Last updated on Jun 6, 2024
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Know your goal
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Choose your channel
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Follow the 3x3x3 rule
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Time it right
5
Add value
Sales follow-up frequency and timing are crucial factors in closing deals and building relationships with prospects. But how often should you follow up with a prospect after a sales call? And when is the best time to send your follow-up messages? In this article, we'll share some tips and best practices for creating an effective sales follow-up strategy.
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- David Mason Sales Team Motivation Specialist; Skills and Confidence Builder
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- Tom Clause Director of Sales
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1 Know your goal
Before you follow up with a prospect, you need to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want to achieve with your follow-up? Do you want to schedule another meeting, send a proposal, get feedback, overcome an objection, or move to the next stage of the sales process? Your goal will determine the tone, content, and urgency of your follow-up message. It will also help you measure the success of your follow-up efforts.
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- Tom Clause Director of Sales
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You should have to "Follow Up". Never leave an appointment without a next step/another appointment. Therefore never a need to "Follow up".
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- ☁️Aaron Miller, MBA Senior Commercial Executive | Business Strategy | Customer Centric | Trusted Advisor
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Always be selling and follow-ups are no different... in fact your opportunity to close rate increases! According to a study by Marketing Metrics, the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is only 5-20%. Therefore, maintaining customer relationships after a sale is essential for the growth and success of any business especially your book of business as a seller... write that down :)
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Always confirm next steps by setting clear expectations & timelines and schedule the next follow up while the prospect has your attention. Reconfirm & send invites with clearer objectives / agenda immediately after confirming next steps.
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2 Choose your channel
The next step is to choose the best channel for your follow-up. Depending on your prospect's preference, industry, and stage in the sales cycle, you might use email, phone, text, social media, or a combination of these. The key is to use the channel that your prospect is most likely to respond to and that matches the purpose of your follow-up. For example, email might be better for sending documents and proposals, while phone might be better for addressing concerns and objections.
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Combination of email, phone, LinkedIn etc… depending on the goal just be sure to confirm your prospects preferred communication method & include that in the combo approach. Don’t be afraid to get the cell number & offer to text. This is the most effective of all communication channels in my opinion.
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- Shane Graham President | CEO at MGMT Global Consulting (MGMTGlobal.com)
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Looking at different channels of communication. Most scenarios will call for more than one. Commenting can be challenging so you need to make sure they feel what your saying.
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3 Follow the 3x3x3 rule
A common question among salespeople is how often should they follow up with a prospect after a sales call. There is no definitive answer to this, as different situations may require different approaches. However, a general guideline is to follow the 3x3x3 rule: follow up three times, with three days between each follow-up, and use three different channels. This way, you can show your interest and persistence, without being annoying or spammy.
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- David Mason Sales Team Motivation Specialist; Skills and Confidence Builder
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I've learned over time to allow time at the end if the call to summarise, confirm mutual understanding and next steps. This allows you to know when you should follow up and what to do in that follow up.
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I actually disagree with the 3x3x3 rule, but i do see the thought process behind it. If you are using 3 different channels to reach someone, to me, comes off excessive and "spammy". If i cannot reach you via email after 2 attempts, i will then resort to a phone call. If unsuccessful via phone, i will then set calendar reminders to continue following up with you until i receive a firm "yes/no" reply. "Polite Persistence" is what i would refer to this as.
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- Kevin Donovan, CSL As a Fractional Chief Sales Officer, I help businesses achieve breakthrough Sales Growth, discipline and accountability.
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The 3x3x3 rule will help you decide what the best method is to contact your prospective client by gauging their response, you can also ask. If you get ghosted by all three over a two-week period, move on.
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- Genevieve Nelson, MBA Inspiring, coaching, and developing Sales Professionals to become successful while also making our customers successful
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The follow up is an important/key action after a sales call, albeit, the method should be driven from the potential prospect to avoid the noise. There is no harm in asking how best one can communicate, when is good and most importantly gain a commitment on the communication method/s - date and time. It also benefit the sales person to summarize and let the customer know what the follow up would entail. You have to give them a reason why they should continue the conversation with you.
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4 Time it right
Another important factor in sales follow-up is timing. You want to catch your prospect when they are most likely to open, read, and reply to your messages. According to some studies, the best days to send follow-up emails are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the best times are between 8 am and 10 am, and between 4 pm and 6 pm. Of course, these are averages, and you should also consider your prospect's time zone, schedule, and behavior.
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- Lisa Sanderson Technology Sales Director | EdTech Leader | Enterprise Sales | SAAS | B2B | Sales Operations | Customer Success
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Timing is knowing your customers and knowing your industry. For example, in K-12 education you become more mindful of winter break, extended hours during the summer for some customers, etc. The other thing I would be mindful of is being aware of current events in your territory. So, if there's a hurricane coming straight to your customer's location, probably not going to be the best time to follow-up with them.
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- Andrew Harrington Enterprise Account Manager
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Ask the question. It might sound simple but just asking the prospect how they liked to be followed up with and when. They know their business and will appreciate you asking. Remember they are also a person performing their role.
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5 Add value
Finally, you want to make sure that your follow-up messages add value to your prospect and move the conversation forward. Don't just send generic or repetitive messages that say "just checking in" or "any updates?". Instead, provide some useful information, insights, or resources that can help your prospect solve their problems, make a decision, or trust you more. For example, you can share a case study, a testimonial, a blog post, a webinar, or a discount offer.
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- Bill Savitsky Renewable Energy Power Generation-Commercial and Residential
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Old school… Take out a pen and a piece of paper… Wait for it… Write a thank you note the day you had the appointment. Not a computer typed version. A real note. I am shocked how many people don’t do this simple task. Ladies and gentlemen sales is easy. Just give the customer what you would want a sales person to be like. This is your follow up step after you had your appointment.
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You have to be case oriented. In every follow up you have to do a little homework on each specific case. That way you will be more able to feel the needs of the customer and obtain the best possible result
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