Sales is a multi-step process that takes time and persistence. For many sales professionals, obtaining timely, accurate information is the key to opening the door of a sales prospect – but what do you do once that door is open? One of the most important steps in the sales process is following up with your prospects. The February issue of the most recent Smart Selling Tools newsletter provides some helpful insights on this topic.
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.
