Why Most Sales Fail: The Follow-Up Mistake You Can’t Afford
Shari Levitin
LinkedIn Top Voice | Top 50 Keynote Speakers in #Sales | Helps Re-humanize the sales process to increase win rates and CX: Author of Heart and Sell | #BeMoreSellMore
Imagine you meet a casual acquaintance at the market or a networking event, and he suggests you have lunch sometime. You reply, "Sure." Of course, that time never comes. It's a nice way of saying, "I like you, but I'm not committing to spending time with you." This often happens when your customer says they will get back to you and never does.
According to to Hubspot, a shocking 48% of sales calls end without an attempt to secure a follow-up meeting or close the sale.
The best advice I can offer for booking next steps is to set the follow-up meeting during your initial meeting. My mentor used to call this "Ham Bam" – Have a Meeting, Book a Meeting.
Save time at the end of each sales call to recap, take a temperature check, and agree on next steps. I can't tell you how many sales reps run out of time at the end of their sales calls, (even live conversations), and then scramble to book the next meeting, only to be told, "We'll get back to you." Then… they disappear into the abyss.
In an hour-long virtual call, I recommend allotting at least ten minutes for follow-up. The temperature check might sound like this:
That last question is the most important. Rather than the old-school assumptive close ("What's better for you, Tuesday or Thursday?"), put the ball in their court.
After you take a temperature check, the next step is to ensure that the next action requires an effort from the customer. This marks the difference between compliance and commitment. Let me define the difference between the two.
Compliance is a situation where the sale will continue, yet the client didn’t commit to any action that requires effort on their part.
Commitment is a significant action that requires energy by the client, either during the call or right after it, that moves the sale toward a decision.
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Several years back, I began talking with a customer who at first appeared to be my dream client. We met with Jason, the founder and CEO, two or three times by phone and the fourth time for lunch. He asked me to talk with two or three of the other executives. Each time they seemed interested, each time I provided them with more information, and each time they asked me for more white papers, testimonials, and then a proposal.
Finally, I provided them with FREE access to our online learning software for 45 days with the promise that I was their favorite vendor. Then, they disappeared.
Too many sellers think the customer is taking an action step when they ask us to do something. This results in you spending your precious time writing practice proposals and perhaps doing your prospect’s work for them at no charge.
When the customer asks you to:
You’re often getting compliance, not commitment.
The solution is to set up a list of possible commitments in your pre-call plan that require energy and action on the part of the client, such as:
The more energy the client is willing to make to move things along, the better indicator that they are serious about moving forward and taking action. Your time is precious, make sure your prospect values it as much as you do. Remember the Fortune is in the Follow up. Curious, how do you follow up?
Healthcare Digital Health l Strategic Sales l Business Growth & Revenue Leader
4 个月Spot on Shari ! ???? Time to put a change up in the follow up
JOY of Self Development (Editor, Mentor, Reviewer) ☆ JOY of Writing ☆ JOY of Blinds & Shutters ☆ #MuseWithJOY
4 个月The follow-up is crucial and, as you say Shari, this is why most sales fail. Also, clients who aren’t interested want to appear ‘nice’ so they find it difficult to decline. The key is to make it easier for them to say, “No thanks” so you can move on. You asked how we follow up. One of the simplest follow-ups is to let the client know at the very beginning that it’s perfectly ok to say they’re not interested. Their relief is tangible…and in no longer feeling any pressure, they often decide they are interested after all. It’s also useful to keep in mind that some clients do need time to make a decision as they might have all sorts of life events to resolve first. The longest someone has come back to me with a “yes” has been seven years later!??
Coaching Kitchen and Bath Designers on Sales and Presentation Methods to Gain Trust and Sell more.
4 个月I love this! I have been training sellers a lot lately on the importance of not letting your customer ghost you after the initial meeting. The best way is to schedule the follow-up meeting. Thank you for reinforcing this!
Helping Organisations achieve Better Outcomes by making Smarter Decisions | Leader of Sales Teams Business Transformation Evangelist | Driving Customer Success | Digital Twin Specialist
4 个月Great article Shari Levitin. The difference between commitment and compliance is the same as a next step vs a false step. Too often salespeople take any form of engagement as a "next step" even if all the activity takes place on their side.