and stop the moment someone says no. Not sure which job fits your business first? Answer 5 quick questions in our free planner.
Pick your first 3 bots in 5 quick questions →What to hand to an agent first
1. Clean the list
Export old leads with name, contact, what they asked about, date and consent status. Remove anyone who opted out, bought elsewhere or has no consent on record.
2. Split it by what they asked about
The agent groups leads by service or product, so each group gets an opener that fits.
3. Draft a personal opener
One or two lines that name what they asked about and ask a yes/no question: 'Are you still looking for help with [service]?' No offer in the first message.
4. Send in small batches
Approve and send 20 to 50 at a time, so you can answer every reply personally.
5. Sort the replies
The agent tags replies yes, later, no or stop, drafts a booking message for the yeses and removes the nos and stops from future messages.
Copy-ready prompt
Read [old leads sheet] (columns: first name, contact, asked about, inquiry date, consent, status). Take the next 25 rows where consent = "yes" and status is empty. For each, draft a 2-line opener in my tone: "Hi [name], you asked us about [asked about] a while back. Are you still looking for help with that?" When replies come in: - "yes": draft a booking message with [calendar link] and tag "yes". - "later": tag "later" with the month they mention. - "no" or "stop": tag "do not contact" and draft nothing. Rules: - Never message anyone without consent = "yes". - No offers or prices. One follow-up max, 5 days after the opener. - Don't send. Post the batch here for my approval.
Works as a Grok Bot routine, a ChatGPT scheduled task or a Claude project instruction. Fill in the [brackets] first. It only writes drafts.
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Ready-made use cases
- 01Never miss a lead follow-up
The agent checks your CRM or inbox for leads that went quiet and drafts the next follow-up.
~4h/week · estimate - 02Win back and upsell past customers
The agent finds past customers due for a repeat job or upgrade and drafts an offer.
~3h/week · estimate - 03Qualify property leads fast, with your OK on each reply
New buyer/seller inquiries get a fast drafted reply with qualifying questions and viewing slots. You approve it with one tap before it sends. Instant replies are an optional upgrade.
~6h/week · estimate - 04One daily list of drafts to approve
Your bots hold every email, message and post they write as a draft. Once a day (or once a week) you get one numbered list and answer approve, edit or reject for each. Nothing goes out unapproved.
~1h/week · estimate - 05Metrics digest without opening dashboards
The agent pulls your key numbers from Stripe, analytics and your store into one daily message.
~2h/week · estimate
Example: Grok Bot setup
Grok Bot routine: Never miss a lead follow-up Schedule: Daily 11:00 Every day, find leads that haven't heard from me in 3+ days (CRM or email). For each, draft a short follow-up that references our last conversation and offers one clear next step. List them for approval, oldest first. Rules: draft first, never send or post anything external without my approval. Keep summaries short.
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n versions: all templates
Setup steps
- Export old leads with consent status and what they asked about.
- Remove opt-outs, buyers and anyone with no consent on record.
- Paste the prompt below and draft openers for 20 leads.
- Send one small batch and answer every reply yourself.
- Repeat weekly with the next batch.
Keep these human
- Only message people you have consent to contact. For texts in the US, that usually means documented prior consent and a registered business number; check the rules where you operate.
- Honour STOP and unsubscribe immediately and permanently.
- One opener and one follow-up at most per person.
- Start in draft mode: the agent prepares, you approve, then loosen the leash one routine at a time.
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Built by Rosh Perera, who has set up AI automations for more than 40 businesses over about 3 years.
FAQ
What is lead reactivation?
Contacting people who inquired before but didn't buy, with a short personal message asking if they still need help.
Is it legal to text old leads?
Only if you have consent to text them and follow your local rules. In the US that generally means documented prior consent and a registered business texting setup. Email has its own rules too.
What should the first message say?
Name what they asked about and ask one yes/no question. No discount, no pitch.
How big should batches be?
Small enough that you can reply personally to every answer the same day, often 20 to 50.