Everyone in sales knew the golden rule: Follow up or lose the lead.
Elliot Faulkner took this seriously.
He had built his entire career on being relentless. If you gave him a business card in 2018, you would still get emails.
So, when he left the International Marketing & Growth Expo with a stack of 317 leads, he cracked his knuckles and got to work.
His email was flawless.
Subject: Great Meeting You at IMGE! 🚀 Hi [First Name],
It was awesome connecting at the expo! Let’s schedule a quick call to explore how we can help your team achieve real growth. Let me know what works! Looking forward to chatting.
He hit send.
Then, the real work began.
The first follow-up
A week passed. Nothing.
Elliot sent a follow-up.
Hey [First Name], just bubbling this to the top of your inbox. Would love to chat! ⏳
Nothing.
Two days later:
Hi [First Name], just checking in again! Let me know when would be a good time. 📅
Nothing.
He wasn’t worried yet. Persistence was key.
The twelfth follow-up
A month passed.
Elliot was in deep.
He had sent twelve emails, each one growing slightly more desperate.
Subject: Too busy to talk? 😕 Hey [First Name], haven’t heard back—hope everything’s okay! Let me know if you’ve been abducted by aliens. Otherwise, let’s connect!
Nothing.
Subject: Are you mad at me? 🥺 Just checking in! If I’ve done something wrong, please tell me. We can fix this.
Nothing.
Then, one night at 2:43 AM, he received a reply.
It was one sentence.
"Please stop emailing me."
Elliot froze.
Not because of the rejection.
But because there was no sender name. No email address. No reply button.
Just… the message.
The Email That Shouldn’t Exist
He checked his CRM. The lead didn’t exist.
There was no record of them.
He searched his inbox for past emails with this lead. Nothing.
It was as if the contact had been erased from reality.
But that was impossible.
Elliot did what any sales professional would do.
He followed up.
Subject: Hey, I think your last email glitched? Let’s reconnect!
BEEP. Instant reply.
"Please stop emailing me."
He swallowed. His hands felt cold.
He replied again.
Sorry, I don’t mean to be pushy—just making sure you’re getting my messages? 😅
BEEP.
"PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME."
Elliot’s heart pounded.
He slammed his laptop shut.
And then his phone buzzed.
A notification.
"NEW EMAIL FROM UNKNOWN CONTACT."
He opened it.
"PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME."
His office lights flickered. His table quaked. His coffee mug shattered.
His mouse cursor moved on its own, highlighting his entire inbox.
Delete emails? YES / NO
Elliot tried to click NO.
His screen glitched.
The entire inbox emptied.
And then, in the silence, one final email arrived.
It was from himself.
"Follow-up complete."
No one ever heard from Elliot again.
But sometimes… late at night… if you’ve ignored too many sales emails…
Your inbox might flicker.
And you’ll see a message.
From UNKNOWN CONTACT.
And it will say…
"Just checking in!"
