How Many Sales Are Lost to Poor Follow up?

This is a true story about how a sale was lost to poor follow-up, twice. One October a few years ago, we had a new roof installed on the family home. The old roof was 18 years old, and after a summer storm, an insurance adjustor discovered hail damage. We began contacting contractors in June. Like I said, we had a new roof installed in October, late October. So, why did it take so long? That’s a good question.

How Many Sales Are Lost to Poor Follow up?

The first company we contacted passed the information on to an employee who specialized in insurance work. We didn’t hear from him for nearly two weeks. After talking with him, I discovered he had emailed me, but it went to junk mail. Two weeks later, he called. We never saw him. He emailed an estimate that was several squares short and inaccurate. He didn’t inspire confidence.

The second company we contacted was the same story. It took more than two weeks to set an appointment, and then they were a no-show, no-call. Can any company that fails to honor an appointment, or at least contact us, be trusted with installation or service?

The third time was the charm. Although insurance covered most of the work, we were responsible as well. The third estimate was the highest. It was more out of pocket for my wife and me. But we trusted them. They followed up and came through.

How to Successfully Follow Up with Prospects Learn how the prospect wants to communicate. Some people prefer phone calls, while others hate them. Some listen to messages; many detest messages. It’s up to the provider to learn the prospect’s communications preferences—email, text, phone, social media, face-to-face, or?Ask for input—Ask the customer what information they want. Learn their expectations. If they want to be contacted at every step along the way, make a note of it. If they prefer only being contacted at milestones, note that as well. Find out what follow-up they want from you.Set the stage—Once the prospects’ expectations have been determined, let them know what follow-up they can expect from you. Explain what, why, when, and how.Stay ahead of the prospect – In the best-case scenario, the prospect doesn’t need to contact you with questions because you’ve already supplied the information. Stay one step ahead of them by sharing the information they need and want when they need it.How Many Sales Have You Lost to Poor Follow Up?

Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes and drop the ball. The key to follow-up is organization—developing a system. How soon should a prospect be followed up? Ask them. How should they be contacted? What’s their preference? By asking a few simple questions, listening to your prospects’ wants and needs, and then respecting them, you can limit lost sales due to poor follow-up. How do you follow up on leads?

New Age Consulting

When I was younger, I used every sales trick in the book and even invented a few. I used these tactics to sell and taught others how to dupe a customer into buying the product I wanted to sell, which was only sometimes what the consumer needed. I’m not proud of my early years in sales. I was “that” Salesperson.

Eventually, I learned that helping customers rather than “selling” them built lasting relationships. It not only made good business sense, but it also felt good. It was the right thing to do. Are you ready to do the right thing? Do you want to learn how to be a compassionate sales consultant and increase sales while building your customer base? If so, read this book. How to Sell Without Becoming “that” Salesperson

If you like this post, you might also appreciate 5 Things Top Consultants Do.

Photo by Cova Software on Unsplash

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