Following up is so important because it keeps your conversation relevant in your prospect’s mind and calls them to action – which is why timeliness is essential. If you wait too long, the details of your conversation are forgotten and the sense of urgency is lost.

 The newsletter states that: “Often, the amount of time spent following up with a prospect is many more times greater than the time spent in front of a prospect. If we can flip that ratio around and spend more time with prospects than we do following up, it will get us one big step closer to closing more sales.” So how to do this? You cannot just wave a wand and hope that you can start to spend less and less time following up with the same results.

 In order to expedite the follow-up process while maintaining relevancy, your follow-up documents should contain all the information your prospect needs to lock them into a sale: tell them why they need what you’re selling, remind them of the benefits your product or service can have to them, and then show them how to act on it.

Jim starts off by stating the importance of establishing a specific date and time for the cold call to take place. Many reps will leave this open ended, saying things like “I will follow up with you in a few days”. This can lead to a long game of phone tag, which not only increases the length of the sales cycle but can frustrate your prospect and decrease their interest. Make a precise appointment time with your prospect for when you will follow up. And when you do actually make the call, make it exactly when you said you would (no points for being fashionably late here). If they don’t pick up, leave a message and try them back a few minutes later. If they still don’t pick up, try once more towards the end of the day and leave a final message. This lets them know that you were punctual and persistent, but not to the point of being a pest.

Another important thing for the sales rep to do is to be memorable. The prospect is most likely very busy, and will forget all about you within days of the initial cold call. Consider sending them a handwritten note, or even just an email. It is essential to build a relationship with your prospect, and there is no better way to start than sending a thank you note which shows them that you are willing to make the extra effort.

Before the call, send an email reminder to the prospect which contains an agenda for the call. The agenda doesn’t need to be long; better yet it should be concise and to the point. However it should not contain anything that makes it seem like they need to make a commitment by the end of the call. If the prospect feels pressured into making a decision too early, they might not show up for the call.

When actually making the call, try to demonstrate that you are there to help the prospect. Open with your name and company name, but then go into a few sentences outlining the purpose of the call: first identify the problem areas for the client to remind them why they were searching for or receptive to a solution in the first place, and second briefly state the purpose/agenda for the call which should include how you plan to address the clients problem. Be clear and concise; this will instill a sense of confidence in your prospect. The more confidence they have in you, the more relaxed they become, and the more likely you will be to close.