While most sales professionals know that it takes at least five contacts to convert a prospect, the figures show that majority don’t make it past two. That should serve as a strong reminder to any salesperson who is having trouble. Of course, there are a variety of reasons why salespeople fail to follow up with prospects in order to increase their chances of making another happy customer. One of the reasons might be that they have no process in place after they discover a new prospect, they have too many difficult clients, or they are just too preoccupied with following up on too many prospects who waste their time.
However, it appears that the main issue is a lack of a prospecting process. A salesperson should have a method of communicating with their prospects that has been proven. Real estate agents, Financial advisors, and insurance providers that deliver value on a regular basis are excellent examples. It may appear to be a difficult task to remember, but any decent CRM software makes it feasible. Even without a CRM program, with today’s cell phones it’s as simple as telling Siri to set a reminder on your calendar. You may outline the steps you want a prospect to take with the help of good prospecting software. I like to use the W.I.N. method of notation structure in my CRM. List what was discussed, any insights you or the customer gain from the conversation, and based on those insights, what are the best next steps. With the help of a decent CRM software, you can keep things moving along in your pipeline and maintain your prospecting cadence.
In addition to putting in notes outlining your prospecting efforts, a prospecting cadence that has worked well for me is the 3-2-4 sequence. After every interaction I want to follow-up within three days, over the course of two weeks, I have reached out four times. This has proven to work really well for me. Naturally some prospects may need more contacts, but this is a great rule of thumb for me and following this method will put you ahead of most your competitors. After four contacts and no measurable forward progression on the prospects behalf has been taken my conversations turn more towards disqualifying the customer.
While consistent prospecting is half the battle having prospects that take up too much of our time or too many prospects who aren’t your target client is still an issue for many sales professionals. One thing that every salesperson should do is clean up their prospect list to identify just those prospects that have a lot of upside potential. You will be effective in bringing in more sales to your organization if you combine this with a strong prospecting process that you can follow.
Below is a link to a slideshare titled: Ultimate Follow-Up Checklist to Boost Sales
Feel free to check it out and keep it handy next time you’re about prospect for your next dream client!
If you’ve been selling for a while, you’ve probably had at least one experience in which your prospect suddenly started giving you the “silent treatment.”
Anthony described this dilemma very poignantly when he called me a few weeks ago:
“I don’t know what to do when I get hit with the ‘silent treatment’ — you know, when I’ve worked with a prospect for quite a while, and we’ve had great conversations, and they’ve expressed interest in our solution — and then all of a sudden everything stops.
I try calling them back once or twice. I even send a follow-up e-mail, but nothing. They just disappear. And I figure I’ve lost the sale, and I don’t know what I did wrong, or what to do next. It makes selling feel like such a painful and arduous process.”
If this has happened to you, you may have felt anxious and confused. You may have told yourself, “It’s not as if I’m the one who did anything wrong. I put everything into the relationship. How can I rescue the sale if I can’t even get them to talk to me?”
The “Hopeium” Trap
There is a pressure-free way to reestablish communication when your prospect starts giving you the “silent treatment.” But first, it’s important to understand why the situation has happened in the first place.
Most of us who sell get caught up in “hopeium,” a comical term that means we focus our hopes and desires on making the sale. But hopeium can be a trap, because it’s impossible for you to keep in mind your most important goal: to learn your prospect’s truth.
When we fix our minds on the outcome — making the sale — we automatically begin anticipating how the process will go, and we also begin expecting that things will happen as we hope they will.
But if we’re in that mindset and our prospect suddenly breaks off communication, we feel lost, anxious, frustrated, discouraged, and confused. We become preoccupied with what went wrong.
We may even feel betrayed.
Is there any way to clear up the mystery?
Yes, by giving up your agenda and learning the truth about where you stand with your prospect –and being ok with whatever the truth may be. “But how can I learn the truth when they’re avoiding me?” you may ask. “And why do I need to let go of the sale?”
Let’s take the second question first.
If you approach your prospect while you still hope the sale will happen, you’ll introduce sales pressure into the relationship. This will push your prospect away from you and destroy any trust you have developed with them. Instead, you can eliminate sales pressure by telling them that you’re okay with their decision if they’ve decided not to move forward.
In other words, you take a step back instead of trying to chase and follow up with calls because you’re focused on getting a “yes.”
The bottom line is:
When a prospect gives you the “silent treatment,” it doesn’t mean you’ve lost the sale. It just means you don’t know the truth yet.
What you need to do is call and learn the truth.
Why is learning the truth so important?
Here are 4 important reasons:
1. You stop losing confidence in your selling ability. The “silent treatment” threatens our “hopeium.” We start blaming ourselves. We don’t know where we stand — a painful state of limbo. Our self-talk is negative and full of self-blame, and we’re on pins and needles wondering whether the sale will still come through somehow.
