You've met a potential customer at a networking event, exchanged contact details, and expressed interest in each other's products or services. Now what? How do you follow up with them to close the sale without being pushy or annoying? Here are some tips to help you make a lasting impression and build a strong relationship with your prospect.
Before you reach out to your potential customer, you need to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want to achieve from the follow-up? Do you want to schedule a meeting, send a proposal, ask for a referral, or get feedback? Having a specific and measurable goal will help you craft a relevant and effective message that shows value and urgency.
Depending on your industry, your potential customer's preferences, and the stage of your sales cycle, you may choose different channels to follow up with them. Some common options are email, phone, social media, or text. Each channel has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to consider factors such as response rate, personalization, tone, and timing. For example, email may be more formal and professional, but also more likely to be ignored or delayed. Phone may be more direct and personal, but also more intrusive and inconvenient. Social media may be more casual and friendly, but also more informal and unprofessional. Text may be more convenient and fast, but also more limited and impersonal.
Whatever channel you choose, your follow-up message should provide value and relevance to your potential customer. You don't want to sound like a generic salesperson who is just trying to make a quick deal. You want to show that you understand their needs, challenges, and goals, and that you have a solution that can help them. You can do this by referring to something you discussed at the networking event, sharing some useful information or resources, offering a free consultation or trial, or giving a testimonial or case study. You should also highlight the benefits and outcomes of your product or service, not just the features and functions.
A call to action is a statement that tells your potential customer what you want them to do next. It should be clear, specific, and compelling. For example, you can ask them to reply to your email, call you back, book a meeting, fill out a form, or visit your website. You should also give them a reason to act now, such as a limited-time offer, a deadline, or a scarcity factor. A call to action will help you move the conversation forward and create a sense of urgency and commitment.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to give up after sending one follow-up message. According to some studies, it takes an average of six to eight touches to generate a viable sales lead. That means you need to follow up with your potential customer until you get a response, whether it's positive, negative, or neutral. However, you don't want to spam them or annoy them with too many messages. You need to space out your follow-ups and vary your content and tone. You can also use different channels to increase your chances of getting noticed. For example, you can send an email, then a text, then a phone call, then a social media message, then another email. You should also track and measure your follow-up results, such as open rates, click rates, and reply rates, to optimize your strategy and timing.
Following up with a potential customer to close a sale is a delicate balance of persistence and patience, recognising that building a trusting relationship takes time. Depending on the client, it may require several touch points before they feel ready to sign a contract. It's important to focus on nurturing this relationship through consistent, thoughtful follow-ups that demonstrate your understanding of their needs and your value proposition, without coming across as pushy or desperate. By maintaining regular, respectful communication and providing relevant information or solutions, you can create a comfortable environment for the client, eventually leading them to feel confident in finalising the deal with you.
The ultimate goal of your follow-up is to build trust and rapport with your potential customer, so that they feel comfortable and confident to buy from you. You can do this by being respectful, courteous, and professional in your communication. You should also be authentic, friendly, and human, and show some personality and humor. You can also use some rapport-building techniques, such as using their name, mirroring their language and style, giving compliments, asking open-ended questions, and expressing empathy and appreciation. By building trust and rapport, you will create a positive and lasting impression, and increase your chances of closing the sale.
Always remember that, people buy from people ? Through building the relationship with trust and rapport, we definitely creating everlasting impressions which makes for customers wanting to deal with us.
Building trust can also vary depending on what country or culture you're operating in. For example, in the GCC countries it can sometimes take many months, up to a few years to finally sign a contract. They want to know you and know that they can trust you to do business with you. This is when it's important to be patient and trust that the hard work that you put in might not pay off for a while, but when it does, it can be a high-value, long-term contract.
Connect with them to know - what they are looking to accomplish in their life? - what challenge are they facing? - how can you empower them to accomplish their outcomes/ goals