How to Use Email Automation to Increase Sales – CPA Firm Made $99,617 [Case Study]
Key Takeaway
This CPA made $99,617 in one month using automated email follow-up sequences that contact leads 24+ times across multiple channels. The system uses AI-powered personalization, behavioral triggers, and lead scoring to convert prospects who would otherwise be forgotten.
Critical Stats:
- $99,617 profit in ONE month (not just revenue - actual profit)
- Over 20% conversion increase when following up 24+ times vs fewer touches
- 90% of visitors don't fill forms - but this system captures and converts them anyway
- First 5-7 days are crucial for relationship building and response tracking
It's 2025 - your leads have already forgotten about you if you're not systematically following up. This case study shows the exact workflow that turns forgotten visitors into paying customers.
- Quick Context: CPA firm needing to convert more leads from their website traffic
- Method Used: 24+ touch automated follow-up system with AI personalization and behavioral triggers
- Time Required: First month implementation, then automated ongoing
- Key Result: $99,617 profit increase in one month
The Challenge: Why Most Businesses Lose Leads in 2025
My name is Brad Smith, owner of Automationlinks. I've been doing this marketing stuff for the last 10 years and have worked with over 2,500 brands. When this CPA firm came to me, they had a classic problem that's even worse in 2025.
Here's what was happening: They were bringing in leads from Meta, Google, and Instagram ads, getting people to their opt-in page, but less than 10% were actually filling out the form. Even worse, the people who did fill out forms weren't converting at the rates they needed.
The brutal truth? In 2025, if you're not following up with your leads at least 24 times, you're missing out on over 20% conversion rate. People are busy - they're probably at a red light when they see your ad, the light turns green, and they totally forget about you.
- Case Study Insight: 90% of website visitors don't convert immediately
- What Happened: Lost revenue from unconverted traffic
- Time to Results: Immediate leak of potential customers
- Tools/Methods Used: Basic lead capture without systematic follow-up
The Solution: Building the 24+ Touch Follow-Up System
This workflow we built for the CPA firm focuses on one thing: being profitable where you're not having to spend more money on ads - you're just focused on your follow-up.
Step 1: Capturing Every Website Visitor
When somebody hits your site, we want to tag them with pixels and retargeting pixels so we can follow up and remind them to come back. This is crucial because less than 10% actually fill out the form, but we can still capture that data and retarget them.
Step 2: AI-Powered First Response
When somebody fills out the form, we do a ChatGPT-powered response. It scans their website, scans their business, and automatically responds back with custom values and custom messaging that's focused on them.
We want to focus on our ICP (ideal customer profile) - show the marketing and emails specifically for what they want and what would help them the most.
- Case Study Insight: AI personalization increases response rates significantly
- What Happened: Custom messaging based on prospect's business
- Time to Results: Immediate automated response
- Tools/Methods Used: ChatGPT integration with Go High Level CRM
Step 3: The Critical First Week Email Sequence
Email number one needs to be a relationship builder with the ultimate goal for them to open that email and respond. That way you stay in the inbox.
Here's the first week breakdown:
- Day 1: Relationship builder email (goal: get them to respond)
- Day 2: Education + value (send to YouTube video, education guide, or blog)
- Day 3: Follow-up email
- Day 4: Another email
- Day 5: Final email with call-to-action (schedule call or coupon)
The key is allowing them to either schedule a call with you or, if you're an e-commerce brand, giving them a coupon to go back to your site to buy.
How to Trigger Emails Based on Lead Behavior
After those first three emails, we want to separate based on conditions - whether they opened the email and clicked the link or if they didn't open the email.
If They Opened and Clicked:
This response means they're warm and you want to build a better relationship. They're more likely to buy or schedule with you, so you really need to focus on this next response to get them to schedule or get them to the right link to purchase.
If They Haven't Clicked:
This response needs to be totally different. It needs to ask them why they haven't clicked yet, making sure they even received your email, and seeing if they're still interested.
- Case Study Insight: Behavioral triggers double conversion rates
- What Happened: Different paths for engaged vs unengaged leads
- Time to Results: Immediate sorting after first week
- Tools/Methods Used: Go High Level conditional workflows
The Long-Term Nurture Strategy
After the first 5 to 7 days, we show them a new set of retargeting ads, but keep it similar to the first set so they remember you. People are being fed thousands of different pieces of content a day - they're going to easily forget. You want to keep it on brand: same face, same logo, same color, same look.
Then we send another series of emails where we:
- Educate them
- Provide case studies
- Show them reviews
- Ask questions
- Get them to watch more videos
This is for people who didn't sign up and weren't 100% interested in those first 5 days. Let's educate them and show that we're the authority business they should reach out to when they're ready.
The Newsletter Strategy
If they still don't come back and sign up, add them to your newsletter and send a third round of retargeting ads. These retargeting ads are just to follow you or sign up for your newsletter - they're not asking them to buy.
