Don't Give Up After One Try: How to Nail Your Sales Follow-Up Game

Cold calling (or cold emailing, for that matter) is not just a way to reach potential customers, but it also holds a wealth of information that can help you close a deal successfully down the line. But the average response rate for cold emails is notoriously low, and most salespeople give up after just one attempt at outreach.

So, how can you increase your chances of success with cold outreach? Here are some tips:

• Sending a follow-up to a cold email can increase your reply rate by 21%, and sending a second follow-up increases your chances even further.
• Most salespeople give up after just one attempt at outreach, so it's essential to nail the follow-up skill.
• Specifying your follow-up plans, such as where, when, and with whom, can help you follow through and increase your productivity and quota.
• Remember to be aware of where the prospect is on their buyer's journey, not just where they are in your sales process, and continue to nurture leads.

It is essential to nail the follow-up skill more specifically and dynamically than your peers.?

This doesn't guarantee that you will get the deal immediately, but getting more information than other people have before can sometimes be the win in itself, that progression piece.

In the book Atomic Habits, a section says if you want to work out more, you can't just say you want to work out more. You are likelier to follow through with it if you specify: Where will I do it? When I'm going to do it? Who am I doing it with? Applying that specificity to your follow-ups and note-taking will take your productivity and quota to the next level.

• Don't focus solely on email, cold calling, or LinkedIn; explore other ways to reach prospects, such as in-person events, mail gifts, leaving a voicemail, or sending a text.
• Try asking for a 5-minute call instead of a meeting to make it more reasonable and more manageable for prospects to find the time.

Lastly, remember to be aware of where the prospect is on their buyer's journey, not just where they are in your sales process. Most prospects won't be in a buying motion when you reach out to them, but you should continue to nurture those people to stay top of mind.

Learning to follow up and keep prospects engaged is a crucial skill all SDRs need to master.

Different prospects require different types of follow-up. For example, you should zone in on those who are a hot lead, and now is the time to take action. This doesn't mean the rest of the leads or prospects should be forgotten. Instead, build separate outbound funnels for each based on their objection or where they are on their buyer's journey.

Multithreading is the process of targeting several prospects within one organization to build a use case in that company.?

It could be viewed as an extension of account-based marketing. The whole idea of this is getting people to warm up to you so they know who you are and what you're about, and when they're finally in the market and ready to buy, you'll be top-of-mind.

When you ask for a 5-minute call, you can briefly introduce yourself, explain what you do, and ask them a few questions to learn more about their current situation. This is your opportunity to build rapport, understand their pain points, and start laying the foundation for a successful relationship.

Once you’re on a call with someone, qualifying them and sorting them into a specific follow-up funnel will be much easier. You can also skip straight to calling if they’re engaging with your emails but not responding.

Learning to follow up and keep prospects engaged is a crucial skill all SDRs must master.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Follow-ups are essential for success in sales, and sending multiple follow-ups can significantly increase your response rate.
• Use specificity and multithreading to tailor your follow-ups to each prospect's needs and stage in the buyer’s journey.
• Building relationships across multiple channels can help you stand out and stay top of mind with your prospects.
• Asking for a 5-minute call instead of a complete demo can be a more reasonable request and help you qualify your prospects.
• Mastering the art of follow-ups will help you drive deals forward and achieve success in your sales career.

Remember, as an SDR, you are the driver that makes things happen. So, keep learning, adapting, and pushing yourself to be your best. And if you want to learn more about follow-up techniques and multithreading, check out this podcast episode featuring Michael Tuso, where he goes into full detail!