If you’re here then maybe your sales aren’t moving forward like you would expect or want them to. Are you wondering what you or your team could possibly be doing wrong, or maybe missing from your sales activity? In this post we’ll share with you THE big sales mistake that could be putting a stop to all your sales activity.
Did you know…
44% of small business owners give up after one follow up with a prospect
Clate Mask, Keap CEO
Do you follow-up?
The question we ask every new customer, “do you follow-up with your new contacts?”. We don’t mean ever, we mean right away. This is when they are at their hottest in your sales pipeline. They know you and like you too. You can be sure of that because they shared their personal details with you. This is the time to build on that foundation, make the most of that moment and follow-up with them!
Recommendation: Don’t make this task more manual that it needs to be…set-up a form to enter their details and trigger an automated email sequence! Make use of tech from the very start of every new relationship. Connect with them, say hello and share a little reminder letting them know where and when you met.
In our experience, this initial follow-up is an appreciated welcome and it’s just the starting point for future sales opportunities.
Continuing the relationship
That doesn’t have to be all! That first follow-up message can be the gateway to a bigger and more rewarding relationship. Why end it there? Those new contacts will require nurturing and educating if they are to get to know what your business has to offer them and most importantly put their trust in you. That’s important, right? You’ve shared with them who you are and what you do, now they’ll be wanting to know that you deliver on that promise.
Recommendation: Their details are now in your CRM and a warm welcome has already been sent. If not, see the previous point. An automated email sequence to share a little more about who you work with, the results your services or products can achieve and how that can happen can be shared without you (literally!) lifting a finger. Give them the details they want to help them make the decision that you’re the one for them to work with and reassured that they will get the return on their investment that they truly want.
Trust is huge, especially when times are challenging. It takes time to build trust and if you don’t offer the details for them to see that you’re who you say you are and will deliver as promised then they will move on to find a competitor that will share this with them. Again, the fortune is in the follow-up!
Make the next step clear
If you’re following up with your contacts then the next step, your call to action, must be clear. Why? Because in order for your contact to make that next step they need to know what it is! Each and every time you communicate with them include a clear call to action. That could be “book a call”, “submit a form”, “send a message”…these are just a few examples.
Recommendation: In an email a call to action can be linked to a URL, a button or image. Make these stand out when you’re designing the email. By automating this follow-up you can clearly see when your contacts are most likely to make this next step within your sales funnel. Every click on your emails will be tracked. The more clicks then the closer your contacts are to taking that next step.
With a clear call to action, your contacts know what to do next plus when they do take action and click that data will be recorded. Giving you the advantage over knowing how likely that contact is to then take the next step, be that have a call with you, buy a product or message you. Your automated follow-up system will provide that data.
Follow-up is key to maintaining communication in any sales funnel and it isn’t always given the priority it deserves. This is a big sales mistake! But it is one that can be easily avoided by every business owner and sales team. With an automated system, this task can be carried out for you, 24/7 with no delay or bottlenecks. No more excuses!
What are your thoughts, is this a big sales mistake that happens in your business? Will you be avoiding it?
Do you have any feedback or comments to add? Let us know in the comments.