2. You increase your selling efficiency and decrease your stress level. Once you learn the truth about your prospect’s situation, you can either stay involved with the prospect or move on. I often say, “A ‘no’ is almost as valuable as a ‘yes.’” Why? Because it frees up your time to find prospects who are a better fit with your solution. This lets you work much more efficiently because you can quickly weed out prospects who aren’t going to buy. Knowing the prospect’s truth lets you walk away without that guilt-laden voice whispering, “If you give up, you don’t have what it takes.”
Learning your prospect’s truth translates into tangible results that equal real dollars. You’ll also put an end to the self-sabotaging stress that comes from living in “silent treatment” limbo.
3. Sales pressure pushes prospects away. When you respond to the “silent treatment” with calls and e-mails, you’re really telling them that you’re determined to move the sales process forward — which means you’re looking out for your needs, not theirs. This makes them mistrust you and run the other way.
4. The “silent treatment” — totally breaking off communication — is how prospects protect themselves from sales pressure when they don’t feel comfortable telling us their truth. The more we press, the more they run.
But the opposite is true, too. The more we relax and invite the truth, the more straightforward they’ll be with us. Prospects feel okay sharing what’s going on with them when they know we’re okay with hearing it.
How to Reopen Communication
After Anthony and I had talked about some of these issues, he said, “This all makes a lot of sense, but I’m still not sure what to say when I make that call.”
It’s simpler than you might think.
* First, simply give your prospect a call. (E-mail and voicemail are very impersonal, so use them only as last resorts if you can’t reach your prospect after several phone calls.)
* Second, take responsibility and apologize for having caused the “silent treatment”.
Here’s some language I suggested to Anthony that will make prospects feel safe enough to open up and tell you the truth about their situation:
“Hi, Jim, it’s Anthony. I just wanted, first of all, to call and apologize that we ended up not being able to connect. I feel like somewhere along the way maybe I dropped the ball, or I didn’t give you the information you needed. I’m not calling to move things forward because I’m assuming you’ve probably gone ahead with someone else, and that’s perfectly okay. I’m just checking to see if you may have some feedback as to where I can improve for next time.”
When you respond to the “silent treatment” this way, the results will probably surprise you. You may even learn that the prospect has legitimate reasons for not having gotten back to you.
You’ll also find yourself more productive and less frustrated. It’ll make a world of difference in your productivity level, your stress level, your income, and how much you enjoy what you’re doing.
Remember…
You haven’t lost the sale. You just don’t know the truth yet.
Tip # 8: Be persistent, polite, and professional but not a pest.
If you follow this formula, about 70% of the time the client is there. But, that leaves 30% who are not for one reason or another. If the prospect is not there, leave a message so that he knows YOU called on time. Say,
“Hi Jerry, its Jim Smith from A-Z Company calling for our 9:00 am appointment. Sounds like you might be tied up for a few moments. I’ll call in 10 minutes if I haven’t heard from you. In the meantime, my number is ______”
Next, call in 10 minutes. Exactly. If the prospect is still not there leave another message:
“Hi Jerry, its Jim Smith from A-Z Company, following up on our 9:00 am appointment. Looks like you’re still tied up. Please give me a call when you’re free at —– —–, otherwise I will call you later this morning or early this afternoon.”
So far you’ve been persistent without being a pest. Now, give the prospect a chance to call. A good rule of thumb is a half a day. Four hours is plenty of time and space for the prospect to call you and more importantly, it doesn’t make you look desperate or annoying. Here’s what you can say,
“Jerry, it’s Jim Smith from A-Z Company, I called a couple of times today but as of yet we have not been able to connect. When we last spoke you were concerned about your current home price and lot availability. I have some ideas for you…So, my number is _______.”
Notice how the sales professional reminds the prospect of the call but does not make him feel guilty or embarrassed by using the phrase “. . . but as of yet we have not been able to connect.” Also, notice that the sales professional reminds the prospect about their early talks and the “pain” the prospect was experiencing. In effect, he wants Jerry to think, “Oh. . . ya . . I wonder if he found a lot for me…I better get back to him.”
If that doesn’t work make four to six more follow up calls but space them three business days apart. This shows persistence but the calls are spread far enough apart that the prospect doesn’t feel like he’s being stalked. If there’s no response by then, you probably won’t get one but at least you took a good stab at it.
If you do not get a response, I think that it is OK to ask if you should stop following up. You can say something like this: “I know how busy you are and completely understand if you just haven’t had the time to reach back out. But I don’t want to bombard you with communication if you’re not interested. Just let me know if you’d prefer I stop following up.”
Remain professional and give them a way out if you feel that they need one.
Tip #7: Build a follow up opening statement that gets through the clutter.
There are 4 simple steps to creating that pizzazz. First, introduce yourself using your full name. Second, give your company name. Okay, so far it’s pretty obvious but Step #3 is where you differentiate yourself.
