Most sales don’t happen immediately, because the majority of your prospects are not going to make a purchase from you on the very first meeting. Service-based entrepreneurs naturally crave that “yes” after the first meeting but often must continue engaging with their prospects before reaching a sale. With this in mind, let’s explore how we can increase our chances of getting more customers.
Sales follow-up
Despite having a qualified pool of buyers, only 10% make an immediate purchase decision. However, with sufficient sales follow-up over the course of 90 days to two years after initial contact has been made, that number jumps to 42%. It’s clear – follow-up is key to success!
However, as you try to pitch your service, it’s important not to send out generic messages of follow-up. It sends the wrong message – that you have nothing valuable or worthwhile to offer. Instead, businesses should focus on delivering additional value if they want customers’ attention and business.
Why you should not follow up in sales, but follow through
The definition of a sale is when two parties mutually exchange for a greater good. The concept of the sales process is often viewed as the transaction of a product or service, but it can also take on many other forms. The law of reciprocity (or quid pro quo) states that if you want something from someone else, there must be an exchange or ‘give and take’. This simple rule has been around since ancient times yet sales professionals still fail to understand its importance when trying to influence or nurture potential customers; instead opting for impatient sales follow-ups without offering anything in return first.
How follow-ups often annoy prospects
Common follow-up strategies with prospects are not always effective, especially when they are busy. When one’s inbox and text messages become flooded with the same follow-up emails or messages, it will often be ignored due to a lack of interest or clarity in decision-making. If they were ready to decide when they first met you, they would have made the decision. And if they weren’t, there was still some bit of information that wasn’t clear to them. So to stand out from the crowd and grab attention, you must offer something more than a simple follow-up!
Instead of merely “following up”, every salesperson should “follow through.” This means we must strive to continue the relationship with our prospects. If a sale is not made in an initial meeting or you did not get a response, that does not mean all value should be lost; rather by following through and providing continued motion, further value can still be given or asked for. This will help create stronger relationships with customers regardless if they make an initial purchase or not
Sales best practices: How to follow through
When trying to get back in front of a prospect, it is important to provide value that will make them want to listen and read. This can be providing an additional case study on the efficacy of your services or product with successful results from another customer – without asking for anything!Â
For example: “Hey, Mr. Prospect, I’m reaching out to you. I wanted to share with you the success we had with XYZ Prospect. They utilize the same services we spoke to you about. Here was how their business grew. I just wanted to share this with you. Hope all is well.“
To keep things fresh you could also include content lateral to their industry such as relevant information found on their website. So you can follow the above statement with: “Hey, now if I know I’m working with somebody in a specific industry, I can only send so many case studies before it becomes a nuisance. So what additional value can I send?”
What is lateral to their industry? Anything that’s relevant on their website. Now, don’t send information if you’re not going to do the research!
Other examples you could include in your sales email or call:
“We have at least minimum six additional value bonds that we send out to people.” Â
“These are additional value nuggets of me providing additional value.”Â
If you’re struggling to identify this, look at your sales brochure. Look at your offer. By breaking down the brochure and offer into 6, 10, 0r 15 different call points, you can identify added value nuggets that give your prospects meaningful insight about what is important to them. These additional value bonds should be framed in such a way as to engage readers, listeners, or viewers of your company’s message through relevant content they care about.
So to stand out in our industry and keep ahead of the competition, use the follow-through template instead of follow-up and also take action to ensure success!
See also:
How To Get Motivated In Your Business Ventures This 2023?
The Psychology of Selling: Understand Human Behavior to Make More SalesÂ
Know the best practices to convert more prospects
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