7 Ways to Follow up with Customers
Follow-up can be done in two ways — before a sale is concluded, if the customer says they will get back to you, and after a sale has been completed, to keep them in the loop to become repeat buyers. Whichever one it is, good follow-up is key to acquiring new customers and turning them into repeat buyers.
However, without a strategic follow-up plan in your sales process, you will keep leaving money on the table and miss out on opportunities to upsell and cross-sell to customers. So, in this article, we’ll examine the importance of following up with customers, the channels to use, and 7 tactics to apply when following up to deepen the customer-buyer relationship. Let’s get started.
5 Importance of following up with customers
The following reasons should make you take follow-up seriously, especially after a sale has been completed.
1. To show that you care
You will stand out among competitors when you treat your customers as humans, and not as another sale. By following up with customers after a sale has been made, you communicate to them that you care about them beyond the money, and this goes a long way in stabilizing your relationship with them.
2. To get feedback
Following up with customers is a means to get feedback on the product/service offered, and know what they think about it. This can also serve as an opportunity to get reviews on your products and get recommendations on what can be done better.
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3. To address any issue that may occur after sales
Beyond getting reviews on your products, following up with a customer also helps you get informed on any issue they might experience while using your product/service. For example, as a hair vendor, following up can help you know if the customer got the right hair they ordered if they could install the hair, etc. This will communicate to the customer that you are interested in their optimal satisfaction.
4. To upsell and cross-sell
Cross-selling has to do with encouraging customers to buy complementary goods to what they already purchased. For example, if you sell a wig to a client, you can cross-sell hair products like hair brushes, hair serums, etc. While upselling has to do with encouraging customers to buy a higher-end product than the one they already purchased. With follow-up, you can suggest new products for customers to buy and get them to become repeat customers.
5. To deepen the customer-buyer relationship
Strategic and personalized follow-up can also deepen the relationship you have with your customers, as it can lead to a personal relationship being formed, beyond business transactions.
Channels to use in following up with customers
The following are channels through which you can follow up with your customers or prospective buyers to move them from one stage to another in the sales journey.
1. Email
Email is one of the official means of following up with customers, and it is seen as less intrusive. However, it lacks a personal touch and can easily get lost in the sea of other messages in the customer’s inbox.
2. Phone calls
This is a more personal and direct form of follow-up that should be done with caution. Before following up with your customers with a phone call, ensure you have permission from them to do so, and make the conversation short and straight to the point, without wasting time.
3. Social media
Social media is another medium of following up with customers especially if the sale conversation started on social media. However, continual follow-up may not be advised via social media, so, you can request their phone number or other contact information for follow-up.
4. Text message
Text messaging is the sweet spot between professional and personal communication. With a text message, you can be less intrusive and still have a personalized effect on your communication. However, don’t spam your customers with multiple texts to the point of annoyance.
7 ways to follow up with customers to deepen the relationship
After a sale has been completed, your follow-up process should fall in place to help you deepen your relationship with clients. Here are 7 ways to do this successfully.
1. Express gratitude
Saying thank you either with a physical card attached to the product, via call, email, or text message, is the first step in the right direction. By showing appreciation to the customer for their business, you can make a difference and make them feel valued.
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2. Ask for feedback
Asking clients for feedback or reviews of your products benefits you in many ways. First, it gives you insight into what your sales process is like, what needs to be changed, or what needs to be removed to shorten the buyer’s journey.
It also gives you testimonials that you can use to attract other customers, and it creates a positive impression of your brand in the customer’s mind since you project that you are interested in what they think.
You can ask questions like:
- How did you find your last experience buying from us?
- What part of the buying process stressed you the most?
- Would you recommend us to others? If not, why?
3. Offer after-sales services
For products that need installation, and other after-sale services, offering such services for free is a smart way to follow up with customers after one purchase, to get them to make future purchases from your brand.
You can also send them installation manuals, how-to guides, etc to help them get started with using the product they’ve purchased. With this help rendered, you can subtly introduce other products to them.
4. Provide incentives
When you do something for your customers, they are more likely to also want to do something for you in return. This is why providing incentives such as giving out discount codes, freebies, etc is a great way to follow customers up and make them take a desired action.
By providing them with a discount code for their next purchase or allowing them a free trial of a new product, you can influence them to make a purchasing decision.
5. Send a referral code
Beyond giving out an incentive to the customer to enjoy, you can also send them a referral code to give to others. This way, even if they don’t need your product immediately, they can still bring in customers for you.
With this method of follow-up, you can give whoever they referred another referral code to bring in another customer. This way, you create a structure that brings in new customers, with the help of existing customers.
6. Celebrate them on special occasions
Reaching out to customers on special occasions, such as their birthday, anniversary, or on public holidays like Christmas, Eid, New Year, etc can make a difference.
To do this, simply send a text message to convey your best wishes. The goal of this kind of follow-up is to remain top-of-mind for them, and not to initiate any sales conversation.
7. Send helpful content to them
Sending helpful and relevant content to your customers such as articles, videos, infographics, images, etc is another smart way to follow up. With content like this, you can educate your customers about the product they purchased or help them know how to take care of it. Doing this communicates being helpful, as well as engender loyalty to your brand.
Don’t be a Stalker
There’s a difference between following up and being a stalker, however, the line in between is thin and can be easily crossed. Thus, when following up with customers, ensure you are being professional and not being overly pushy with your messages.
You can do this by allowing a reasonable time interval between the first sale and subsequent follow-ups and a reasonable time between each follow-up tactic being employed, to avoid irritating the customer.
At Triift Africa, we are passionate about helping businesses go from struggling to thriving, by giving access to funding, a business community to learn from, and business resources for your growth. Struggling with a business challenge and need professional help? Send us an email at triiftafrica@gmail.com or visit our website.
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