Random musings: The 7 Secrets to Effective Follow Up

Thursday, August 8, 2019

The 7 Secrets to Effective Follow Up - Secret #3 #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published three year ago:

"How often should I follow up?" "I don't want to be pushy" "I'm afraid of what people will say about me" Gasp! "I don't want to be called a STALKER!" If we're not careful in guarding our thoughts, we let our fear take over the wheel and then, we choose not to make any calls... We talk ourselves into stopping our business before we really get it into first gear.

We have decades of conditioning handed down without question. We back off to err on the side of being viewed "nice" so we don't make calls and follow up. Our prospect list goes cold and it takes more effort to restart the sales process.

Real world - here's how Mary Swarts follows up (mine is similar but I usually do #3 first, while I'm still with the person) - after a networking event:

1. Same day: Email saying it was nice to meet them at _____event

2. Connect on FB & LinkedIn

3. Send a Nice to Meet You card

4. Call in 5 days (SendOutCards will take 3-5 business days to arrive)

5. Coffee Meeting / Take a picture with prospect

6. Send Card #2 highlighting their business with their picture on it

7. Follow Up Call, or Text, or FB, Card - once a week

The guideline above will help you get into the magic number range of 5-12 touches to move your prospect into action. As you start to get into the rhythm of doing this method, you can adjust it to your style/preference.

Following up once a week is acceptable, professional, and totally okay. You can let your prospect know that you'll be following up in 1 week, ask him/her what day(s) & time(s) they have open on their calendar. Then be a person of your word and follow up when you say you will. Cultivate the reputation you do what you say you're going to do, and people will willingly share referrals.