Alvin's Musings: Mastering the Art of Follow-up

As a salesperson, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of making your pitch and sending off a quote. However, the real work begins after the initial conversation. The key to closing deals is not only in your initial presentation but also in your follow-up strategy. Effective follow-up can remind prospects of your offering, build trust and rapport, and ultimately, lead to more sales.

Think about it: you're not the only salesperson out there, and your prospect probably has a lot of other things on their plate. They might have forgotten about your pitch entirely or put it on the backburner. A well-timed follow-up can not only remind them of your offering but also build trust and rapport.

So, how can you make sure your follow-ups are timely, relevant, and engaging? Here are some tips that'll make you the Jedi Master of follow-ups.

• Strike While the Iron Is Hot

When it comes to follow-up, timing is everything. You don't want to wait too long and risk being forgotten, but you also don't want to pester your prospect right after your pitch. The sweet spot is usually within a few days after your initial conversation.

For example, after your initial pitch, send a?follow-up email?within 24-48 hours that thanks the prospect for their time and reminds?them of your offering. You can even attach some data sheets or whitepapers that might help the prospect think of some additional questions to ask you on your next meeting.

• Personalize Your Follow-up

Nobody likes receiving generic, one-size-fits-all emails. Personalizing your follow-up shows that you've taken the time to understand your prospect's needs and are genuinely interested in helping them. Use their name in the subject line and opening sentence, and reference something specific that you discussed during your initial conversation.

For example, if you're selling Email Protection solutions, and the prospect mentioned they were looking for data backup capabilities as well, you can start your follow-up email with something like, "Hi John, it was great meeting you yesterday and learning more about your challenges around receiving phishing emails. I also wanted to follow up on what you said regarding backing up your O365 data?and let you know that we have some excellent options that can help with both of these issues. Could I get some of your time next week to show you?our?ETS diagnostic tool?and perhaps even show you a demo of our solution?"

• Offer Value

Your follow-up shouldn't just be a shameless plug for your product or service. Instead, offer something of value to your prospect. This could be a free consultation, a relevant blog?post, or an industry report (e.g.?Gartner,?Forrester,?Vance Bourne, etc.)?that highlights trends in their field.

For example, if you're selling WAF?to a small business, you can follow up with an email that offers a short session on how?to diagnose their?current application vulnerabilities (maybe run a pen test or app scan). This not only shows that you're invested in their success but also gives them a concrete set of results to address when they're looking for a solution.

• Be Persistent, but Not Annoying

There's a fine line between persistence and annoyance when it comes to follow-up. You want to make sure you're staying top-of-mind without crossing over into spammy territory. If you haven't heard back from your prospect after a few days, send a gentle reminder email that reiterates your value proposition and offers to answer any questions they may have.

For example, you can follow up with an email that says something like, "Hey Sarah, just wanted to check in and see if you had any questions about our Advanced Email Protection Plan. I know there's a lot of features that go above and beyond what the default?MS E3 plan?offers. If you're interested, I'd be happy to walk you through these and can even set up a demo for you to see this in action."

• Don't Be Afraid to Pick Up the Phone

In today's digital age, it's easy to rely solely on email for follow-up. But?sometimes, a phone call (or?even a WhatsApp message) can be much more effective in building rapport and closing the deal. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call your prospect if you haven't heard back from them after a few follow-up emails. Hearing your voice and having a conversation can make a big difference in building trust and establishing a personal connection.

For example, if you haven't heard back from your prospect after a few follow-up emails, you can give them a call and say something like, "Hi John, I just wanted to check in and see if you had any questions about our Health Check service. I had sent you some information earlier by email, but I thought I'd give you a call to?see if had any follow up questions regarding this offering."

Mastering the art of follow-up is CRUCIAL?to success in sales. Timing, personalization, value, persistence, and using different mediums of communication are all essential elements of effective follow-up. And remember, follow-up doesn't have to be boring and formal. Inject some humor and personality into your emails and phone calls, and you'll be well on your way to closing more deals and building stronger relationships with your prospects.

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