Effective follow-up is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to grow your sales.
Early in my sales career, I was terrible at following up. I was so focused on chasing new opportunities that I neglected my existing prospects and customers. Looking back, I can’t help but think of all the business I lost because I wasn’t diligent with follow-ups.
If you’re struggling with follow-up, or if you’re simply not sure how to build a strong follow-up system, this post is for you. Afterward, check out my Follow-Up Masterclass at the Sales Hunter University, which will help you develop your entire follow-up strategy.
1. Create a Consistent Follow-Up Cadence
Many salespeople struggle to manage their prospects effectively, often losing track of key follow-ups. A solid sales cadence ensures you’re reaching out to prospects and customers at the right intervals without overwhelming them.
The key here is discipline and consistency. Sure, CRM tools can help automate part of the follow-up, but you need to add a personal touch. Automating your follow-up without any genuine engagement can feel cold and impersonal. Then it becomes a marketing automated function and you lose all credibility and all authenticity with prospects and with the customers. You need to be touching everything.
2. Bring New Value to Every Follow-Up
New value is essential for keeping your follow-ups fresh and engaging. Whether you’re following up with a prospect or an existing customer, adding value keeps the conversation going. This could mean offering new insights, useful resources, or sharing content that helps solve a problem for the customer.
For example, instead of just asking, “Did you get the quote?” offer new value like a blog post, industry insight, or even a book recommendation. One of my go-to strategies is sharing books I’ve found helpful, such as Atomic Habits by James Clear. I send them out to customers, not to sell, but to provide something of value. Building trust and authority is key in any relationship, and new value fosters both.
3. Engage Multiple Contacts
The bigger the opportunity, the more contacts you need within an organization. This is especially true with existing customers. Many salespeople make the mistake of relying on a single point of contact, but when that person leaves, your entire relationship with the account can be at risk.
By developing multiple contacts within a company, you’ll be better positioned to sustain and grow the business. More contacts mean more opportunities to sell and more stability in your relationships. It also helps you stay connected even if one contact moves on.
4. Keep It Simple
Many salespeople complicate things with long emails, complex offers, or overwhelming information. The simpler you keep your follow-up messages, the more likely the prospect or customer will respond.
Focus on clear, concise communication that reminds them of your value without overwhelming them with details. Always aim to keep follow-ups focused on one thing: how you can help them achieve their goals. This clarity will keep them engaged and interested.
5. Know When to Cut Loose
Sometimes, it’s best to walk away. After a few follow-up attempts, if a prospect is still unresponsive, it may be time to cut loose. It’s important to assess the opportunity’s lifetime value and decide whether it’s worth pursuing further.
After 5-6 follow-ups with no response from an opportunity that’s small potatoes, it may be time to walk away. On the other hand, if the opportunity is significant, stay in the game and keep pushing forward. Knowing when to let go is just as important as knowing when to persist.
Take Your Follow-Up to the Next Level
To master the art of follow-up, I highly recommend checking out my Follow-Up Masterclass at the Sales Hunter University.
This in-depth course will help you develop a comprehensive follow-up plan, giving you the tools and techniques to effectively nurture prospects and maintain strong customer relationships.
Click the link to get started on building your perfect follow-up strategy today.
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Copyright 2024, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
