Follow-up – 5 Hacks To Help You
Follow up is one of the hardest things to get sales people to do well and consistently – or at all.
Unfortunately, most sales people give up after one attempt. That’s a problem because 80% of prospects buy somewhere between the 5th and the 12th contact.
It’s important to understand though how well your team are following up. And if they are doing a better job than the stats suggest, could they be even better? And don’t forget to really drill down into the data to fully understand where the problems are – and the opportunities that are hidden in plain sight. Deals that are stuck in the pipeline, ready to close but have been left to languish for whatever reason.
I have to follow up with my own clients and prospects so I get just how hard it can be. You don’t want to appear desperate or pushy.
5 Follow Up Tactics For Success
Tip #1 – Believe in what you’re selling
Don’t assume that if you don’t hear it’s because they’re not interested. People are so busy. They often won’t come back to you and it’s not because they don’t want what you’re offering.
Tip #2 – Make it easier
Make a sandwich of your follow up calls, particularly the ones you’re not looking forward to. They’re the bread with calls to existing customers the jam in between. It usually makes it a lot easier when you’re in a position of comfort and know what you do is valuable to your customers.
Tip #3 – Find something useful to talk about
You’ve heard those calls – ‘Just checking in to see if you’ve made a decision yet’. Instead, do a bit of research about what’s happening in their company/market/industry and lead your call with the latest insights. Even if it doesn’t lead to a sale right then it will position you as a ‘thought leader’ and ‘trusted partner’ rather than a simple sales person.
Tip #4 – Change the environment
A lot of sales people tell me they do follow-up calls when they’re out and about seeing customers. If you can’t go out and about change the environment in another way. Go and make those calls from a different office or when you’re driving to work or from work.
Tip #5 – Plan them in
Put them in your diary and do them! Don’t overload it but don’t under load it either. Book the next follow up on that call.
Check out my video on Make That Call NOW!Click here to view it
If you’re finding that traditional follow-up calls “I’m just checking in on our proposal,” aren’t getting the right response, or even any response, then try the five follow-up tactics in my article here to get results.
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