Being Persistent with Follow-up

Being Persistent with Follow-up

The art of selling is knowing when to make sales calls and when to follow-up. How can you accomplish successful follow-up without being a pest?

Here are some ideas:

Verify the prospect needs a follow-up call. If you are working with a prospect and they are truly not interested, don’t waste time on a follow-up call. Place this prospect in a quarterly database where you touch via email or phone to remind them of your product or services.

Determine probability of a sale. Where does this prospect stand in regards to the sale? Are they a past, present or future prospect? Knowing this information will provide direction for follow-up. If they are planning to purchase in a few months, keep them on a hot list. If the prospect does not have a budget until next sales cycle, contact them every 6 months to remind them of your product or services.

Follow-up plan. Place an automatic plan for follow-up. Most businesses fail in regards to follow-up. The follow-up plan might be after a sale, after an inquiry or a tradeshow event. Put together an automatic plan that states that every touch requires a 2 day business rule for follow-up.

If you speak with someone, make a sale or send prospects information, reach out to them to thank them, ask about future sales, take the time to mention current promotions or inquire if they have questions about your product or service.

When you reach a prospect and they are truly busy, be mindful of their time and ask when it would be more convenient to talk with them. Use lines like, “I know you are busy, when would be a good time to talk with you”, or “Is there any way I can get on your calendar for next week?”

Studies show that most customers don’t purchase on the first attempt. Many customers don’t agree to purchase or sign up for services until the 3rd or 4th attempt. Follow-up is crucial in customer service and will generate consistent, predictable results as well as build long term business relationships.