If you want to nurture leads and close deals, your timing and responsiveness need to be on point. Lose control of your Inbox, and you’ll fall behind the competition.
Think about it: If emails from your clients get buried, or you forget to follow up, then you lose their interest and their trust. No one closes multimillion-dollar deals without trust, and that trust is built one interaction at a time.
That’s why we take our email game seriously at SERHANT. To serve our elite clientele, we need elite Inbox skills. Here are the email tactics our team uses—and our favorite tool for Inbox mastery.
1. Use SaneBox To Instantly Organize Your Emails
In real estate, your Inbox is always under siege. Just ask our founder and CEO Ryan Serhant.
“In real estate, the stakes are high and the pace is incredibly fast,” says Ryan. “On a low day I’ll have 800 emails come through. On a normal day, it’s about 2,000.”
Hidden somewhere in those thousands of emails are promising leads and high-stakes conversations. You can’t let those email chains lose momentum—but when your Inbox is overloaded, it’s like panning for gold. Sifting through promotions and dead-end threads would take an entire day.
That’s why Ryan uses SaneBox for email. SaneBox’s AI identifies important emails and files less urgent messages away for later. This keeps your top priorities right in front of you, and reduces email overwhelm.
“With SaneBox I’m not nervous to open up my Inbox any more,” says Ryan. “SaneBox is doing half the work.”
Pro Tip: With SaneBox, VIPs go straight to your Inbox and non-urgent messages are automatically filed in your SaneLater folder. You can train SaneBox to file emails right where you need them.
2. Keep Track of Vital Conversations With SaneNoReply
Following up on emails is an art form. It’s the difference between sealing a deal or losing out on millions of dollars—and incredibly, almost half of salespeople don’t send follow-ups.
But how do you keep track of your unanswered messages when you’re juggling dozens of clients and hundreds of leads? Ryan Serhant uses SaneNoReply, a SaneBox feature that gives you an instant overview of sent emails that haven’t yet received a reply.
“I met a client in 2015 and showed him a bunch of properties, and he stopped following up with me,” Ryan recalls. “My NoReply folder would show me every time I would email him and he wouldn’t email me back. Every couple of weeks I would go into that NoReply folder and I would follow up with him.”
Ryan’s consistency paid off, big time. By the time the client was ready to buy, Ryan was right at the top of his Inbox.
“Three years later, with him not replying and me going into my SaneBox NoReply folder, he finally follows up with me and says ‘thanks so much for all the emails, sorry I’ve been a little bit busy’…and the next week I sold him a place for $16 million. And I really credit that to SaneNoReply.”
Pro Tip: Set a reminder to scan your SaneNoReply folder once or twice a week, to make sure you don’t let a single opportunity pass you by.
3. Set Reminders To Stay Focused
Real estate agents have dozens, sometimes hundreds, of different priorities—and the timing is make or break. This is where SaneBox’s SaneReminders feature comes in. It’s an easy way to set customized reminders, without leaving your Inbox or using a different tool.
“What I love about SaneBox is that you can customize any time you want to be reminded,” explains Talia McKinney, who leads a premier residential real estate team at SERHANT.
You can schedule reminders from your Inbox by BCCing a reminder address like 3days@sanebox.com. Whether you are deferring a task until later, or want to send a perfectly-timed check-in, the reminder will go straight to your Inbox on the time or day you specified.
“That is what real estate is all about,” says Talia. “Following up, and making sure that you meet the expectations of your clients.”
Pro Tip: People blast through the most emails on Tuesdays. Send your follow-ups on Tuesday AM to maximize your chance of a reply that gets you one more step toward closing that deal.
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Want to raise your email game and win more deals? Sign up for SaneBox and get 1 month free!
Getting an email used to feel exciting. Today it’s more likely to be a pitch you never asked for, a newsletter you don’t remember signing up for, or a scam designed to trick you into clicking the wrong link.
You aren’t imagining it, the volume of emails we receive is exploding. AI is the reason why, and you can fight back.
The Hidden Economics of Inbox Overload
Once upon a time, writing and sending emails took work. A human had to sit down, think, and type.
Now there’s an army of AI bots ready to crank out “personalized” messages. Marketing teams love it. Sales teams love it. Scammers really, really love it.
Meanwhile, the bad actors have never been busier. Roughly 3.4 billion phishing emails are fired off every single day. If it feels like your inbox is under siege, that’s because it is!
Inbox Chaos Isn’t Random, It’s Engineered
Here’s something most people miss: your inbox isn’t random chaos.
