Follow-up is where the magic happens.
Follow-up feels low status, but it packs a punch.
Follow-up seems remedial but it’s what leaders do.
Remember your mom and your room? She was following up.
Remember your coach and your off-season training? That was a follow-up too.
But somehow if the boss does it, he’s a micromanager and if the salesperson does it, she’s pushy or worse.
Sometimes you don’t follow up with prospects because you assume they don’t want what you’ve got. You assume they are passive, they don’t want to say no, but they don’t like you or your ideas.
You feel like it’s nagging. Pestering.
You assume the worst and avoid the follow-up. You talk yourself out of it.
Instead of assuming the worst, assume the obvious.
They are busy. They forgot. They didn’t get around to it yet.
You are offering value, right? If so, why wouldn’t they want you to follow up.
Maybe you didn’t express the value well at first. This follow-up is your opportunity to express it better.
Maybe they forgot. This follow-up is your chance to remind them.
Maybe they missed the email altogether, this follow-up is your opportunity to reintroduce it.
All the reasons not to follow up have to do with hiding and resistance. Those assumptions you are dreaming up say more about you than them.
Those assumptions say you don’t have confidence and conviction in what you are doing.
Those assumptions say you can’t quite put your finger on the value.
And that is what we call a personal problem. Maybe some journaling or a blog will help. But don’t go pointing fingers.
Why did you reach out in the first place? You do know the reason for the call, don’t you?
And if that reason still holds water. If the room still needs to be cleaned, the off-season training still needs to be prioritized, and the product still helps the customer, follow up on it.
How can you do it? Here are a few ideas.
What do you think?