Do you follow up after your initial conversation with a client or do you sit by the phone (or eagerly scan your email inbox) waiting for them to contact you? Waiting and waiting… it gets old fast!
After coaching business owners and consultants for years, one of the biggest mistakes I see many of them make is they don’t have a process to follow up on interest. If you know me, you know I love great client processes! They reduce my labor intensity, keep me on track, and ensure I’m not leaving any money on the table. But when I first started out as a consultant, I wasn’t good at follow-up – I literally sat there waiting for the phone to ring. I quickly realized that I wasn’t doing myself, or my potential client, any good with this lazy approach.
The truth is that it can be hard to follow up, which is why the majority of consultants don’t do it! But if you’re tired of playing the waiting game and want to be more proactive, here are 9 lessons to help you follow up and stop leaving money on the table:
Remember persistence pays off. According to Marketing Donut Source, 80% of sales require four follow-up calls after the first meeting. However, 44% of representatives give up after one follow-up.
Shift your mindset to sharing value. I had to change my mindset around following-up with prospects. I came to realize that I’m sharing my value with them versus trying to get the next sale and this made it far more comfortable. So focus on all the benefits they will receive from your work together, that they can’t get from anyone else, to keep yourself in the right frame of mind.
Embrace the telephone. Consultants who have established trusting relationships with their buyers don’t hide behind email. Use the phone. It’s still one of the best marketing tools to use in your business. According to Sales Force, 92% of customer interactions happen over the phone.
Schedule your phone call in advance. After you meet with a buyer to review your signature programs, if they aren’t ready to sign up right then, schedule a follow-up phone call before you get off the phone. If it’s a corporate buyer and you plan to send a proposal, schedule the phone call right then and there. This way you can send the proposal and you already have a date on the calendar to review it. Don’t ask if you can schedule this call, use more assertive language and ask them when can you schedule this call. This makes it so much easier to follow up and is far more effective than letting them get off the phone saying, “Let me get back to you.”
Keep a record of your follow-up process. Track all your interactions with your prospect that includes dates and notes on your phone conversations and/or emails. This way you can easily pick up where you left off and ensure that you address all of their concerns.
Don’t wing it! Use a well-thought-out script. Think through what you plan to say and write it down. Are you calling to make sure they received the corporate proposal? Are you seeing to see if they’ve had a chance to talk to their spouse about your individual coaching plans? Also, prepare a second script of what you’d like to say if you have to leave a message or voice mail. Let them know in that phone message that you will also follow up with an email immediately afterwards.
Back up your phone message with an email. If you didn’t speak with them personally, email them letting them know you left a voice mail message and you look forward to hearing from them. (This is a great way to bookend your process so that they can’t say they didn’t get your message!)
Have follow-ups scheduled on your calendar. Here’s a schedule you can customize for your own use:
- 1st Follow-up. You want to phone them 2-3 days after the initial consultation or discovery session. Ideally, you already have this scheduled with them!
- 2nd Follow-up: Wait about a week and follow-up again. Call first and then send an email. Change your script so you aren’t saying exactly the same thing each time. Keep it simple, “Unfortunately I was unable to reach you last week but I wanted to check in to see if you got XYZ.”
- 3rd and 4th Follow-up: Wait another week or two and then call and email using the same system but again slightly different wording.
Keep the door open for the future. If after four tries you still haven’t received a response, repeat the procedure but this time say something like, “I know that this may not be the right time for you and I understand that. I’ll not be following up anytime soon, so as not to bother you. If and when you are ready to start, please contact me and we can talk again about your specific situation and revise the (proposal or program) based on what has changed. I’ll be here if and when you need me.” With this call you are basically taking them off of your list or waiting another six months to check in one more time.
If you’re working with a corporate buyer and they tell you they won’t get the funding approved until the third quarter, then you can respond with, “Thank you for letting me know your timeline. If it’s okay with you I’ll mark it on my calendar to follow up with you on (insert date) to discuss the timing and details of this project.”
These 9 lessons are now baked into my prospect process and I share them with my private clients. They’re always amazed how having a tried and true process not only works, it removes a lot of unnecessary stress.
Sarah’s Predictable Results Insights
- What value do you provide clients that they can’t get from anyone else?
- What is your current follow-up process with prospects?
- Which of the 9 lessons do you need to implement for greater success?
Are you unclear on the unique value you provide your clients and how to articulate it in a way that sets you apart from your competitors? If you want accelerated results it may be time to consider one-on-one coaching, please contact me at 1-800-267-3245 for a complimentary strategy session to see how we may be of service to you.