Behind the scenes, senders are quietly profiling you. Just like your social feeds, your inbox is getting algorithmically fine-tuned. AI optimizes the subject lines, it tailors calls-to-action, and tracks what you open and when.
The more you engage, the more you feed the beast and the smarter the system gets — which means you’ll receive even more noise.
Why You Need AI on Your Side
So how do you defend yourself? You can’t simply unsubscribe from everything. You can’t switch email off. Email is still how the world communicates.
→ SaneBox members: get 30% off your first 13 months of Fastmail
Fastmail + SaneBox: The Productivity Power Stack
Together, Fastmail and SaneBox give you a foundation and a filter:
Fastmail gives you control of your data. No ads, no snooping, no selling your information. Just fast, reliable email with the power features you need.
SaneBox acts as your inbox defense system. It filters distractions, prioritizes what matters, and learns from your behavior over time — without ever reading your emails.
The result: a calmer inbox, fewer interruptions, and the peace of mind that your data and attention are both protected.
Here’s the truth: email privacy matters more than ever before. As every aspect of our online behavior gets tracked and monetized, the tools we choose shape how much control we have over our own digital lives.
If you’re using SaneBox, you’ve already decided that your attention is worth protecting. Now there’s another tool that I believe belongs in your stack: Fastmail.
Protecting Your Privacy and Your Focus
We built SaneBox to prioritize what matters and move distractions to the sidelines…without ever reading the body of your emails. No ads, no surveillance. That’s a core part of our philosophy.
Fastmail is an email provider that’s equally committed to your privacy and control.
It’s fast, free from annoying ads, and refreshingly simple. There is no tracking and no third-party data mining — just a rock-solid email experience designed with care and integrity.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce that SaneBox has teamed up with Fastmail! We’re offering 30% off your first 13 months of Fastmail, exclusively for SaneBox members.
Why Fastmail?
No ads, no snooping, no data mining. Your email is for your eyes only.
It’s lightning fast, with power features like keyboard shortcuts.
It works perfectly across all your devices, and integrates perfectly with SaneBox.
Together, SaneBox and Fastmail give you something most email tools don’t: peace of mind. Fastmail gives you a secure, ad-free foundation and keeps your email safe from prying eyes. SaneBox filters your emails with precision, protecting your focus time while always prioritizing your privacy.
I’ve used Fastmail for years. It’s private, reliable, and fast. Just like SaneBox, it’s built for people who care about focus, privacy, and performance — without compromise.
Our Inboxes handled a lot this year. Fast-paced threads, battles of will over project timelines, “gentle reminders” that were anything but…
What did 2024 reveal about how we manage our Inboxes? We uncovered some eye-opening trends about how we take control of our emails and get things done.
Coming Soon: Your Personal Year in Review
In the coming days, we’ll be rolling out Unwrap Your Inbox — your personalized snapshot of email milestones for 2024. Stay tuned for your unique highlight reel, where you’ll discover your email patterns, productivity wins, and how much time you saved in 2024. Check it out now.
How SaneBox members saved time in 2024
Every Sanebox member is different, but our data shows clear email trends in 2024. To put it simply: Inbox overwhelm is out, and email strategy is in.
Whether it’s consciously or subconsciously, email power users have a common playbook to strategically defer, organize, and action their emails. Here’s what the data showed for 2024.
Trend #1: BlackHole Mondays
In 2024, the start of the week wasn’t about picking up last week’s threads — it was about clearing clutter and deferring non-urgent emails.
SaneBox members kickstart the week tactically by sending unwanted email senders to the SaneBlackHole, training our AI to ensure they never hear from that sender again.
Trend #2: Using Reminders to GTD
Once their slate is clean, SaneBox members get organized for the week.
More than half (54%) of all reminders are set on Mondays and Tuesdays, dropping off sharply toward the end of the work week. Simply put, the start of the week is all about the Four D’s — with an emphasis on “delete” and “defer.”
Trend #3: The Tuesday Effect
If Tuesday’s typically the day when you have the most balls in the air, you’re in good company. It’s the biggest day for blasting through emails, when SaneBox members process16.5% of the week’s messages. This tracks with what we already know: studies consistently show that people consistently hit peak productivity on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Trend #4: The Twin Peaks of Focus Time
Our data shows two peaks when SaneBox members are dragging distracting emails into SaneSnooze:
Together, Mondays and Thursdays make up 42% of all snoozed emails for the week. The start of the week has the biggest number of distractions (25.7% of emails snoozed) but there’s also a smaller spike on Thursdays (16.3%), as users safeguard their focus time in the end-of-week rush.
