How can you confidently follow up with cold leads?

1 Set a clear goal

Before you pick up the phone or send an email, you need to have a clear goal for your follow up. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to schedule a meeting, send a proposal, get a referral, or close a sale? Having a specific and measurable goal will help you craft a relevant and compelling message that addresses your prospect's needs, challenges, and objections. It will also help you track your progress and evaluate your results.

2 Choose the right timing

Timing is crucial when it comes to following up with cold leads. You don't want to wait too long and lose their interest, but you also don't want to contact them too soon and seem desperate. The best time to follow up depends on several factors, such as your industry, your product or service, your prospect's buying cycle, and your previous interaction. A good rule of thumb is to follow up within 24 hours of your initial contact, and then every 3-7 days until you get a response or a decision.

3 Use multiple channels

Different prospects prefer different modes of communication, so you need to use multiple channels to follow up with them. Phone calls, emails, texts, social media messages, and even direct mail can all be effective ways to reach out to your cold leads. However, you need to be strategic and respectful when using these channels. Don't bombard your prospects with too many messages or use channels that they haven't given you permission to use. Instead, use a mix of channels that suit your prospect's personality, preferences, and availability.

4 Add value

One of the biggest mistakes that cold callers make is to follow up with generic or self-centered messages that don't offer any value to their prospects. For example, saying "I'm just checking in" or "Are you ready to buy?" is not likely to elicit a positive response from your cold leads. Instead, you need to add value to every follow up message you send. This means providing useful information, insights, resources, or solutions that can help your prospects solve their problems, achieve their goals, or overcome their objections. For example, you can share a case study, a testimonial, a blog post, a webinar, or a free trial that demonstrates your value proposition and credibility.

5 Ask for feedback

The last tip to confidently follow up with cold leads is to ask for feedback. Feedback is essential for understanding your prospect's level of interest, satisfaction, and readiness to buy. It also helps you to identify any gaps, concerns, or objections that you need to address. Asking for feedback shows that you care about your prospect's opinions and needs, and that you are open to learning and improving. You can ask for feedback by using open-ended questions, surveys, polls, or ratings. For example, you can ask "How do you feel about our proposal?" or "What are the main challenges that you are facing right now?"

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?