Shout It Loud

Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of a good sales funnel is a sales follow up system. Often times we spend countless hours priming and primping our customer/prospect leading up to the sale. But in the end we blow it when the customer does not purchase immediately or, worse yet, we make a sale and then forget the customer ever existed.
This is the probably the single biggest mistake most people make when working with a client or prospect list. They fail to follow up properly, if they bother to follow up at all.

Following up with a customer/prospect is paramount to building a lasting business relationship and it is one of the main ways to maintain that relationship and create customer value through this retention. Through one customer can come repeat sales, referrals and a loyal customer for life, which is the backbone of relationship selling principles.

It’s not difficult and doesn’t take much time if it is done in a systematic way. If you currently have no good follow up system for your business, then you need to get one immediately. There are several types of sales follow up and each one should have its own unique message.

Let’s examine the reasons you follow up with a customer after the sale:

1. You want to be sure they are pleased with your product/service
2. You want to further develop the relationship with that customer and entice repeat sales
3. This in turn will limit refunds - a sale is not a sale until after the guarantee period is over. Many people forget this and ultimately forget the customer once the sale is made.

The reasons you follow up when there is no sale:

1. To follow up on whether they have made a decision.
2. To further address any objections your customer may have.
3. To make a determination as to the right time for them.

There are several different ways to follow up with a customer and each one should be utilized. A good chain for “after the sale” is sent to the customer in a 5, 14, and 30 day interval. This can be a mix of a card dropped in the mail, an e-mail followed with a card or a phone call to touch base with your customer to see how they are getting along and if they are having any issues.

If a customer does not purchase, this does NOT mean they will never purchase. Many times this type of customer will end up being one of your most loyal customers. Do not give up on a customer simply because they are not ready to purchase. If they absolutely say “NO” they will never purchase, then leave them alone. But if they are not ready to purchase, then follow up is critical. There is a good chance that in a few months they will be ready. Life happens. Be ready when their life is back on track and they are ready. If you aren’t, then someone else will be and they will reap the rewards.

So stop spending so much time up front trying to get the sale. Using a good sales follow up system and utilizing relationship selling techniques will not only go a long way in creating customer value, but in the end will help build a sustainable relationship with your customer which will ultimately result in more sales, repeat business and a higher bottom line.