This goes against the grain in a climate where the typical worker answers emails within two hours, even though email reactivity is bad for your health. Meanwhile SaneBox users are less reactive, more intentional, and regaining focus time.
Trend #5: The Black Friday Email Battle is Escalating
No surprise here: November 25, the Monday before the US Thanksgiving holiday, was the biggest day for receiving emails in 2024. The peak day for processing emails came on Black Friday, the year’s biggest shopping day.
The email tsunami that comes with Cyber Week keeps growing bigger. Black Friday emails rose by 20% compared to last year, so we can expect an even greater deluge in 2025.
But big email days can’t derail a well-managed Inbox. With email volume set to rise, productivity in 2025 will be about ensuring you have a toolkit fit for the job — so you can save time and focus for what’s most important to you.
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Want to see how you compare?
Your personal Unwrap Your Inbox report will be available soon! You’ll be able to see how your email habits stack up against these trends and discover your own productivity patterns from 2024. Keep an eye on your SaneBox dashboard — we’ll notify you when your personalized report is ready.
Not on SaneBox yet? We can sweeten the deal… See what you can learn about building better email habits with a free SaneBox trial!
Note: Your data privacy matters. All metrics shown use aggregated anonymous data.
If you work in sales, you’re passionate about building relationships with your clients. Maybe you’re a little obsessed — the best sales leaders are.
We take email communication very seriously at SERHANT. — especially follow-up emails, which can turn missed connections into strong client relationships. If you aren’t thinking hard about the tone, timing, and content of your follow-up emails, then you’re letting potential relationships wither and leaving money on the table.
This is our playbook for follow-up emails that really work: when to send them, how to write them, and the tool you need to stay on top of it all.
Why follow-up emails can make or break your sales pipeline
After all, life happens. Your clients get busy and distracted. Your property, or product, or whatever you’re selling, might interest them — but without a nudge, it can easily slip from their mind.
Follow-up emails are reminders that you’re still thinking about them, and you’re invested in helping them achieve their goals.
When to send follow-up emails
Sales is about personal relationships. You wouldn’t blast a friend with multiple emails day after day, and you wouldn’t leave them hanging either. Some studies show that the sweet spot for sending a follow-up email is 2-3 days after your last touchpoint, winning you a reply rate of 31%.
If you wait more than 5 days, the likelihood of a reply drops to 24%. But following up the next day causes your response rate to plummet down to 11%.
The SERHANT. brokerage’s secret weapon
When it comes to follow-up emails, timing is critical — but it’s a lot to keep track of. I firmly believe that people in sales should be spending their time deepening their client relationships, not on admin.
This is where AI tools come in. They remove your busywork and free you to focus on what you do best: building rapport and closing deals. That’s why years ago, I introduced my CEO and co-founder Ryan Serhant to SaneBox.
SaneBox is an AI email management tool that quickly filters your most important emails. You can use its SaneReminders feature to keep your follow-up timing on point. You simply send an email, then set a reminder to follow up in 2 days — the follow-up sweet spot.
SaneBox spread through SERHANT. like wildfire. Before long, so many additional agents, and my own team, were using SaneBox. They were communicating better, they stayed on top of their most important threads, and they were seeing more success with their clients.
How to write the perfect follow-up email
Now you have the timing and the right tool, how do you craft an email that grabs attention? Here’s a breakdown of the email best practices we use at SERHANT.
Subject lines: Get opened or get ignored
Be human. At SERHANT. we swear by the HALL method (you can learn about it on Ryan Serhant’s course, Sell It) and the “H” stands for “Have Empathy.” Don’t Use Title Caps or write like a clickbait headline. Read your subject line out loud — if it sounds off, it doesn’t read well either.
Stay on topic. What makes your client tick? Write a subject line that’s specific, either mentioning something you’ve talked about or one of their likely pain points.
Avoid the spam filter. Most inboxes filter out subject lines with spam trigger words: “100% satisfied,” “limited time,” and “no cost” can send you to the spam folder.
Writing the email: Always offer value
Skip generic intros. Do you like getting emails that are “Just following up” or “Per my last email?” Neither does your client.
Offer new information. Reinforce your position as a trustworthy adviser by sharing an industry update or news article. But don’t overwhelm them with info; a one-liner and link is enough.
Bring a fresh angle. If you don’t have any substantial updates, then articulate your value prop in a new way — share stats or a relevant anecdote, or ask a specific question to gauge their interest and how their needs are evolving.
