The Follow Up Game
In business development sales cycles can be all over the place, putting us in a position of the "following up" game. Don't misinterpret my message here, following up isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can be confusing on how to navigate and stay relevant to the prospect.
On one hand, we are still motivated to follow up, we potentially still have a live opportunity, and it feels good to have it in our pipeline. On the other hand, these activities can be monotonous, call after call stating the same message over and over again.
Most sales reps will do what feels natural and complete check in calls that sound something like;
"Hey Lisa, Rob over here at ABC company, I was simply checking in to see how things are going and if you are ready to reengage in our discussion? Please give me a call when you have a chance at 555-555-5555, thanks and hope to hear from you soon". Other variations of checking in could be, circling back or I had a note in my system to contact you, etc... What is compelling about that voicemail that would make the prospect actually want to call you back? Simple answer, NOTHING.
The real question we should be asking ourselves is, how do we stay relevant and top of mind with our prospect?
Execute or coach your team on these 3 strategies to stay relevant with your prospect and follow up.
1. Don't make Assumptions, Ask them the question:
Sounds simple, right? I can't tell you how many times I have had to coach sales reps to go back and have this discussion. Be proactive, create the framework of how you stay relevant. It should sound something like this;
"Lisa, not a problem I'm more than happy to follow up with you next quarter. I do have a question for you, between now and then, what would you do if you were me to stay relevant or top of mind over the next three months?"
Stop assuming, ask the question and allow your prospect to share with you how they would like you to stay top of mind.
2. When leaving a voicemail, give them a compelling reason to call you back
What is the desired outcome when we leave a voicemail? Pretty simple, to get them to call us back… Well, give them a reason to.
"Lisa, Rob over here at ABC company. I was with a client recently and I had a thought regarding our discussion last month and wanted to bounce it off of you. When you get the chance give me a shout back and we can discuss. As always, I appreciate your time in advance and look forward to catching up soon."
3. Provide Value
It could be an industry specific article, or a connection of yours that they would like to meet, or find a way to connect them with an opportunity that would assist them in their marketing or sales efforts. You don't have to be creative, you just have to listen, look around and ask yourself how you can be of value outside of the product or service you are trying to position with the prospect.
The follow up game doesn't have to be complex, set the framework , provide value, and give them a compelling reason to stay connected.
As always, stay driven, stay focused and most importantly, KEEP GROWING!
Principle MP Solutions- For 25 years Rob has been driven by the passion he has to grow people and organizations. Rob has worked with hundreds of companies and is a sought-after speaker on sales, sales management, social media, strategy and goal setting. He brings his 18 years of Sandler Training experience to MP Solutions.
