I wrote this blog a while back and after a call I had with two supposedly experienced sales pros (I use this term loosely) I’ve decided to dust it off and post it once again. Like Yesterday’s post, if prospecting is the most important habit follow up is for sure the second. As the saying goes, the F.U. Money is in the follow up.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, It never ceases to amaze me how few sales people make the time to follow-up after they have made initial contact with a prospect or merchant.
In the last few months, I can think of at least eight different situations in my own life (business & personal) when someone did not bother taking this initiative.
These included a guy who designed plans for our property, two different people who spoke to me about creating a promotional piece of literature for my business, a sales rep for a fence company, and a men’s fashion salesman who was asked to send information. You know who never gave up? The Rainbow vacuum cleaner salesman.
(and we have no carpet)
In each of these situations I was very interested in the product or service offered by the vendor.
This got me wondering…why don’t sales people follow-up?
I think there are several reasons.
1.They don’t want to appear pushy.
It may be true that following up too frequently will come across as being pushy. However, very few people ever come close to crossing this line. In fact, one the few times, a salesperson was pushy was more because of his tone, rather than fact he actually followed up.
As a sales professional, I believe it is our responsibility to keep following up with our prospects until we know for certain if they want to do business with us.
However, I also strongly believe that we can cross that line by making too many calls in a short period of time. So where’s the happen balance?
It depends on how your following up. A weekly phone call is more than enough to keep in touch providing you make sure your call is short and to the point. Walk in follows up I would say every 2-3 weeks unless other wise agreed upon.
2. Don’t waste your prospect’s time by droning on and on. Also, if possible, provide some additional value during your follow-up call. This may give your prospect a reason to choose you instead of a competitor.
They forget. It’s easy to forget considering how busy we are. We may have every intention of calling our prospect but we get caught up in our business.
Unexpected problems crop up, we find ourselves spending more time in meetings ad stuck in traffic, and because we didn’t schedule the follow-up, it doesn’t get done. This is a common dilemma but one that can be avoided by considering the follow-up like a scheduled appointment.
3.They make false assumptions.
I once submitted a proposal to a restaurant and told them I would follow-up on a certain day and time. Unfortunately, I was extremely sick that particular day and it was several days before I recuperated. I then wrestled with whether or not I should call him. I was concerned he would question why I didn’t call as scheduled. In the end, a simple apology was enough to rectify the situation and move the sales process forward.
When someone doesn’t immediately return our phone call or email message, we usually assume the worst – even if this assumption is not verified. I have learned from experience that a lack of response can often be attributed to the fact that the other person is just too busy to respond or does not have an answer for you. They think that the merchant or prospect will contact them. I think this is one of the most common myths we as sales professionals fall prey to. We think that if we do a good job the prospect will automatically call us back – we don’t need to follow-up.
Unfortunately, we cannot rely on this if we want to achieve our sales goals. I remember talking to a couple of business owners at a networking function. Both lamented the fact that companies did not return their calls. I pointed out that the average executive receives dozens of phone calls everyday and often hundreds of emails. They are extremely busy which means they forget and the more time that slips by, the less important your product or service may be to them.
4. They have never been taught.
Many people have never received formal sales training and have not learned why they should follow-up and how to make this happen. This is relatively easy to remedy. Start by asking or telling your prospect that you will follow-up on a specific day or time. Tell them how you will follow-up (telephone, email, face-to-face) and record this in your day planner, CRM or other time management system.
I use Google and Outlook now and include a reminder so I don’t forget to follow-up.
Follow-up should also be completed after the sale is completed. A quick telephone call after the terminal has been delivered confirms their decision to buy from you. I also make an effort to send every new merchant a handwritten thank-you card once the terminal has been installed and again after they receive their first statement. I use Send out Cards or Postable.
Here’s the bottom line. You can easily differentiate yourself from your competition by making the effort to follow-up with your prospects and merchants. Don’t take it for granted that they will call you. Be proactive and contact them.
Let me know how you follow up with prospects.
Happy Selling,
David
Payment Lynx Daily 