Most SMB "nurture programs" are a single automated email that goes out three days after a form fill and then silence. That's not a nurture, that's a shrug. Real nurture programs use multiple channels — SMS, email, and AI voice — sequenced across the exact window when the lead is still warm, and they explicitly give up when the lead is genuinely gone. Below are seven templates our best-performing customers actually run in 2026. Each one is written to be copy-pasted, tweaked to your voice, and turned on this week.
Design principles that apply to every sequence
- Speed beats polish. The first touch inside 5 minutes converts 5–9× better than the first touch inside 30 minutes. Ship the ugly version now.
- Channel-hop deliberately. If they didn't answer SMS, try voice. If voice went to voicemail, try email. Same person, different context.
- Explicit exits. Every sequence ends. A "graceful goodbye" message actually revives ~10% of leads because it triggers loss aversion.
- Personalize the first line, template the rest. First-name + a reference to what they asked about is enough; nobody needs Shakespeare in message 3.
1. New lead (0–7 days)
The workhorse sequence. Fires the moment a form comes in or a call is missed.
- Minute 0: AI voice call. Introduce, qualify, offer to book.
- +15 min: SMS if the call went to voicemail — "Hey [name], just tried you about [topic]. Text back a good time?"
- Day 1 (morning): Email with the most-relevant one-pager or booking link.
- Day 3: Second AI voice attempt at a different time of day.
- Day 5: SMS with a specific question — "Still shopping around, or is [topic] off the table?"
- Day 7: Breakup SMS/email — "I'll stop bugging you. If anything changes, here's my line."
2. No-show recovery
Time-sensitive. Every hour of delay after a no-show cuts recovery rate roughly in half.
- +15 min past appointment: SMS — "Just missed you for [service] at [time]. Everything ok? Want to grab another slot?"
- +2 hours: AI voice call with rescheduling link ready.
- Next day AM: Email with 3 next-available slots pre-linked.
- Day 3: Final SMS with a small "make it easy" gesture (waived deposit, first-time discount, etc.).
3. Quote sent, no reply
This is where most SMB pipelines quietly die. Automate the follow-through.
- Day 2: SMS — "Did the quote for [scope] make sense? Happy to walk through it."
- Day 4: AI voice call to answer objections in real time.
- Day 7: Email with a time-boxed incentive (limited to one week) if margin allows.
- Day 14: Breakup email — "Assuming you went another direction. If you'd share why, it helps us improve."
4. Past customer 90-day reactivation
Existing customers convert 4–8× cheaper than net-new. Never let 90 days pass in silence.
- Day 90 since last visit: SMS check-in — "Been a bit. How's [outcome from last visit] going?"
- Day 92: AI voice call with a tailored offer relevant to their history.
- Day 100: Email with review/referral request and a light reactivation offer.
5. Trial-to-paid (fitness, SaaS, wellness)
Conversion happens in the middle of the trial, not the end. Nurture during, not after.
- Day 1: Welcome SMS + email with the one thing to try first.
- Day 3: Milestone check-in SMS — "How did [feature/class] go?"
- Day 5: AI voice call with a personalized upgrade offer.
- Day 7: Trial-ending email with clear upgrade path.
- Day 8 (post-expiry): Breakup SMS with one-click reactivation.
6. Abandoned cart / abandoned booking
Recover 15–30% of dropoffs — but only if you move fast.
- +1 hour: SMS with a direct resume link.
- +6 hours: Email with the same link and a "still holding this for you" line.
- +24 hours: AI voice call to answer whatever objection stalled them.
7. Referral request
The forgotten sequence. Ask at the peak of satisfaction, not months later.
- Day 7 post-service: SMS with review link and a soft "know anyone who could use this?"
- Day 14: Email with a real referral bonus (dollar or dollar-equivalent).
- Day 30: One-line thank-you regardless of whether they referred.
How to actually ship these
Pick one sequence — usually #1 or #2 — and turn it on this week. Don't try to launch all seven at once; you'll spend three weeks configuring and get zero payoff. Measure the sequence's contribution to bookings for 14 days, then layer the next one on.
Pairs with the sales follow-up automation playbook.
Want to see it live? Book a 30-min Legion AI demo.