What’s the Purpose of Follow Up?
It is something that some of us are great at, and others of us hate, yet it is critically important. And the purpose of this something is to close more sales and make more money. Do you have any idea what I am talking about?
It is follow-up. A crucial step in the sales process, yet a step that many of us despise because we feel we are being pushy or salesy. But the fact is, if you don’t follow up you are leaving about 50 percent of your potential business on the table.
That’s right. The fortune is in the follow up.
Let’s face it. Not everyone is ready to buy after the initial consult, and that’s OK. What is not OK, however, is not having a follow up system. Following up helps us establish ourselves as the expert. And not only that, we continue to build rapport and trust when we follow up. Really!
How? By providing examples of ways you have helped other people in their situation. By providing statistics that will resonate with them. By continuing to demonstrate that you understand where they are coming from.
You are not hounding; rather, you are doing your job.
Keep in mind that most deals are closed as a result of following up, so there is no need to feel sleazy or slimy. And how often you reach out to them is entirely up to you.
But you should have some sort of system in place. Determine how many days after the initial conversation you want to follow up. And once you are done with that consult, draft the follow up email immediately, regardless of how long you are going to wait to send it. Why? Because the conversation is fresh in your mind, and you won’t have to rely on memory or notes to craft the email.
Then, when the pre-determined time has passed, send that email. And then you know what you do? You make a note to follow up again at a specific time. And again. And again.
If they don’t buy, it doesn’t matter.
It’s true you are not going to close every prospect that comes your way, even if you do follow up. And while our ultimate goal as business owners is to close more sales, we also have another goal with every interaction we have with our customers and prospects. We want to create raving fans. We want every interaction with our customers and prospects to be positive, educational, inspirational, and worthwhile in some way.
Why? Because we want our customers and prospects to tell others about us. We want them talking about us. Word of mouth and referrals are the best source of advertising, so let’s get it when we can.
So think about how you follow up and if you can make your system better. And if you don’t follow up at all, create a plan to start now. You will see some amazing results!
