Click player below to listen
TO DOWNLOAD this show to listen to it anytime, anywhere, RIGHT CLICK & SELECT “SAVE TARGET AS”
Following up Is Not Optional, It’s Required
The top excuse I hear again and again from DSRs is, “I don’t have time to follow up” or “I am just too busy to do my follow up.” Really?
Too busy to follow up? That is crazy! When DSRs tell me they are too busy to follow up, what I hear is that they lack the discipline to finish what they started. They would rather make excuses than make sales.
There’s no excuse for dropping the ball on potential business. You lose money and a prospect’s respect when you choose to neglect the follow up.
There are many reasons why sales are lost. One of the biggest is improper or no follow-up!
Following up is not optional. It’s a critical part of the sales process. Sadly, when we ask Operators how many DSRs follow up after making their first call on them, they say ONLY 1 out of 10 follow up. WOW!
Many DSRs invest enormous amounts of time doing market research, meeting with prospects, engaging in sales conversations and preparing product list proposals, only to drop the ball on follow up.
Why bother to start the sales process of sales conversations and meeting with a prospect and then not be committed enough to follow up. What good excuse could you conjure up to avoid follow up and not complete the business cycle you started? Willingly letting your customers fall through the cracks is just bad business.
How much money is “not following up” costing you?
The art of or your style of follow up is less important than the act of follow-up. You are either taking action or making excuses.
When you do follow up, try NOT to use the basic and overused follow up email that most DSRs usually send to a prospect that goes something like this, “Hi Jim, I just wanted to follow up and see if you have any questions about our company and the services we provide?”
If you establish the rules of your follow up with a prospect, you will not have to repeat the follow up so many times.
If you don’t establish what happens next or choose to skip this step, you will turn into the annoying salesperson who is “just following up.”
Change your approach and you will change your results. You can radically change the way your prospects interact and stay in touch with you.
Instead of using the same language when you do follow up as your competition, say something different.
Avoid saying, “I was just checking in, following up, touching base, reaching out.” And start saying, “In our last conversation, we were going to set a day/time when you wanted me to drop off samples,” or “I was calling to pick up our conversation on how I thought I could help you make more money in your business…” Get creative! Be different and stand out!
Come up with a good follow up system that will generate sales and make your business more profitable. Customers respect DSRs who are efficient, organized and dedicated enough to follow through in a professional manner. When you follow up professionally, you win customers and you make more money!
Be a Resource and Sell Something!
