Did you know that ONLY 8% of sales are made on the first attempt?
That means that you can sell more in less time, with less effort - IF - you start
following up on your potential customers. This is true for both first time sales as well as up selling to existing customers. Following up is easy and does not necessarily take up too much of your time or money! Below we will look into 5 reasons why you should follow up and then how you can start doing it!
Why should I follow up?
- 92% of customers do not buy on the first contact. This is especially true for more complicated services and products. Most of the time it takes 7 contacts - including meetings and calls for a customer to buy! However it can take up to 12 times! So hang in there and follow up.
- 55% to 65% of businesses do not follow up - that means you can gain advantage over them.
- You get a chance to right your wrongs - if your customer was not particularly happy you get a second chance to rectify your mistakes. Following up shows you are attentive and that you care.
- Follow up help you build relationships with your clients.
- Remind your customers about you! Let's face it, people are busy these days and somethings they forget! By creating constant and effective reminders, potential clients will not forget how you can help them.
Here is how follow up is done!
The most important thing about follow up is choosing an effective method and being consistent. Inconsistency in your follow up will result in loss of business.Choosing the right method for follow up is important. An email marketing campaign or a blog, as you will see below, will definitely help you give more value to your potential clients and thus they wouldn't be counting the number of times you have called them, as opposed to other methods!
Get Started
- Give your customers a call and ask open ended questions like: What did you think about the quotation?
- Send an email - Write an email to your potential customer and ask them what they thought of your previous correspondence, if they have any questions and other things that show you are attentive!
- Create an email marketing campaign - Create a series of emails that you send out regularly and answers your leads' questions and overcome obstacles. We can help you set up your email marketing campaign, but if you prefer you can read more about creating an effective email marketing campaign here.
- Use a blog! Giving valuable information to your potential customers can make all the difference. This can cut you out from a highly competitive market.
- Use social media to stay in touch. Posting regular relevant material for your target audience will not only help you attract new business leads but can be used for follow up-encouraging leads to make a decision. To learn what you should post - first you need to define who your target audience is and what problems you are solving for them. Download this worksheet to learn more.
One thing is sure when it comes to making more sales-without follow up - finding new leads is futile.
