Okay, you can call me a dirty name, but frankly, I’m FLOORED about the fact we’re still talking about follow up. More importantly, I’m wondering WHY so many small business owners and entrepreneurs turn their backs on interested prospects.
…And when I call them out on this B.S. (or laziness, neither one will pay the bills…), they ALL sing the same song:
“Jamie, I DID follow up! I called (texted/emailed/Skype’d) them two times and they just haven’t called me back.”
Now, I’ll own up to this – even I struggle with follow up, especially if I’ve got an email campaign running behind an offer or an event. I make the flimsy rationalization that the email is going to close the deal, but if I’m completely honest? I’ve got to take the time to pick up the phone, to do the work, to “press the flesh” and make the sale.
Yes, automation works, but plenty of times, you’ve got to take action.
Remember: a lot of sales still happen after the campaign has run. After the follow up that you’ve put in place. After your prospect realizes you’ve got the solution they need. In fact, statistically, most closes happen after about ten touches – and yes, those can be emails, or texts, or calls, or a handwritten note.
There’s one more factor that 90% of all personal – as in, non-automated – follow up generally has in common, and it’s also costing YOU sales.
Your follow up never has a close in it.
Oh, you might restate an offer, or your text might hint around about how you’d be happy to jump on a call and answer the prospect’s questions, or maybe you’ll include a link to where they can make a purchase, but precious few of the “live” follow ups you should be using in your business to close more sales have a real close in them.
Why is that?
Well, I spent some time talking about that with a few folks on one of our Cardone calls last week, and the main answer we came up with is the person handling the follow up – especially those who aren’t really comfortable with sales – assume that one “active” close was enough. They shot their shot, the prospect didn’t buy, and the sales person assumes the would-be client recognized the close as a close and they think it’s going to live forever on the theoretical table.
Nonsense! Your “close” dies the minute the client doesn’t take it. As much as I hate the “hard close” stereotype, the fact is? No one buys if you don’t ask for the business. One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is the client is going to buy when the client is ready to buy, BUT … most clients are in no hurry to spend money.
You’ll have to ask them for the business.
You’ll have to ask them for the money.
You’ll have to make the damn close.
The sale isn’t going to take care of itself.
So this week, my point is simple: TAKE ACTION on the followup and ASK FOR THE BUSINESS.
If you – or your team – aren’t doing this, then you’re losing sales and not truly serving your clients and prospects.