Ever wonder – what is the key to making sales?
Follow up! Follow Up! Follow Up! Follow Up! Follow Up!
That is about the number of times that you should follow up with your potential customers if you really want to be one of the top sales people – making sales hand over fist – in your field.
Not very many consumers are ready to buy the first time they hear about a product, or the first time that they are introduced to a salesperson representing the product.
According to Marketing Donut, only 1 in 50 deals are struck in the first meeting, so it is imperative that you follow up. Unless, that is, you are comfortable with converting at 2% for the entirety of your career.
Not only do 80% of leads purchase after the 5th contact, but those that are followed up with tend to spend more when they do purchase. Properly nurtured leads make purchases that are 47% higher than non-nurtured leads.
Further, 63% of people will not purchase for at least three months, and some 20% will not purchase for over a year. Following up and nurturing your leads is crucial to the success of any business and is especially vital to making sales. With all that in mind, how often are you following up with your leads?
Many people in sales might feel that they are being pushy by following up. We have all had that employee at the mall follow us around and annoy us to wit’s end when we are just looking, and perhaps situations like that stick in out minds. But the best in sales can follow up effectively without scaring off a potential buyer. Building a friendly relationship and kindly passing on more information, or asking if they have any questions or concerns regarding your product or service can be helpful. Treat your customers like people and find out more about them. Determine what their pain points are and how your product can make their lives and/or businesses run more smoothly. And lastly, depending on your business set up, find out how they prefer you contact them going forward – by phone, email, text, or even old school, regular mail (which, by the way is probably much more effective than most people realize).
is a best selling author, speaker and leader among women entrepreneur. She has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox, Lifetime Television and the CBN. Susan is the mother of five children and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
