It's a known fact that salespeople who consistently follow up generate higher sales than their colleagues who don't. However, mastering the art of effective sales follow-up is challenging.
We have all encountered prospects who expressed interest in our product, service or offering. But after that initial conversation that person has gone AWOL. We leave a few voicemail messages and send a couple of e-mails, but get no response.
We don't want to be perceived as a pest, so we give up and move on to other opportunities.
Why don't people return your calls and e-mails? They are simply too busy. The average corporate executive has at least 40 hours of unfinished work on his or her desk at any given time, so he or she seldom responds to anything that isn't urgent or important.
Here are five strategies you can use to improve your follow-up process and increase the likelihood of reconnecting with your prospect.
1. Deal with the right person.
First and foremost, you must deal with the right person. That means talking to the key person(s) who are responsible for making that buying decision. If you are discussing the purchase with anyone other than the person who controls the budget or who has buying power, you are wasting your time.
2. Pre-arrange the follow-up.
During the initial call, establish a day and time for a subsequent conversation. You can do this simply by saying, "It seems like we need to talk again. Does next Tuesday morning at 9:15 a.m. work for you?" Pinpointing a specific day and time is critical, but most salespeople say something like, "I'll call you next Tuesday."
This approach leaves the door open and forces the other person to actually look at his or her calendar and consider your request.
Once you nail down a day and time, tell them that you will send them an Outlook invite. Then send it immediately after your call.
When you call at the determined time you may get their voicemail, so hang up and call back in 2 to 3 minutes. If you still get voicemail, leave a message: "Mr. Jones, Kelley Robertson calling as promised. I suspect you got called away, so I'll give you a shout at 11:45." In many cases, the other person will either return your call shortly or will be at his or her desk the second time you call.
3. Develop a plan.
You can't simply keep calling a prospect and say, "Hi, it's Kelley following up to see if you have made a decision yet." That approach will get you nowhere fast.
The key is to find ways to keep your name on your prospect's radar.
Many buying decisions go into a holding pattern while your contact deals with internal politics, approval processes and other projects on his or her plate. Although the buying decision may be a priority today, it can be pushed to the bottom of the list tomorrow when your contact has a more pressing issue to handle.
That means you need a well thought-out plan of attack. Invest time to create a "keep-in-touch" campaign. Use a range of approaches and methods, and you will increase the opportunity of connecting with your prospect.
4. Use a variety of methods.
You can't rely only on e-mail or telephone to connect with busy prospects. You need to use a variety of tactics and methods, including texting and sending direct messages through social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook.
Snail mail and courier are two methods that are underused in today's technology-driven world, and you can often connect with high-value prospects at industry conferences or networking events.
5. Become a resource for that person.
If you know that your prospect struggles with employee turnover, look for information that addresses this issue. You don't have to be the expert; in fact, you will earn even more credibility if you aren't because this demonstrates that you are in touch with their business challenges.
If you're going to call, make sure that each message adds some type of value—avoid the approach I mentioned a few paragraphs ago.
How Much is Too Much?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get when discussing follow-up strategies with clients and salespeople is, "How much is too much?" or "How many calls should I make?"
There is no clear or definitive answer; however, here is my guiding rule: The larger the sales opportunity, the more follow-up calls or contact points you need to make, and you have to determine what a high-value sales opportunity is for your particular business.
In my own sales training business, I will seldom try to reconnect with a prospect more than once or twice if the value of the sale is less than $500. But I will make several attempts for sales worth several thousand dollars, and I will be relentless in my follow-up for a sales opportunity that has the potential to generate a five-figure result.
Great follow up requires thought, effort and energy. The more consistent and effective you are at executing this, the more you will increase your sales.
© MMXI Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.
By Kelley Robertson
Do you know what sales blunders are costing you money? Increase your sales with a free audio program, Sales Blunders That Cost You Money, and two other sales-boosting resources by subscribing to Robertson's newsletter at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. Robertson helps people master their sales conversations so they can win more business and increase their sales. He does this by conducting sales training workshops and delivering keynote speeches at conferences, sales meetings and other events. Book Robertson for your next event by calling (905) 633-7750 or e-mailing Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.
- People:
- Kelley Robertson