The Sales Follow Up Mindset
There are plenty of reasons sales follow up is required:
- Because it’s part of your job and you’ll get in trouble if you fail to make the calls.
- Because you owe the customer an answer on something.
- Because you feel guilty if you don’t.
- Because you really need the sale.
All of these are legitimate reasons, but they all fall short of the real reason to follow up: to serve the customer. If you truly care about your customers, prove it. Prove it in your follow-up.
The first step in mastering sales follow-up requires you to remember two factors. Follow-up must be relationship-based and service driven
Your follow-up should be an extension of the trust relationship that you have already established. And you should approach follow-up with one goal in mind: to serve the customer.
Sales Follow Up By The Numbers
- 44 percent of salespeople give up after one follow-up attempt.
- The average sales rep makes only two attempts to reconnect with a prospect.
- 42 percent of sales reps feel they don’t have enough information to make a follow-up call.
- 80 percent of calls go to voicemail, and 90 percent of first-time voice mails are never returned.
- 85 percent of prospects and customers are dissatisfied with their on-the-phone experience.
This is bad news for many but very good news for those who recognize the opportunity. Oftentimes, I’m talking about low-hanging fruit that’s yours for the picking. Reach out and grab it!
Sales Follow Up Myths
Have you ever caught yourself saying these lines?
- “I’d rather spend my time on new leads.”
- “I already heard a no, so the show’s over.”
- “I don’t want to annoy people.”
For the most part, these are self-limiting beliefs and are standing in the way of reaching your sales potential.
I’m not saying you’ll land a sale on 100 percent of your follow-up calls. Or 50 percent. Or 25 percent. The fact is, I don’t know the number… and neither do you until you give it your best effort.
In many ways, sales follow-up is like marketing. They say that only 10 percent of all marketing is effective, and the problem is that we never know which 10 percent it is. You never know if a follow-up call will bring you a sale.
5 Tips for a Healthy Sales Follow Up Mindset
- Serve first. Make deposits into relational bank accounts.
- Make it a habit.
- Do your planning ahead of time and maintain laser focus.
- Transfer your emotion. You’re looking to maintain elevated emotional altitude.
- Work deeply. Cal Newport talks about this idea in his book Deep Work. Block the time for sales follow-up on your calendar every day.
To learn more about these ideas and take a deeper dive into mastering sales follow-up be sure to check out my latest book Follow Up and Close the Sale. I’m happy to announce the audiobook (read by me) version was released just last week!
Your sales follow-up mindset will make all the difference in the world, and you’ll be on the quick path to changing your customer’s world.
