The Follow-Up That Doesn’t Feel Like Chasing
Why Follow-Up Matters in Sales
Today our Sales Brew is all about follow-up, and specifically, the art of following up without being desperate and without applying too much pressure.
You’re going to find yourself, if you’ve been in sales or stay in sales for any length of time, having to follow up with somebody who didn’t make the decision by the date they said it would be made. Whether it’s accepting or rejecting your proposal, or maybe you’re at the very beginning of the sales process simply trying to get that initial meeting. Maybe it’s the second meeting. You had a good first meeting and you’re trying to get the right players into the room to advance the discussion forward.
All of these situations are the same. You’re going to be disappointed, and you’re going to have to follow up.
So how do you do that without being desperate? How do you do that and maintain your professionalism?
Step 1: Don’t Get Emotionally Involved
Number one, it starts by not getting emotionally involved.
Anytime you take something personally, anytime you let your emotions get in the way, Eric Pfeiffer with Empower Coaching in San Diego refers to that as a hijacking taking place. You’ve been hijacked. Not you, but your emotions. And your emotions control you. The moment anything, or anytime somebody claims control over your emotions, then they have control over you.
So I’m just going to ask you to maintain emotional control and not take it personally.
Step 2: Remind Them of Your Previous Conversation
Number two, remind the prospect of your previous discussion. Remind them of the commitments that were made, and acknowledge that perhaps something has gotten in the way. It happens all the time. It’s called life getting in the way.
Now sometimes, at the end of the sales cycle, your follow-up is going to have to be a little more direct and pointed, in that you’re just going to have to acknowledge that they might have gone in a different direction.
Step 3: Give Them the Easy Way Out
So as you follow up, don’t just say you’re following up. Be more specific than that, and give them the easy way out. I know you’re not going to want to do it, and it’s not going to feel good to do it.
But if it was Sally, I would say:
“Sally, perhaps by now you’ve decided that your problem is no longer a problem. Maybe you’ve decided you have some other priorities that you need to deal with now. Or maybe you found somebody that you love just a little bit more than me to fix it, and you’ve gone in a different direction. Either way, so my follow-up with you is both appropriate and comfortable, I would appreciate a reply to my email or a quick phone call as your time permits.”
That is how you follow up professionally without having it ring of desperation.
Author:
Mark Trinkle
Chief Growth Officer
Anthony Cole Training Group
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