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BLISSFUL BALANCE

BLISSFUL BALANCE

THE POWER IN FOLLOW-UP

BY RUMELLA CAMERON

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You’re excited that you met with a potential client, the conversation was great and they expressed interest in your products or services. A week goes by and you have not heard back from them and now you’re wondering what went wrong. Many business owners forget one of the most important steps in the sales process and that’s follow-up. If you’re not following up you’re losing potential business. Following up gives you an opportunity to build a connection between you and the prospect and your brand. You want to be sure that you are consistent and plan out how often you will reach out to your prospects. If you forget to be consistent and follow up, your prospect can forget about your business and move to another company.

Follow-up is the process of completing an activity where you turn a prospect into a customer. It is crucial to a business’s success, and the faster you follow up, the more likely you are to close the deal. Studies have shown that 78% of customers buy from companies that respond first.

Many business owners fail to keep up with their prospects when reaching out and a good way to stay ahead is to maintain a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM), like Hubspot or Salesforce to track your communication with potential prospects. You want to have a process in place so that you’re staying on top and reaching as often as you can. Sometimes that prospect isn’t thinking of you and has many things going on in their life. But when you reach out, you then become top of mind so when they are ready to move forward you are the one they call. Although following up is very important and yet a simple task many business owners dread the follow-up. The key is consistency. You want to initiate the follow-up within 24 to 48 hours of the first contact. This can be done through a quick call, email, or text message. If you forget to be consistent and follow up, your prospect can forget about your business and move on to another company.

Here are 10 strategies you can use to connect with prospects that should be

part of your marketing process.

1. Maintain a Database

All of your prospective customers should be organized in a system that has complete contact information and notes on your conversations. Update your database after every follow-up. This will help you make a note of the customer’s needs and requirements.

2. Create a Process

When you’re going through your leads from phone calls, emails, website inquiries, social media, or networking events that you have attended, map out a plan of action. Create a guideline of how you’re going to follow up and how often.

3. Build Relationships

When you follow up with prospects you’re building a connection with them. Listen to what they say and ask questions to figure out how you make their lives easier with your product or services. When you establish a good relationship with a potential client they will remember the value you have shared and start seeing you as an industry expert.

4. Send out Emails

A very simple way to communicate with a potential client is to follow up with an email. Create an email sequence that will be sent out periodically with a call to action. Keep the frequency of your emails in mind and direct them to visit your website or promote them to take action. Also consider sending out weekly blog updates, topics of interest, and promotions your running. This helps nurture prospects and create a brand recall so that your company is the first thing that comes to mind.

5. Use Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool that allows you to connect and communicate with your prospective customers. Encourage your followers to talk with you through social media platforms and share valuable content that will keep them engaged.

6. Respond Quickly

I mentioned earlier that potential customers buy from companies that respond first. It’s important to balance speed and

“You want to have a process in place so that you’re staying on top and reaching as often as you can.”

with a quick response that doesn’t seem cookie cutter. Add personal details when responding to a prospect.

7. Create a Welcome Email

Help build a long-term relationship and welcome your customers soon after the deal has closed. Take this opportunity to share what the expectations are from both your company and your customer. In the welcome email introduce other products or services you offer and share content that will be helpful throughout their customer journey.

8. Get Customer Insight

Following up with your customer after the sale or during their customer journey ask them for feedback or a customer testimonial. Ask them if they are satisfied with the service or product so far and improve the customer experience.

9. Send a Thank You Note

Well after the sale and customer journey now it’s time to show your appreciation. Keeping in touch is a great way to upsell or make a new sale. Customer retention is extremely important for any business which helps increase your profitability. When you lose a customer without knowing what went wrong it is hard to identify areas of improvement.

10. Contact Old Leads

Not every prospect is 100% ready to move forward with your product or service. Stay in touch with your prospects and continue to follow up. 80% of sales require at least five follow-up calls before getting a sale.

I hope you find these strategies helpful in your business. Always remember to Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up. Implement a regular follow-up routine in your business and stop leaving money on the table.

Need more information to help grow your business? Conversance Business Solutions is a leading administrative support and consulting firm that provides a variety of virtual assistant services and business support. Reach out to us today at 585-484-0038. Visit us online www. conversance.biz

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