Getting the reply: Make it easy
Ask one question. If you fire multiple questions at your client, replying will feel like work. Make it as easy as possible by giving them one clear request — like suggesting a good time to jump on a call.
Set a reminder. As soon as you’ve sent your email, set yourself a reminder with a tool like SaneBox, so you know exactly when to follow up again if you need to.
Templates you can use right now
These are some of our favorite approaches to follow-up emails and you can customize them, whatever you’re selling.
The Value Reminder
You’ve had a call, or exchanged messages, and you can sense their hesitation. This is a good time to re-emphasize your value and understand where the friction lies.
Hi [Their Name],
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, so I’ll keep this quick.
We’ve been talking about [product/service] and how it can help with [specific need].
One thing we didn’t talk about yet: [add a statistic, pain point, industry shift, or other new information like a price change].
What’s your timeline for [making a decision]? I want to make sure I’m here when you need me.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
The Industry Update
We love this approach at SERHANT.: remind your client of your expertise and that you’re here to solve their problem.
Hi [Their Name],
I came across some news that’s shaking up the market/industry: […]
I pulled together a quick snapshot of how buyers/companies are leveraging [specific strategy/trend] to stay ahead [include a couple links/insights in bullet points here].
I’d love to hop on a call to explore how we can put these insights to work for you. Is there a day next week that works for you?
Talk soon,
[Your Name]
The Curiosity Igniter
You thought they’d be a straightforward sale, but now they’re ghosting you. Spark their curiosity and remind them you’re committed to a deal that works for their needs and timeline.
Hey [Their Name],
Curious if you’re still exploring [solution/product]?
When we last spoke, you mentioned [specific need/challenge], and I had this idea pop up that could be a missing piece of the puzzle.
How about we set up a call: would Friday afternoon work for you?
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Common follow-up mistakes
Being too aggressive. Daily follow-ups, pushy subject lines…make sure your follow-ups are adding value, not raising your prospect’s defences.
Getting discouraged. Don’t give up after the first follow-up. Three follow-ups is the magic number, and many closers get results with a sixth or seventh.
Not using AI as your follow-up wingman. If you don’t schedule your follow-ups effectively, they’re a waste of time — so lighten your admin burden by setting follow-up reminders with a tool like SaneBox.
Your email follow-up checklist: 3 essentials
Implement these today and watch your sales pipeline transform.
Templates. Customize our templates or create your own.
Reminders. Follow up with perfect timing; SaneBox makes this easy.
Persistence. You can have the best product and the best pitch, but if you’re not persistent, someone else will close the deal instead of you.
Author Bio
Ryan J. Coyne, affectionately known as “Coyne,” has been a tech enthusiast since childhood, steering his passion into a dynamic career at the forefront of real estate technology. As the Chief Technology Officer for SERHANT. and a co-founder when the brokerage rose to global recognition in 2020, Coyne has been instrumental in shaping the company’s technological evolution, including its media production, education, and creative agency, along with the ADX platform.
In addition to his pivotal role at SERHANT., Coyne has made appearances on Netflix’s hit real estate reality show Owning Manhattan. His innovative approach to tech and leadership in hospitality, cybersecurity, AI, and blockchain have earned him speaking engagements at esteemed conferences like Inman Connect, The Real Deal Showcase, and Silicon Slopes, as well as for global giants like IBM and Google.
Coyne’s work extends beyond real estate, with significant contributions to public service as a tech advisor to Nassau County and for the Town of Oyster Bay. His forward-thinking infrastructure plans for the USPS even garnered federal attention.
Whether he’s revolutionizing tech, captivating audiences, or shaping the next trend, Coyne remains a trailblazer with a charismatic flair.
Francesco D’Alessio is on a mission to help people live their best lives. As a productivity tools expert, Francesco champions his favorite products on Tool Finder (formerly Keep Productive) and his YouTube channel — and his recommendations help hundreds of thousands of people to save time and improve their focus.
One of those recommendations is SaneBox. As a SaneBox partner, Francesco shows his audience how to quickly declutter their inbox and regain control of their time.
But how does Francesco maximize the partnership to earn money and deliver exceptional content? We asked Francesco to share his advice for new SaneBox partners; here’s what he had to say.
Nowadays, remote work has become the norm for many businesses. However, to maintain productivity, organizations need the best tools to support productivity. Some of these tools include artificial intelligence solutions, which are designed to help with work processes and support workers in managing their tasks effectively.
For example, AI-driven content generation tools help businesses create digital copies, from ads to blog posts, tailored to specific needs, while tools like SaneBox have AI smart inboxes to keep email management efficient and prioritize important messages.
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