“Looking Forward to Hearing from You” Alternatives

Your sales process is only as strong as your communication skills. Prospects receive so much outreach from salespeople, it’s important to keep your messaging fresh and compelling.

One way to achieve this is by swapping tired, meaningless phrases like, “Looking forward to hearing from you,” with alternatives that inspire action and urgency.

‘I Look Forward to Hearing From You’ Alternatives

‘I look forward to hearing from you’ is a common email sign-off. While it conveys familiarity and warm sentiment, it isn’t always appropriate. In some contexts, this sign-off could be perceived as passive-aggressive, or it could be easily forgotten or ignored without clear directives. Most importantly, it forces you — the sender — to wait for a response before you can make your next move.

It’s a good idea to forgo the typical email sign-offs to make your email more memorable and urgent, and less passive. If you’re waiting for a colleague or connection to get back to you, consider trying the following examples to help you better convey your request and ideal timeframe.

1. “Could you return all proposal feedback by Friday?”

Giving your prospects a deadline to meet guesswork out of your timeline. In doing so, you prevent the recipient from “starring” your email for later or thinking, “I’ll get to that next week.” Instead, you state your expectations up front and give them a direct goal to meet.

If your deadline’s flexible, you might add, “Does this timeline meet your expectations?” This allows your prospect to push back if they need more time. Make sure there’s always a deadline, however. If your prospect replies, “Actually, I think I’ll need a few more days,” say, “Not a problem. Let’s move the deadline to next Wednesday.” You’ve given them some wiggle room while sticking with a firm goal date.

Hi Jake,

Here’s a proposed timeline for your renovation project. I hope this meets your expectations. If you have any questions, please let me know.

I’d love to get the ball rolling — could you let me know your feedback by the end of the week?

Many thanks,

Jennifer

2. “Could you help me find the answer here?”

Humans generally like helping other humans. Use this fact to your advantage. This approach is especially helpful early in the sales process when you need to identify the decision maker.

Sending an email that says, “I’d like to speak with the person in charge of purchasing at your company, but I’m not sure who to reach out to. Could you help me?” is much more persuasive than simply saying, “Are you the person in charge of purchasing at Geo Enterprises?”

Hi Emma,

My name is Maria and I’m a business development manager at XYZ Company. I’m reaching out because I’d like to speak with someone who is responsible for event management at your company.

If that’s you, are you open to a ten minute phone call on Wednesday? If not you, I would really appreciate your help connecting me with the best person.

Thank you,

Maria

3. “I saw X and thought of you. What are your thoughts?”

If your prospect has gone dark or you’re having trouble getting them to meet one particular requirement — stop hitting them over the head with the same ask. By this time, they’re probably immune to it.

Instead, send them a casual, non-work-related email such as, “I saw Oklahoma had some tornadoes last weekend. Were any close to you?” There’s less pressure to reply and a greater likelihood they will because it’s a personal question. Once you’ve gotten them talking again, you can ask the business questions you need answered.

Hi Mei,

Looks like Orlando will see record-high temps next week. Hope you’re staying cool! How are you doing?

Best,

Nick

4. “It would really help me out if you could reply by Wednesday.”

This is a similar approach to number two. If you need an answer quickly, ask for help. Frame the request as a favor instead of a demand, saying, “It would really help me out — and help us stick to our timeline — if you could give me an answer by the end of the day on Thursday.”

Ultimately, when you hit or miss a deadline, that reflects on you — even if you rely on someone else to get there. We’ve all been in those situations, and most of us (including your prospects) are more than willing to step up and get you the results you need.

Hi Brad,

I hope you saw my email last week. It would really help me out — and help us stick to our timeline — if you could give me an answer by the end of the day on Thursday.

Thank you,

Camila

5. “If you’re too busy to handle this request, is there someone else I can reach out to?”

