Once you’ve had the discovery call or your demo has gone well, you might want to take a step back, celebrate the win and wait for the deal to happen. But, that’s not where the hard work ends. Someone might be interested in what you have to offer, but without following up, there’s no guarantee that their interest will go anywhere, let alone to a sealed deal. Following up is where deals are won or lost, and having a smart and strategic follow-up sequence makes all the difference. If you don’t follow up, the hard work you’ve put into a prospect could be wasted.
Why Following Up Matters More Than You Think
A lot of deals fall through if they’re not followed up, but that’s not always because the person has lost interest. Often, they fall through because of a lack of momentum. Your prospect has a million things pulling at their attention, all at the same time, and it doesn’t take much for your offerings to be forgotten about. Even if they loved your product or service, that doesn’t mean you’re at the forefront of their mind throughout the day. Without thoughtful follow-up, there’s a high chance that your proposal will get buried under the chaos of the day.
A sale is much more likely to happen if you follow-up. But, that doesn’t mean following up once and then giving up. It means following a follow up sequence that’s been designed to close deals.
Follow-up shows professionalism, persistence and confidence. It shows that you know what you’re doing, that you’ve closed enough deals to know what it takes and the right way to go about things. It keeps the conversation alive, builds trust and reinforces the value your business can provide. When following up is done right, you showcase yourself as being helpful, not pushy, making it easier for prospects to say yes.
The 7-Point Follow-Up Sequence to Seal a Deal
Use a Variety of Follow-Up Methods A lot of people focus their attention on sending follow-up emails, but you shouldn’t rely solely on one method. Though email follow-ups do work, it’s important to mix in phone calls, LinkedIn messages and even video calls. Different people respond to different follow-up methods, and using more than one increases your chances of being seen and heard.
Space It Out Don’t rush into following up and bombard prospects with emails, calls and messages. After all, you don’t want to come across as being desperate to make a deal, which might happen if you’re following up every day. A spread out, organised follow-up sequence shows that you’re confident, but also respectful of their time. For example, you might send an email, and then not call until a few days later. You might then give it a few more days before you reach out via LinkedIn, and then a few more days before you call again. It’s important to give people room to breathe.
Provide Value Every Time You Follow-Up Following up doesn’t just mean checking in with a prospect and asking if they’re ready to commit. You need to provide value every time, showing that you’re a constant source of information and guidance. This could mean sharing a relevant case study, an article that relates to their business, information on a new feature they’d benefit from or answers to objections they’ve had in the past. The goal of following up is to educate, build trust and reinforce why you’re the right solution for them.
Define the Next Steps You might be surprised at how many sales are lost simply because prospects didn’t know what the next steps are. Don’t leave them guessing, assuming that they’ll figure it out eventually. Be clear about what you want to happen next, whether that’s a quick phone call, a meeting or finalising a proposal. Be specific and move the conversation forward.
Use the Right Subject Lines If you’re following up via email, make sure that you’re using the right subject lines. Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened or ignored. Make it relevant, clear and intriguing enough to make prospects wonder what’s inside. Avoid vague or generic lines, as these tend to be overlooked and lumped in with a whole host of other emails.
Keep Your Follow-Ups Brief Remember, your prospect is busy, so respect their time and try to keep your follow-ups as brief as possible. Aim for short, punchy messages that are easy to scan. If you’re sending an email, try to stick to one or two paragraphs, with a clear call to action at the end. People don’t always have time to read a long email, nor do they have time for long phone calls in the middle of a busy day. If you do have a lot of information to share, consider sending a PDF or brochure they can peruse at their own leisure.
Know When to Stop You need to be persistent when you’re trying to close a deal, but don’t take things too far. There’s a fine line between being tenacious and being a nuisance, and you don’t want to put people off. If you’ve followed up a handful of times with no response, consider sending them an email to say that you’re assuming it’s not the right time, but you’d like to reconnect again in the future. If they are interested, this kind of message will grab their attention, as they won’t want you to give up on them. If you are too persistent, you run the risk of coming across as being desperate for a sale, which is a huge turn off.
Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest from Business Advice.
Use the Right Subject Lines If you’re following up via email, make sure that you’re using the right subject lines. Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened or ignored. Make it relevant, clear and intriguing enough to make prospects wonder what’s inside. Avoid vague or generic lines, as these tend to be overlooked and lumped in with a whole host of other emails.
Keep Your Follow-Ups Brief Remember, your prospect is busy, so respect their time and try to keep your follow-ups as brief as possible. Aim for short, punchy messages that are easy to scan. If you’re sending an email, try to stick to one or two paragraphs, with a clear call to action at the end. People don’t always have time to read a long email, nor do they have time for long phone calls in the middle of a busy day. If you do have a lot of information to share, consider sending a PDF or brochure they can peruse at their own leisure.
Know When to Stop You need to be persistent when you’re trying to close a deal, but don’t take things too far. There’s a fine line between being tenacious and being a nuisance, and you don’t want to put people off. If you’ve followed up a handful of times with no response, consider sending them an email to say that you’re assuming it’s not the right time, but you’d like to reconnect again in the future. If they are interested, this kind of message will grab their attention, as they won’t want you to give up on them. If you are too persistent, you run the risk of coming across as being desperate for a sale, which is a huge turn off.
Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest from Business Advice.