The earlier set was asking them to schedule or buy. This set is for people who just aren't ready yet, so let's not break that relationship. Let's keep providing value, get them on the newsletter, and send them an email every seven days. When they're ready, they know where to look.
Using AI to Personalize Email Replies
With the help of AI, we can know exactly where leads are in the process. If they click the email and show interest, let's get them on a sales call or send them a different discount offer.
We also add them to lists where we ask for reviews once they get through the system. For those on the newsletter who still aren't interested, we update and modify their scores because we want to say: "These are our best leads - they have a 10 out of 10 score. These are our worst leads - 1 out of 10 score. We need to follow up with automations in a different manner."
- Case Study Insight: Lead scoring optimizes follow-up intensity
- What Happened: AI tracks engagement and adjusts communication
- Time to Results: Ongoing optimization throughout the month
- Tools/Methods Used: AI-powered lead scoring and segmentation
Why You Need 24+ Follow-Ups Across Channels
This system provides a compounding effect. Somebody that's never heard of you might sign up next week. Another person might sign up next month. A couple more people you're building relationships with might sign up in 3, 6, even 12 months down the line.
My favorite channels for the 24 touches:
- Emails - building value and relationships
- Social media - X, LinkedIn, Meta
- Retargeting ads - so they never forget
- Direct outreach - for high-value prospects
- Case Study Insight: Multi-channel approach prevents lead loss
- What Happened: Consistent touchpoints across all major platforms
- Time to Results: Compounding results over multiple months
- Tools/Methods Used: Integrated automation across email, social, and ads
The $99,617 Result Breakdown
All of this is done within the first month, but you want to build systems to keep following up with your prospects month after month. That's what creates the compounding effect that generated over $99K in profit for this CPA firm.
The system works because:
- No leads are forgotten or lost
- Every visitor gets multiple chances to convert
- AI personalization increases relevance
- Behavioral triggers optimize timing
- Multi-channel approach maximizes reach
For more advanced lead follow-up strategies, see social sales system and explore our marketing automation guides .
The key tools mentioned in this case study include Go High Level CRM for workflow automation and email marketing platforms for consistent follow-up sequences.
Next Steps: Implementing Your Own $99K Follow-Up System
The CPA firm's success proves that systematic follow-up isn't optional in 2025 - it's essential for profitable growth. The key is building relationships through value while using AI and automation to scale personal touch.
Main takeaways from this case study:
- Follow up at least 24 times across multiple channels
- Use AI to personalize every interaction based on prospect behavior
- Focus on relationship building, not just selling
- Implement behavioral triggers to optimize timing
- Never let leads fall through the cracks
If you want to implement this exact workflow for your business, comment "system" and someone from my team will send you this exact workflow so you can use it for your business.
Ready to build your own profit-generating follow-up system? Schedule a consultation to discuss your specific needs, or explore our automation services for done-for-you implementation.
Case Study Summary: CPA firm generated $99,617 in profit using a 24+ touch automated follow-up system with AI personalization, behavioral triggers, and multi-channel nurturing sequences. The system captured 90% of unconverted website visitors and systematically converted them over time through value-driven relationship building.
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How long does it take to set up this email automation system?
The initial setup takes about one week if you have the right tools and templates. However, the system runs automatically once implemented, requiring minimal ongoing maintenance.
What's the most important part of the 24-touch follow-up system?
The first week is crucial - those first 5 emails determine whether leads stay engaged or fall off. The relationship builder email and immediate AI-powered response are game-changers.
Can this system work for businesses other than CPA firms?
Absolutely. I've worked with over 2,500 brands across different industries. The core principles work for any business that generates leads online, whether you're e-commerce, service-based, or B2B.
How do you avoid overwhelming leads with too many emails?
The key is providing value in every touchpoint and using behavioral triggers. If someone isn't engaging, we automatically reduce frequency and move them to the newsletter track instead of aggressive sales sequences.
What makes this different from typical email marketing?
Most businesses send 3-5 follow-up emails and stop. This system uses 24+ touchpoints across multiple channels with AI personalization and behavioral triggers. It's not just email - it's a complete multi-channel approach.
How quickly can I expect to see results like the $99,617?
Results vary by business size and industry, but most clients see significant improvement within the first month. The CPA firm's result was particularly strong because they had existing traffic and a high-value service.
Do I need technical skills to implement this system?
Not really. Tools like Go High Level make it straightforward to set up automated workflows. However, getting the strategy right - the email sequences, timing, and behavioral triggers - is where expertise matters most.
What happens to leads who never convert after 24 touches?
They go into a long-term newsletter sequence with monthly valuable content. Some leads convert 6-12 months later when their situation changes. The key is maintaining the relationship without being pushy.
How do you track which touches are working best?
The AI system tracks every interaction - email opens, clicks, website visits, ad engagement. This data feeds into lead scoring so you know exactly which prospects are hottest and which need more nurturing.
What's the biggest mistake businesses make with follow-up?
Stopping too early. Most businesses give up after 3-5 touchpoints, but the real conversions often happen between touches 7-15. Persistence with value is everything.
