Sales Challenge: How soon should I follow up?
I was asked the question the other day, what is an appropriate amount of time to leave before following up on an email with a call. I found it an interesting question, one that I had not thought about so often previously, as it had become second nature to me. So what is the answer?
In my experience, if you follow up authentically, it is never too soon.
If you have been in conversation with someone, and have now sent them through a proposal. It is perfectly ok, and actually a good idea, to give them a call – or at least send a text – after you’ve sent it along the lines of:
“I’ve just sent that proposal across to you – just wanted to make sure you got it ok…”
When I was first selling, I read somewhere that every day you leave a lead without following up, the likelihood of success with that lead decreases by 50%. Now I have no idea if that is true, or how on earth they measured that… but it feels true.
“Yes”, you say, “but I don’t want to be annoying…”
Then don’t be! Ensure that when you reach out to follow up, that you are doing it authentically with the best interests of your customer at heart – and they won’t be annoyed by it. If anything, they should see it as good service and a willingness to work hard for them. They want to know that the business they are dealing with is responsive and is going to take care of things. They want to know that you will deliver what you’ve promised – and that you’ll follow up to ensure everything is going well. That is the message you are sending with good follow up.
If I fill out a form to show my interest in something, I expect someone to get back to me at least by the next day – if not the same day. I’m expecting that they are keen and interested to work with me, and that my business matters to them.
When they do reach out, I want it to be by someone who knows the business and can answer my questions, who can help me to find out more if I want to. I don’t want to feel like I am a cog in a giant wheel of their daily work. I want them to be interested in me as a person.
I had a conversation the other day about a shared experience of filling out interest forms – and never hearing back. What’s that all about? Why have a form for people to complete – if you don’t respond? Odd behaviour.
Keeping the contact up through the sales process
It’s sometimes helpful to remind yourself that when you are in a sales process with someone, it is a conversation. You want to keep up a reasonably constant conversation with them, as you walk together on this journey.
If we are new to selling, we might feel nervous not just about the first contact, but about how often we should reach out during the sales process.
If you are in the discovery phase of a sales cycle, it is perfectly fine, and maybe even beneficial, to reach out with additional questions as you build out your proposal. Remember, each time you have contact, it is an opportunity to build rapport.
The key thing is to try and have an authentic reason for reaching out each time you make contact. Try to avoid the ‘I’m just touching base’, and have a real question to hand – ensure your conversation is purposeful.
Keep it Friendly, but Snappy
It is important to match the style of your conversation to the person you are speaking with, as best you can. If you are speaking with a very busy senior level executive, they are unlikely to be annoyed about a short purposeful conversation, if they can see you are contacting them in a genuine way. They’ll probably get irritated if they can’t see the point of the conversation, or it drags on taking up their time. Be friendly and pleasant, but stay on track with the objective for your call.
This is where the stereotype of a super chatty verbose salesperson, is not what you always need. Read the room people.
Don’t Overthink It
Most important of all, don’t overthink it. Be yourself. If you have a good solution and are working hard to provide them with a good solution, that will shine through. That’s what they’ll remember – and what they really care about.