This is a direct approach — and one to only use when absolutely necessary. It’s essentially presenting your prospect with a light threat by explaining that if they don’t respond, you’ll go around them.

Reserve this for situations where the deal is on the verge of falling through. For example, if you sent the contract several weeks ago, have touched base several times, and have still heard nothing back.

Hi Jada,

I haven’t heard from you in a while, and I wanted to circle back about the timeline draft. Because this is time-sensitive, it would be helpful to get your feedback sooner than later. However, I understand you have a lot on your plate. If you’re busy, is there someone else I can reach out to?

All the best,

Lucas

6. “If I don’t hear from you by X date, I’ll assume we’re good to move forward here.”

This approach works well when you have a request that doesn’t necessarily require an answer — like the final draft of a contract or a proposed timeline. Simply send the document or update and say, “If I don’t hear from you by Friday, I’ll assume you don’t have any feedback and move forward.”

This sets a firm timeline and puts the burden on them to get back to you with an answer quickly.

Hi Khalil,

I’m checking in about the presentation slides. If I don’t hear from you by next Monday, I’ll assume it’s safe to move forward to the next step.

Thanks,

Josh

7. “I appreciate your quick response.”

This is a gentle nudge for prospects. It communicates you’re serious about a response without being forceful or vaguely threatening. Drop it at the end of an email or add why their prompt response is important.

Hi Dale,

Attached please find the document you requested. I appreciate your quick response on this matter because our legal team is waiting to draw up the contract details.”

Thanks,

Kathi

8. “Let me know if anything changes.”

This is another opportunity to put the responsibility back on your prospect. If all that’s required of them is to alert you to feedback or changes to the existing agreement, ask them to keep you in the loop and leave it at that. Unless they reach out, you can move forward freely.

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for the great conversation yesterday — I’m excited to see what we can accomplish!

If you need anything, I’m always a phone call (or email) away. And, please keep me in the loop as we move to next steps.

Best,

Ben

9. “I haven’t heard from you regarding [topic]. Usually when this happens, it means [usual meaning]. Is this correct?”

Save this as another last resort. If there’s a 50/50 chance the deal is lost anyway, try this as a final effort to elicit a response. There is a chance you might jolt them back into action and jumpstart the deal once more. Either way, you’ll have a definitive answer allowing you to move on.

Hi Alex,

I haven’t heard back from you regarding our final budgetary agreement. Usually when this happens, it means we haven’t met a mutually agreeable price and the deal can’t move forward. Am I correct in assuming this is the case here?

Best,

Emily

10. “If you’re not the right person, would you mind connecting me with the best person to help me with this request?”

If you’re not in correspondence with the correct person to fulfill your request, and email ending in “I look forward to hearing from you” might result in your message being ignored. If you aren’t already in close communication or partnership with the recipient of your email, ask them if they’d be willing to connect you to the person who can help you.

Hi Jane,

Thanks for your email and apologies for the confusion. Since you’re not the right person for this request, would you mind pointing me in the right direction?

Best,

Abby

11. “Let me know if you are interested so I can get started immediately.”

This is a useful approach when you need the go-ahead from the recipient before moving to the next step. The word immediately also communicates a sense of urgency and your willingness to hit the ground running. It’s a compelling sign-off that’s hard to ignore.

Hi Marissa,

Did you get a chance to review the project timeline yet? Let me know what you think so I can get started immediately.

Best,

Kelly

12. “Do you have any questions?”

This is a great option when it’s early in the sales process and you need to build relationships. It’s a simple phrase that facilitates conversations while reassuring prospects that you’re open to questions. As a result, the relationship feels less transactional and more supportive.

Hi Fiona,

Thanks for a great discovery call yesterday! I mentioned a few tools that can streamline your team’s workflow — I attached some notes with more information about these tools. Do you have any questions?

Best,

Rick

Try a few of these fresh takes on “Looking forward to hearing from you” to increase your response rates from those prospects that never seem to be in a hurry to reply.