How do I follow up on a corporate product sample at public price?
Quick answer
One email after the sample lands. Thank the contact who requested it, state kit MOQ and list price, link the proof one-pager, and offer one next step such as a draft order or kit consult. No second free sample, no code, and no invented close percentage. Go/no-go for gifting portals lives on corporate gifting.
Vs other Intelligence guides
| Guide | Job |
|---|---|
| Corporate gifting | When to add gifting or a B2B portal. This page is after one sample ships. |
| Sampling program | Consumer and influencer trials. Not HR kit follow-up. |
| Wholesale line sheet | Retail doors. Corporate sample is a company buyer, not a shelf buyer. |
| Holiday gift guide outreach | Editor pitching. This is your outbound to a company contact. |
| Retail wholesale launch | MAP and case packs. Gifting kits use draft orders first. |
| Materials proof | Claims file buyers forward. Attach the same proof in follow-up. |
| This guide | How do I follow up on a corporate product sample at public price |
Composite operator guidance. Not legal advice on anti-bribery or gift rules at their employer. Do not treat a worksheet sample count as a typical close rate. No invented sample-to-order percentage.
Three moves. Only follow-up ships.
| Move | What it is | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Wait | Let the sample sit [days] before you ping | Pick a window you already use, often 5 to 10 business days. |
| One note with kit MOQ, public price, proof link | No second free unit. No code. | |
| Close | Draft order or calendar link for a kit consult | Portal comes after repeat deals, per corporate gifting guide. |
Staff line: "The sample was the proof. The price on the site is the offer." If the only lever is another free box, pause outbound.
Proof ladder (corporate sample)
| What is true this week | You may do | You freeze |
|---|---|---|
| Contact requested the sample on a form you still have | Send one follow-up to that address. | Cold mail to the whole company domain. |
| Kit contribution stays positive at quoted MOQ | State list price and MOQ in the email. | A deeper discount you cannot repeat on the next kit. |
| Proof one-pager matches PDP | Link materials proof. | New green claims only in the email. |
| They asked for retail doors | Route to line sheet. This guide is gifting kits. | Calling a retail buyer motion "corporate gifting." |
Follow-up kit
- Log the sample send date and contact in CRM or a simple sheet.
- Wait [days] so the product is not still in the mail tray when you ping.
- Write one email: thank them, name the kit SKU, public price, MOQ, link to proof PDF.
- Offer one next step: reply with headcount and ship date, or book a 15-minute kit consult.
- Stop at one follow-up unless they reply. No weekly nurture from a single sample.
- A person sends the note, not a sequence that pretends to be personal.
| Leave out | Why |
|---|---|
| Second free sample | Trains procurement to stall until another box arrives. |
| Sitewide percent code in the follow-up | Corporate gifting margin math breaks on surprise discounts. |
| Carbon-neutral kit language the PDP lacks | Claims calculator and materials proof. |
| BCC blast to five people at the company | One thread with the contact who asked. |
Allow vs banned
| Surface | Allow | Kill |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-up email | MOQ, list price, proof link, one CTA | Code, free reship, fake urgency |
| Attachment | Existing proof one-pager | New claims not on PDP |
| CRM | Sample sent date, one follow-up sent flag | Invented pipeline stage names with % |
| Board story | Count of samples with follow-up sent | Invented sample close % |
EmpCo from 27 September 2026 still applies to a green line in the follow-up that also ships in the EU. Do not publish a sample conversion lift.
10-check sample follow-up log (run this week)
Open the CRM row, not a mail-merge deck. Log Y/N.
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sample send date logged? | Yes. |
| 2 | Wait window honored? | Yes. |
| 3 | One email only unless they replied? | Yes. |
| 4 | MOQ and list price in the body? | Yes. |
| 5 | Any code or free reship offered? | No. |
| 6 | Proof link matches PDP? | Materials proof. |
| 7 | Retail ask routed to wholesale? | Line sheet if needed. |
| 8 | Portal pitch held until repeat deals? | Corporate gifting. |
| 9 | EU claims checked? | Claims calculator. |
| 10 | Did a vendor promise a sample close %? | Ignore. No invented %. |
Fix the row that week. A code appeared in the template: delete it. A second sample promise: revoke before send.
Sample follow-up freeze (labeled example)
Replace every cell from CRM. Do not copy the example as a close-rate benchmark.
| Field | Worked example | Your cell |
|---|---|---|
| Samples sent this month | 6 company samples example | [samples] |
| Follow-ups sent at list price | 5 sent example | [followups] |
| Emails that offered a code | 1 leftover template example. Fix before send. | [code_emails] |
| Promised second free samples | 0 example | [free_reship] |
Those cells are worksheet labels. If [samples] is NONE, confirm logging before the next outbound batch.
Go / no-go
| Call | When |
|---|---|
| No-go | Second free sample, code in follow-up, claims the PDP lacks |
| Go on follow-up | One email, MOQ, list price, proof link, single CTA |
| Partial go | Fix template today. Send follow-ups tomorrow. |
Score follow-ups sent and leftover code templates. A sample close rate is not a KPI for this mail.
Price on the site is the offer.
One follow-up. Public kit math. Proof they can forward.
Template fields and 7-day run
| Field | Fill with | Do not invent |
|---|---|---|
[samples] | Count from CRM | A industry close % |
[moq] | Kit minimum you quote | A fake volume discount |
[signer] | Person who sends the follow-up | A bot sequence with no owner |
[markets] | US / EU / UK / both | A green claim the PDP lacks |
Brief: "Samples: [samples]. MOQ: [moq]. Signer: [signer]. Markets: [markets]. One follow-up, list price, no code, no second free sample. No close %."
- Day 1: Audit CRM for sample dates. Count [samples].
- Day 2: Strip codes from the follow-up template.
- Day 3: Confirm [moq] and list price in the body.
- Day 4: Attach proof link. Match PDP claims.
- Day 5: Send follow-ups that crossed the wait window.
- Day 6: Mark follow-up sent on each row.
- Day 7: Run the 10-check log. Log code templates, not a fake close %.
Frequently asked questions
How do I follow up on a corporate product sample at public price?
Wait a short window after delivery, then send one email to the contact who requested the sample. State kit MOQ, list price, and a proof link. Offer one next step such as a draft order or kit consult. No second free sample, no code, and no invented sample-to-order percentage.
Is this the corporate gifting go/no-go guide?
No. That guide decides when to add gifting or a portal. This guide is the follow-up after one sample ships.
May the follow-up include a discount code?
No. Quote the public kit price you can honor on the next order.
How many follow-ups?
One unless they reply. Do not nurture the whole company domain from a single sample.
What do we measure if not a close rate?
Whether each sample row got one list-price follow-up with no code and no free reship promise.