The Science of the Follow-Up -- Part 3

Watch the Video Read the Insight Hear the Audio

Let Your Prospect Know Who, When, Where and What is On the Agenda
[Most salespeople don't close their sale on the first call. However, I believe it's possible to close every sale on the first call if all of the decision-makers are there. In the book business, that meant either the husband or the wife. Both could make the decision I was asking for, and there was never any follow-up. On the other hand, the 10 different programs we sold to banks sometimes required follow-up. So we developed some pretty specific strategies for our follow-up -- these strategies can be applied to any kind of sales that require follow-up.]

Confirmation is Crucial

The next step in the follow-up is a confirmation of the meeting. Many salespeople don't do this -- they haven't ever been told to do it, they put it off or they simply forget. This one thing will give you ten to twenty percent more effective follow-up meetings and improve your time utilization as well.

So now that the second meeting is set, send an e-mail to the prospect immediately. In the e-mail, confirm the date, time, and who you expect to be in attendance. In addition, give a brief agenda. For example, the agenda should be succinct and to-the-point like this:

We will discuss the details of the program (product, service, etc).
I will answer questions the group has.
We will talk about the implementation schedule.
We'll determine who will be named program director.
We will discuss the contract.

My agenda is made up of the things every prospect must do before they buy. So here is a good time to insert this idea -- there are certain things in every sale that prospects do before they buy. These things are: Read the contract, pick a program director, schedule training, involve other people and so on. Every product that's sold has its own set of events or actions that a prospect must go through before the purchase decision is made. This is a good list for every salesperson to make; it will help you identify whether a prospect is moving toward a sale or not.

Now you've sent the e-mail confirming the appointment -- and the prospect knows you're serious. Unless the appointment is the next day, give the prospect a call to confirm your appointment. That call, if you actually get to speak to your prospect and not his voice mail, should confirm the appointment. It also serves to test the water if you add a question like, "Have you had any questions come up since we met?" If you have to leave a message, then just confirm the appointment. This three-step approach to follow-up is the best one I've found.

Here are some rules to follow about follow-up meetings. First, don't go see the prospect again unless you can actually move the sale forward. Second, don't follow up with a drop-in unless it's absolutely necessary -- unexpected drop-ins are a last resort. Third, always set your expectations for follow-ups with the prospects. It makes meetings much more productive. Fourth, always confirm the meeting by phone if the follow-up is more than one day away.

From: The Boxcar Millionaire
© 2007 Tom Black Center for Selling, Inc.
CJW-029-014167