Tips for Following Through
Do you know what is the number one reason why people are not as successful as they could be?
It’s called – not following through….
Nothing you will do in your marketing will be successful if you don’t have a proper follow-up system.
Most women fail by thinking, that the old high-school system of keeping in touch, meaning, remembering to phone or send an email to remind prospects about previous phone call, or latest product/service will be qualified as an effective follow-up system.
A balanced follow-up program needs to be a SYSTEM, not just based on whether you remember to do things. It has to be planned and thought throughly. It should combine both phone and mail with a variety of information, which will give you a good starting point for each time you connect with your prospective clients.
I’m familiar with the usual “mantra” of many businesswomen who say to me – “why should I follow them up? If they want me they got my details and they know my service/product is great – when they want it they will contact me”.
If this is your mantra then you probably live in only one country in the world that this will make you a successful businesswomen – it’s called “La-La Land”.
On the other hand, there are those businesswomen that think that calling and sending emails constantly about how great their service/product is, will create more clients for them.
This also will only work in that far away country called “La-La Land”
The key to creating a great Follow-Up system starts by understanding what is the purpose of a Follow-Up system.
The purpose is to complete the cycle of trust with your prospects. That means that it should be able to move them from knowing about you, liking what you have to offer and trusting you.
Only when they trust you that you truly CARE about them will they be willing to become your client. Only when they see that you know who THEY are, that you understand what THEIR needs are will they trust you that you can help them with THEIR challenges.
Here are 4 Fabulous Follow-Up Tips That Work
Tip 1: Have a SYSTEM
I’m all about having systems, but trust me; you don’t need to have a Customer Relationship Management System (CRM).
I know that some of the experts will tell you that you MUST have one, but, unless you have more than 5,000 prospects to follow-up each month you have no need for it, so don’t throw your money on finding one.
The old Excel spreadsheet will be sufficient enough for what you need.
Put together a spreadsheet to track all of your warm prospects. On this spreadsheet, have the following headings as a minimum:
1. Name,
2. email and phone (preferable mobile phone),
3. business,
4. referral source
5. And status update.
In today’s world most of the time you will not really need their physical address, but if you are sending samplers or physical goods make sure you have their physical address.
Keep a note of what you both spoke about; include not only the business you were discussing but anything they may have told you about themselves personally as well.
By gathering this useful information now, you will be able in the future to tailor your follow up specifically for this individual. Remember to keep this list up to date!
Tip 2: Set a time to follow through
Make a note in your diary to follow up any warm prospect within 48 hours to maximum 10 days after your first contact.
I know most textbooks say 90 days – trust me after 90 days no one is going to remember you…
When the follow-up day comes, make sure you actually do follow up, then and there.
Don’t procrastinate!
Tip 3: Do NOT sell when following through
Follow up with these warm prospects. Make sure you are not “selling” anything on those follow-ups.
It can be as simple as “I’m just checking in to see how you are” call or email.
I’ll be honest with you – I’m not comfortable with a push sell, but I am comfortable following up with warm contacts to see how they are doing, updating them on what I‘m doing, and generally learning more about them.
One way I like to break up the phone calls is to send out useful information to these prospects.
After I have learnt more about what is happening in their business, if I see something that I think they may find interesting I will send it off to them. Whether it will be an article, or a link or even just an interesting show or movie I will forward it to them. If there is a specific holiday, that I would like to recognize, then I may send off a card as well.
This approach mixes things up a bit, takes the pressure off constant phone calls, and is seen as a more personal approach, rather than just contacting them by mail (whether that be conventional post or email).
You’ll also find they will be surprised or delighted that you remembered something about them that wasn’t in relation to closing the sale.
Tip 4: NEVER give up on a prospect
Keep following up within every 30-45 days until your lead becomes a client, don’t take them off your follow up system if they didn’t say no. It may take time for a conversion to happen; in fact it may even take longer than a year.
Now, the only times you want to take prospects off your follow up system is if the NO becomes a definite NO, or you decide that this person is not your ideal client.
Remember at the end of the day, you can choose the clients you want to work with.
Now I’m curious…
What is your SYSTEM for following up on your prospects and clients?
Share with us in, the comment box below, your tips, experience and ideas of how follow up on prospects and clients ?
As a thank-you gift I will send you a video about Defining Your Target Audience from the course “Women Do Business Differently”
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Have a magical week! Vered