Remind the client why you are calling; remind your client what prompted the follow up call in the first place. This means going back to your initial call/visit and reminding the prospect of the “pain” or the “gain” that was discussed or hinted at in your previous call. For instance,
“Jerry, this is Jim Smith calling from A-Z Company. Jerry, when we met last week, you had two concerns. First, you indicated that you were concerned about the value of your current home. Second, you were looking for info from other vendors in this area, but were having a hard time finding another one that fit your all of your needs. Has anything changed?”
It is very important that you make sure and ask this question, “Has anything changed?” In case he found another viable vendor, sold his house, or got laid off from his job. This will make sure that the topic of conversation stays relevant.
Jim reminds Jerry why he agreed to this call. He does this because he knows that prospects are busy; that they forget; or that the urgency of last week may not seem so urgent this week. So he scratches at the scab. Remind your client of the irritation and the move on to Step #4, the agenda:
“What I would like to recommend at this stage is two things. First, we discuss where you are at with your current home and second, we’ll take a closer look at your requirements. Then we’ll determine the next steps, if applicable. Is that fair?”
Clients like a clear, concise agenda. They want a sales professional who is organized and doesn’t waste their time. They want someone to takes control and move the call forward. This gives them confidence.
Finally, notice how the sales professional repeats a theme that he established in the first call and in his follow up e-mail. He indicates that they will “determine the next steps if applicable.” It’s a nice touch and reduces client resistance.
Hope this weeks tip helps in your follow up. Leave a comment & share your tips to follow up success!
Here is where so many sales professionals stumble and fall. Here some of the classic follow up opening statements blunders:
“I was calling to follow up on the proposal.”
“I am calling to see if you had any questions.’
“I just wanted to make sure you got my e-mail.”
“The reason for my follow up was to see if you had come to decision.”
It is not that these opening statements are poor but rather it’s that they’re routine and common place. They do nothing to position you or differentiate you. What this really means is that you are perceived as yet another run of the mill vendor looking for a sale. You need a little more pizzazz.
Leave a comment with some of your best follow up tips!
Don’t start your relationship on the wrong foot. Call on time. Never, ever be late with your follow up call. Not even by a minute. The promptness and respect you show on a follow up call reflects on you, your company and your products.
The day before your follow up call/meeting, send an e-mail to your prospect to remind them of your appointment. In the subject line enter the word: “Telephone appointment (visit) for August 16th at 9:00 am.” Note that the subject line acts as a reminder but it is vague enough that the prospect will probably open it. There is a hint that maybe the date and time has changed.
Your e-mail should confirm the date and time of the appointment and then briefly list your agenda:
“Jerry, Please allow 20 minutes for our conversation tomorrow. We’ll review your recent trip to our showroom, see if anything has changed and discuss any new questions that might have arose since we last talked.. And then we’ll determine the next steps, if any.”
Notice how the words echo the words that were used when the follow up was initially set. In particular, notice the trigger phrase “the next steps, if any.” The “if any” will help reduce some of the ‘stress’ or concern a first time prospect might have. Often they skip out on the follow up call because they are worried that they’ll have to make a commitment. This is natural and okay, BUT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH! If the prospect senses an easy, informal, no pressure type of phone call, he is more likely to show up on time for that call/visit.
I hope this tip helps you in your follow up efforts this week! As always, leave a comment.
Here is another helpful tip. After every call/visit to a first time prospect, send a “thank you” card. Handwrite a message on small thank you card that simply says, “Jerry, thank you for taking the time speaking with me today. I look forward to our next conversation on the 16th. Enjoy the day!” No more, no less.
In today’s fast paced world, a hand written card tells the client that you took the time and the effort to do something a little different. They will feel important. And if you are in competition with someone else for this persons business, this will allow you to set the bar. At some level this registers in the client’s mind and creates a degree of “equity” in you. It differentiates you and it gets remembered. And it gives the client a reason to be there when you make you follow up call.
If you don’t think a card will get there in time, send an e-mail with the same note. Just be aware that an e-mail does not have nearly the same impact as a handwritten note.
I hope this tip helps you in your follow up this week! As always leave a comment.
Tip #2: Assign homework to both you and the prospect.
I think that one of the reasons that sales professionals do not follow up as well as they would like is that they don’t know what to talk about next.
Consider this: The National Sales Executive Association did a study and found that, “80% of sales are made on the fourth to sixth contact.” When I share this with sales professionals, they are immediately taken back.
Usually, they talk about how long follow-up takes and that they don’t want to be labelled a “stalker”. But I contend that if every time you communicate with your prospect, you either give them homework, or have homework for yourself, you will further engage the prospect and they will be looking forward to taking your call the next time. You become the trusted consultant and not the “pesky salesperson”!
I hope this tip helps you in your follow up this week! As always leave a comment.
Catalyst Consulting 