How To Follow-Up With A Prospect
Have you heard that the success of a business is in the follow-up? Have you ever met someone who
said they were going to follow-up with you and never did? Have you ever been to a networking event, or paid for a booth at an expo and didn't follow-up with potential prospects? It sounds a little absurd doesn't it? You might be thinking, "why in the world wouldn't someone follow-up with a person who expresses interest in a business's products or services?" It is strange but it happens all the time! Let's not let this happen to you!
Over the years I have learned from some top sales people and successful business owners and I want to share this information with you.
Experts say it takes an average of about seven connections points before a prospect will decide to purchase your products and services. Some industries this number is less and for some it's more; however, most people aren't even doing the first follow-up. It is not up to the prospect to chase you down it's up to you to follow-up with them and see how you can help them solve a problem.
One of my mentors, Eric Worre, who I have spent many years learning about how to build business from offers this advice when it comes to follow-ups:
1) Do what you said you were going to do. If you set up an initial, or follow-up, meeting of some kind be sure to show up! make sure to call them when you said you were going to call them and meet them when you said you were going to meet them. Too many people drop the ball on this simple step and it may cause you to lose a customer.
2) Always set up the next meeting at every meeting. This means that before you get off the phone with a prospect, or leave a meeting, take time to set up the next connection. When this connection is booked into both you and your prospects calendar it will happen. Each exposure to your prospect is chance for you to learn more about their needs and educate them on how your products and services will help them.
3) Never give up. Remember it takes an average of about seven exposures, or connections, before a prospect will say yes. Keep setting up meeting after meeting, or connection points as long as it takes for you prospect to wither feel ready to buy or tell you to leave them alone. Even when they tell you leave them alone you never know if one day they may be ready for your help so stay in touch somehow it just might not be as often.
4) Set up connection points in close time proximity. This means that you want to be sure to connect with your prospects as many times as possible without too much time passing between each tough point. The longer time passes the more things come up and they may forget about you and how you can help them. Find a balance between bugging them too much and not enough.
5) Be busy and unattached to the outcome. When you come off like you don't have much time or are busy to a prospect this may intrigue them thinking that what you have to offer is in high demand. This strategy also keeps them wanting to come back for more. Staying unattached to the outcome, whether or not they buy from you, will prevent you from looking desperate and keep you just giving value to them without expectation of anything in return. Your prospect will feel much lesser pressure from you when you aren't so desperate.
Hope this helps!
Rachel Joy Olsen, BSc., MBA
