We’ve all been there. We leave a voicemail and never get it returned. We send an email and never get one back. We continue reaching out, but the prospect never communicates back with us. How can we do this more effectively?
Use Their Preferred Method of Communication
This is precisely where most of us become annoying. We’ve been corresponding with the prospect via email. The deal is progressing. Its now End of Quarter, and we’re behind on quota. We then decide to call the prospects phone to get an answer on where the deal is. This is a mistake.
You must make sure you follow up with people through their preferred method of communication. Do not abruptly switch methods during the sales process. Instead, we should ask our prospect if switching will work for them.
It’s critical to be consistent and respectful of their communication boundaries. They will respect us more for it and remain loyal as a result.
Be Pleasantly Persistent
Pleasant persistence is about following up at the right frequency. We have to use good judgement and treat people the way we’d want to be treated. Try not to offend people’s sensibilities by bombarding them with emails and calls- nobody likes this. We have to be patient and always reach out with something of value.
The other important part of pleasant persistence is ensuring that we get to the point quickly. Nothing will bug prospects more than wasting their time. If we have the luxury of getting them on the phone, we need to get to the reason for the call quickly. Skip the small talk.
For example:
“John, good news. I got an update on ABC Service and it looks like we’re in better shape than we originally thought. How are things regarding the quote coming along?
Stop Pressuring Clients
They say pressure makes diamonds. But not for clients. Even if it works, they will resent us for this. In sales, we call this sales breath. It’s when our prospects can literally smell the desperation pouring out of us. They know when we only care about getting paid and that’s the last message we want to be giving our clients.
We have to stop this immediately. We have to use Emotional Intelligence and be strategic about how we approach follow up. Reaching out to people on Tuesdays & Fridays is a good start. These are the statistically the best days to reach contacts.
Avoid Mondays. Nobody wants a sales call or the “I’m just touching base call” after a long weekend. Fridays are great for those calls. People are happier and excited for the weekend. Small talk happens more naturally as well.
So remember, there are really only three things to keep in mind when we’re attempting to follow up and not be annoying.
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Communicate Using Their Preferred Method
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Be Pleasantly Persistent
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Don’t Pressure Clients