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One of the most important aspects of any sales engagement, whether it’s a lead, conversation at a networking event, meeting, you name it, is what happens after the engagement. The follow-up.
You are running on that high, told your team, and your leadership what happened, and recorded it in your CRM. And now you want to make sure the lead actually wants to buy from you. You could hit your quota too!
….right…?
The follow-up is critical to make sure you maximize your chances of closing any deals.
We all know that it takes a lot of touchpoints to develop a lead into a customer.
Many appointments are missed, sales are lost, promises are broken, budgets are changed, commissions are never made, and the list goes on. The best thing to do is to put yourself in the best position to increase your chances of having an impactful follow-up.
Let’s dive into it.
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Why Follow-Up Matters: The Numbers Don’t Lie
I’ll let the numbers do the talking. Here are some stats:
Only 3% of your market is actively buying at any given time. And another 40% are ready to start. The rest won’t buy no matter what you do.
44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up call. Statistically speaking, one follow-up call isn’t enough to land most sales.
60% of customers say no four times before saying yes. Resilience in the face of rejection is key.
2% of sales are made on first contact. 3% are made on the second, 5% on the third, 10% on the fourth, and 80% on the fifth to twelfth contact.
80% of sales require five follow-up calls.
The truth is, every unfollowed lead is a missed sale, a lost customer, and a potential competitor’s gain. In today’s competitive landscape, neglecting your leads is simply unsustainable.
Process is Key
Develop a process for follow-up for different types of prospects. By having a process you can ensure that you are consistently executing properly vs leaving it to chance and hope that they will remember your email deep in their inbox or voicemail.
It’s not just any process. It needs to be an effective process. Every customer is different. You’re going to have to find the right one that works for you, and the customer.
Turning Leads into Gold: Practical Tips for Follow-Up Mastery
Be the First Mover: Respond to inquiries promptly, be proactive, and reach out. Show effective engagement and provide as much clarity around what the needs are they are seeking.
Personalize Your Touch: Don’t treat leads like mass emails. Customize your communication based on their needs and interests. Show them you’re listening. Every single touch.
Schedule is Key: Create a consistent follow-up schedule with multiple touchpoints. Utilize various channels like email, phone calls, and social media to stay connected. And yes, leverage your phone as that personal touch > any other type of touchpoints.
Embrace Technology: CRM software, automated email sequences, and lead scoring systems can streamline your process and ensure no lead falls through the cracks. Check how your system is currently set up so you can eliminate all the necessary manual work.
Find Solutions For Them
Time Constraints: Prioritize leads based on sales potential and engagement. Automate tasks and delegate where possible to free up time for personalized follow-up.
Lack of Engagement: Don’t give up too soon. Offer valuable content, address concerns promptly, and continuously demonstrate your expertise. Have a new eBook? Share it. Did a recent policy change come out that they might be interested in? Share it. Engage and engage.
Measuring Success: Track your follow-up metrics like response rates, conversion rates, and sales pipeline progression to identify areas for improvement.
If you have a clearly defined process on how to follow up in certain situations, then you will develop the consistency of a well-designed system. Everyone wins.
What does your lead pipeline look like? What does the next stage look like as well? What about your individual sales team leads list? Do they have enough leads to work off of?
Make sure you have blocked out time to follow up with leads/prospects every week. Treat it as a high priority, not just another task.
Most people just treat it as a task. Protect it, own it. Show you care.
Start embracing the power of follow-up today. Let it be your secret weapon, transforming each lead into an impactful customer relationship and propelling your business toward sustained growth and success.
Never hurts to ask a prospect out for coffee. I’m always down for coffee.
Live, laugh, love this week. I’ll see you next week.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
Build your Sales CRM – Download our free Sales eBook on How Your Sales Team Can Maximize Your CRM Tool. Whether it’s Hubspot, Salesforce, or another CRM tool, make sure you leverage it to your advantage.
Awesome Sales Resources – Transform your sales engagement across Social Selling, CRM, Lead Generation, Enablement, and more.
