The sales process never ends after the initial contact, the first meeting or even after the pitch. It is the follow-up process that seals the deal and then helps you seal yet another deal. We get it that following up might be a true pain process but follow-ups:
- It creates a connection and adds value to the prospect.
- It helps to build trust and reinforces the prospect’s decision-making process.
- It proactively tackles any potential problem that might occur after the sales process because the prospect overlooked some issues during the initial contact.
- It provides feedback during the process which increases the performance of your product.
- It boosts sales and increases the percentage of customer retention.
- And it induces customer referrals.
Okay so now we understand that it is important to maintain follow-ups in sales but how to do that without annoying the prospect?
Reach out to the right person and choose the right channel
You made the initial contact and you are fully certain that the person you approached is the right person/decision-maker because you wouldn’t want to waste your time with someone else!
Now you have to make sure that you end the conversation with a clear idea regarding what happens next. You ask the prospect for guidance and ask them about the best way to follow-up without being annoying. Do they prefer an email or a phone call and whether they will reply or not? Some might say a phone call, some might say an email and some might just make it clear from the beginning and say that they are not interested.read more
Get attention with a simple and clear message
No matter what channel you use for communication, always make sure that you are adding value to the prospect during the follow-up process and make sure that your message is clear, relevant and concise. And confirm that you are focusing on your prospect’s industry and business needs. Discuss the pain points which they might be facing and then connect it to your product.
Be persistent … for a good number of times
Of course, we all try to avoid the risk of being rejected but the trick is to keep it short yet remain persistent. Follow up until you get a response either with an approval or a rejection! If someone says he can discuss the matter after a week, you call him after a week. If they say they are busy now, then ask them when is a good time to reach them?
Know when to quit
You have tried approaching the prospect a couple of times but without any reply. This means that it’s time to send a professional break-up email stating that you are no longer going to waste the prospect’s time. And this is a good thing because sometimes prospects don’t have the time to get back to you and they know that you will keep showing in front of them through various channels for quite some time but now that you are ending this conversation, they will get motivated to inform you whether they are interested in your product or not.
Remember it is work, nothing personal! So never take rejections personally. Perceive it as it is, which is that your product did not simply fulfill your prospect’s need and that it wasn’t what they were looking for. Being persistent is essential in sales but all you have to do is follow the right approach to follow up with the customer, be committed, punctual, stay polite, and add value.
How can I keep track of follow-ups amid this selling hassle?
By using the right technology! End-to-end tech platforms like NeoDove provide communication and lead management solutions that help telesales teams of any scale and size manage outbound calling. It assists with keeping track of information like the selling status of each prospect and records of which prospects you are supposed to contact and when. The platform has helped dealers of OEMs like TATA, Bajaj, and companies like Bajaj Finserv and Platinum Group among others manage their customer relationships successfully.learn more
