Here is Your Reminder to Follow Up with Prospects and Open Proposals

Now that we’re in Q4, many of us are trying to catch up to our end-of-year sales and revenue goals. Amid all the hustle of perfecting your pitches and chasing down leads, sometimes open conversations can get lost in the mix. So, here’s your reminder to follow up with prospects and open proposals before the end of the year!?

At this point in the year, you’ve done all the hard work, said all the right things, and delivered everything you promised. But the story doesn’t have to end there. You may be worried that following up with people will feel forced or awkward, but in my opinion, it’s never a bad idea to reach out and update people on new developments in your business or professional life. Here are some things to consider.

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Right Service, Wrong Time

When it comes to open proposals, you may have been offering the right product or service to the right person, but the timing just didn’t line up. But remember, this isn’t an excuse to give up on a prospect altogether.

Personally speaking, I have followed up with prospects from years ago and closed on business seamlessly the second or third time around. We all get busy and sometimes things fall off our plate or are simply not at the top of our to-do list. This doesn’t mean that the first “no” will last forever. Reach out to an old prospect and you might be surprised that the second time really is the charm.

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Keep an Eye Out for Opportunities to Reconnect

I use any opportunity I can to reach out to someone in my professional circle and make a touchpoint when appropriate. Whether it’s to respond to an exciting announcement, a career, or even simply an interesting LinkedIn post, I always make a note to touch base within the next week. The same goes for when I run into people at a recent event or meetup. You would be surprised by how many business opportunities resurface simply by reconnecting with someone from the past.

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?Don’t Be Intimidated by the Passage of Time

To my surprise and delight, I recently landed a client because they remembered me from an event we both attended four years ago. Four years! Similarly, I also recently landed a client whom I only met via Zoom over a year ago.

These instances demonstrate that even when you think that someone may have forgotten all about you, each connection you make has the potential to stick in someone’s mind for years to come. You never know when someone is ready for your?services, or what’s going on in their subconscious. So, you do have to make sure that you’re consistently creating the right opportunities for you to work with prospects both new and old.?

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Use Software to Your Advantage

CRM software is incredibly important to support modern business development. But don’t be fooled, CRM tools don’t need to be fancy, complicated, or expensive if you’re utilizing them strategically and effectively.

For example, I use Outlook to keep track of my contacts. Outlook allows me to meticulously add the contact information on each of my professional connections, including detailed notes about our conversations, how we met, and whether they’re a client, prospect, or part of a networking or professional group with me.

These notes that I keep within Outlook help me keep track of when to follow up with someone if they weren’t ready for our business the first time around. As a rule, I typically set reminders 6 months in advance before following up with someone.

Has a recent interaction with an old prospect led to new business? What are some of your go-to strategies for following up with an open proposal? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!