If you work in sales, there’s no doubt that you’re doing everything in your power to persuade them to part with their cash for your services. That can be very annoying at times.
According to studies, after the first sales meeting, 80% of sales prospects require at least 5 further follow-ups. But after only one sales follow-up, almost 45% of salespeople give it up.
You can’t afford your prospect casually leaving you, so you end up irritating them, intentionally or unintentionally. So you’d better not annoy any potential customers in order to benefit yourself.
You must develop the habits, mannerisms, and vocabulary necessary to successfully close any deal with a prospect without irritating them. This article will tell you the best 8 ways to do so.
8 Effective Follow-Up Methods That Won’t Leave Your Prospects Annoyed:
Persuasion is both an art and a science, and it’s something we all can get better at. But a few key suggestions really do make a difference. When utilized effectively, these powerful persuasion techniques can help you influence your audience to agree with you, pay attention to you, and perform the desired action.
Some of my preferred persuasive strategies for sales follow-ups are listed below:
1. Maintain A Boundary:
You’ve just returned home from a busy day and are playing with your kids when you begin getting calls about a discussion you had with a business. Do you want that? No! No one desires that.
You should give your prospect some time after a productive conversation in which you’ve covered practically everything so that they could consult with their respective team and consider your proposals. Don’t just keep talking about your business when someone tells you that their boss isn’t there. Wait, take your time, and afterward follow up.
Patience is a trait that should be instilled in you in order to stand out from the crowd. When you return to the prospect after a brief break, they will be respectful and won’t roll their eyes. Always remember this pattern – ask, wait, and follow.
2. Catching Your Prospect’s Eye:
Your primary goal should be to be succinct and able to quickly catch attention, whether you are communicating by phone or email. Three things are crucial to remember whenever you contact a prospect –
- Why you’re approaching that person- should include facts about them.
- Why you’re contacting them right now – should provide a general outline of your business’s goals.
- Ask politely. That’s why you got in touch with them. So, you should assess whether they are comfortable or whether you are seeking the right individual. After all, it’s preferable to be concise and straightforward.
To get attention, try to keep your communication brief and simple.
3. Optimize Your Strategy:
Always remember that your prospects require your services and that you require the business. So, there’s no reason to feel bad about calling your clients again. But first, attempt to figure out the greatest way to connect with people.
Do you want an immediate or favorable response?
Do you merely wish to share some information with the public or do you need their attention?
Before speaking with your clients, you should have all of these questions very clearly in your head. As it is rapid and responsive, a phone call is usually the best option if you need to connect instantly. However, if you want to inform your clients of your most recent offer, you shouldn’t keep phoning them. It’s undeniably annoying.
4. Allow Your Prospects To Go Free:
It’s a good idea to remind a prospect in a voicemail or email that it’s okay for them to decline your proposal. Use a statement like – “It’s fine if you decided to opt for a different product. Please notify me so that I do not become a follow-up annoyance.”
They’ll usually call you back and either say, “Yes, we’ve picked someone else,” or, “No, we haven’t reached a decision yet,” and then they’ll apologize for not responding to you earlier.
In any case, you’re in a better position because you now understand the situation’s truth.
5. Keep A Record Of Who Hasn’t Responded:
To keep track of when you last talked with or sent a message or an email to a client, document every phone call and email in your CRM.
Then, you can bring up these dates in a conversation later by saying something like, “When we last spoke on February 1st, we promised that I would…”
6. Make An Early Or Late Call:
Calling fairly early in the morning, say around 7:30 am, or pretty late in the day, say after 5 pm, without leaving a note if I don’t get through to anyone, is one of the strategies I follow up with top decision-makers.
By calling during these times, I’ve discovered that the decision-makers are frequently in the office alone and without a gatekeeper, making them more likely to answer the phone themselves.
7. Switch To Another Media:
Call a prospect to check if they received an email you had previously sent if they haven’t replied within 5 business days. Send them an email if they haven’t replied to a call, too.
Everyone has a favored method of communication. Your task is to determine which communication method the prospect finds most convenient.
One Engage client expressly informs customers on their voicemails that they will also send them an email if that is more convenient for them. and in the emails, they inform them that they will call if that is more convenient.
This not only improves your chances of connecting with the prospect, but it also demonstrates to them that you value their priorities.
8. The “Final Approach” Preparations:
When you’re prepared to permanently write off an unresponsive prospect, whether by phone or email, let the client know that this is your last attempt to get in touch with them.
Conclusion:
Bringing something of value regularly is the key to every follow-up. Whether it’s tailored to what you’re going to sell such as your services or concentrated on a topic of their interest. The essential requirement is that they must value it.
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