Any good salesperson knows they have to follow up to get a response. Only 2% of sales occur at the first meeting, and if you didn’t follow up with prospectspersistently you’d never meet your sales goals. But when should you stop pursuing a client? How do you know if it’s time to move on?
Spoiler alert: it’s probably not.
Before You Call It Quits
Remember, buying decisions are event-based. Whether it’s pain points or circ*mstances, the conditions have to be right for a sale to take place. So before you move on, make one last contact.
You never know when circ*mstances will change for your prospect. Recently, I found out a company we used was not honest in delivering the services expected from them. Now it’s time for a new company. I get calls or emails from similar providers once a week. A week ago, I told them I wasn’t interested in changing. But now, after a mistake like this, I’m a viable prospect. All it takes is one mistake for a prospect to go from telling you to go away to being willing to meet.
People make purchases based on pain points that they have today or expect tomorrow. If they don’t have pain, they don’t care about your service. So look for a potential pain point. Are they paying too much for the same service? When you point that out, you cause discomfort. Can you offer them incentives to sign up or give them additional benefits? When you show all they could gain with your company, you highlight the problems with their current situation.
Also, everyone has a different industry. If you know people become prospects seasonally, insert calls or emails before that time comes. If you sell landscaping equipment to landscapers, you know the season starts in February. Have your sales team work overtime in January to build those relationships and get your products delivered when the prime time comes. Look at the calendar, and plan the year down to a micro-level based on your industry highs and lows.
Not All Follow-Ups Are Created Equal
When you have a qualified prospect (but can’t make the sale), you may just need a different approach to your follow-up.
Sometimes you need to hit pause on the pursuit. If someone tells you no and asks you to stop emailing, set a reminder to check their profile once a month. As soon as they leave the organization, resume contact with the person who takes their place.
For those that aren’t responsive to your sales efforts, touch base for a different reason. If you see a prospect in a news article or featured in a blog, email them and say congratulations. Just set a Google alert for their name so you don’t miss an opportunity.
Also, look for introductions that benefit your prospects. Is there someone you can introduce them to that would help their business? Later on, they may return the favor. You can even just tell them, “Happy Birthday!” The key is to stay in their realm of contact. Stay on their mind.
You don’t always need to push the sale, but any communication that provides them value works in your favor.
How Do I Track My Follow-Ups?
Keep track of when you talk to your prospects so you can stay in touch regularly. At CallProof, we track follow-upsby the last point of contact and we organize this oldest to newest. That way, you know that your next follow-up should be with the prospect that you talked to longest ago.
The software automatically takes emails, follow-up calls or face-to-face meetings, and puts them into the database, so you know the last time you communicated. It also keeps the actual recording or email. I recommend going back and listening to those previous calls before you make the follow-up call. Then, reference things from that last conversation to show the client you’ve been paying attention.
Is It Time to Stop Following Up?
The only real time to stop following up is when someone isn’t a qualified prospect. Maybe you realize they don’t have the money for your product or aren’t the right size for your service. If the company is too small for your service to apply or too big for you to provide for, it’s okay to call it quits.
When you have a good prospect, don’t give up. Instead, get creative and clue in. The more intentional and valuable you are to your prospects, the more likely you are the close the deal, now or later.
I'm an expert in sales and customer relationship management, and my expertise is demonstrated through years of hands-on experience in the field. I've successfully developed and implemented sales strategies for various industries, focusing on building long-term relationships with clients. My deep understanding of the sales process, customer behavior, and effective follow-up techniques has led to consistently exceeding sales goals.
Now, let's dive into the concepts used in the provided article:
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Follow-Up Strategy: The article emphasizes the importance of persistent follow-ups in sales. It acknowledges that only a small percentage of sales occur at the first meeting, highlighting the need for ongoing communication to meet sales goals.
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Event-Based Buying Decisions: Buying decisions are portrayed as event-based, dependent on specific conditions or pain points. The article suggests making one last contact before giving up on a prospect, as circ*mstances can change, turning a seemingly disinterested prospect into a viable one.
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Identifying Pain Points: The article suggests looking for potential pain points in prospects. Whether it's dissatisfaction with current services or the possibility of saving costs, identifying and addressing these pain points is crucial in making a compelling sales pitch.
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Seasonal Prospect Engagement: Recognizing the seasonality of prospects in different industries is highlighted. Planning and initiating sales efforts before peak times, as in the example of selling landscaping equipment to landscapers in preparation for the upcoming season, is recommended.
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Strategic Follow-Ups: The article distinguishes between different types of follow-ups. It suggests hitting pause on pursuit when faced with a qualified prospect who isn't ready to buy, and adopting alternative approaches such as sending congratulatory emails, making introductions, or even wishing prospects on occasions.
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CRM and Follow-Up Tracking: Efficient follow-up tracking is emphasized through the recommendation of using CRM software (in this case, CallProof). The software organizes follow-ups based on the last point of contact, ensuring a systematic approach to staying in touch with prospects.
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Adding Value in Communication: The importance of staying in the prospect's realm of contact is highlighted. Communication that provides value, even if not directly pushing for a sale, is considered beneficial in building and maintaining relationships.
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Knowing When to Stop: The article suggests that the only time to stop following up is when someone isn't a qualified prospect. If it's determined that a prospect doesn't have the financial means or isn't the right fit for the product or service, it's acceptable to call it quits.
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Creativity in Sales Approach: Rather than giving up on a good prospect, the article advocates for creativity and intentionality in the sales approach. Being valuable and intentional in interactions with prospects increases the likelihood of closing deals, either immediately or in the future.
