The Fortune is in the Follow-Up
Timing is everything. I don’t care if you are talking about the economy, business, dating or hitting a baseball. If the timing isn’t right — nothing else matters.
One thing I’ve learned from being in sales for the last decade is that if the timing isn’t right — nothing else matters — you aren’t going to get very far in the sales process. If the timing isn’t right, it doesn’t matter how good your product is or how much money you can save them. If your prospect just spent $15,000 on a new kitchen, they aren’t going to want to hear anything from you about how a new countertop that will make their life easier.
Not only that, but I’ve also found that the vast majority of my success comes from the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th touch. Rarely, and I do mean rarely, does it only require one touch to start the conversation, let alone convert the opportunity into a sale. Quick aside: this obviously depends on what you sell, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that we are talking about anything greater than an impulse buy.
Time and Circumstances
Marketing and sales are all about being top of mind when the prospect has a need. This is especially the case for my real estate investing company where time and circumstances dictate everything. I can’t tell you the number of occasions I’ve had a lead call in to say that they would never sell their house only to have that same person call back 6-months later because something changed in their life. Maybe it was a divorce, death or a job transfer, but it all comes back to their circumstances changing. They may not have a need the day they receive my marketing, but something could happen tomorrow, next week or next year that changes their situation.
Since time and circumstances dictate nearly everything, you need to continually reach out and touch base with your leads, prospects, and customers to establish and maintain relationships. Simply put, you have to be top of mind when the need arises.
I like to segment my follow-ups into two different buckets: targets and prospects. Targets are those that I’ve never had a personal interaction with (email, text or phone call). Prospects are those that I’ve spoken to but have not converted into a sale.
For targets, I do an initial burst of marketing followed by drips to let them know I’m around and still in business. The initial burst is usually multiple touches (two to four) in a 30-day period. After that, depending on how “hot” the leads are, I’ll continue reaching out every month or every quarter as a way to stay top of mind.
For prospects, I like to reach out and give periodic reminders that I want to provide them with value. I do this by asking what they need help with or if they still have issue X or Y. I also ask them if and how things have changed for them so I can provide them with the proper resources and knowledge for their unique situation. One of my common phrases for prospects is calling or emailing and beginning the conversation with, “I wanted to poke my head in quickly to see….”. I have found that is a phrase that doesn’t ruffle many feathers and gives you a quick way to get your message across in a non-intrusive way.
The toughest challenge about following up with both targets and prospects is reaching the equilibrium between being helpful, showing hustle and checking-in without being an annoying pest or stalker who won’t go away. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-sized fits all approach here. In these scenarios, I try and put myself in the prospect’s shoes to gauge if I’m persistent or annoying. Always be on the lookout for subtle clues that you are reaching out too much and are starting to annoy the prospect! There’s nothing worse than shooting yourself in the foot because you are too overeager to get their attention. I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve interacted with who swore off one of my competitors because they were too pushy or called too often to try and win the deal.
The main point that I hope you take away from this post is that rarely does anyone buy something on the spot. It usually requires many touches, conversations, and negotiations before the deal is done. And the number one aspect that impacts all of this is timing. Timing is everything. You could be selling the best motor oil for cars in the world, but if your prospect just had their oil changed, then it’s going to be damn near impossible to get them to buy what you are selling! Put all your attention on those targets and prospects where the timing works while maintaining a relationship with those who need time and circumstances to change before they can buy.
What about you? How many touches does it take you to close a deal? What does your average sales cycle look like? Comment below so we can compare and contrast against different geographies and industries.
