Sales people are notorious for a lack of follow up and service to sales leads. This is especially true with manual environments without process, systems and structure.
In the old days, urgency and personality went a long way to attract any low hanging fruit. That was before the internet. The buyer has access to your competitor with a mouse click now. The convenience to get information on-demand means that we can educate ourselves and figure out what we need to be looking for. We can compare quickly and drive to a decision on who we want to do business and what we want to buy without a lot of help from a salesperson.
This is a frequent scenario. Car buyers walk in and tell the salesperson what they want at what price. Home buyers tell the Realtor what houses they want to see from Trulia. Information is not an asset that the salesperson holds exclusively.
However, the buyer is looking for service in the midst of the buying process. The sales follow-up in today’s economy needs to help the buyer. Consider the following to increase this important part of the sales funnel:
- Be the concierge. Any personal touch points should be focused helping not selling. Noone likes to be sold. Offer assistance and help the buyer ask the right questions and get access to the right information.
- Curate information. We live in a world where we depend on Google to help us find laser-focused results from the noise. Museums don’t carry every type of exhibit. The curators pick what is important, thematic and impactful. They have limited space. Likewise, present what is important and essential to service your prospective buyers.
- Integrate marketing automation. Use marketing automation to nurture a lead with timely and relevant information. Watch their behaviors and digital body language within your CRM system and take action when their lead scores warrant or based on automated triggers.
- Manage to the week. There are natural rhythms we follow. Use specific days to do your calls, emails, nurturing emails, etc. Be sensitive to people’s attention. Generally, there is a higher level of attention Tuesday through Thursday.
Following up is process. It constitutes the majority of the activities in a sales process. It requires strategies that make sense and help the buyer through their natural process. Incorporating systems, process and strategies that positions you as a valuable resource is critical for your opportunity to do business.
What are some ways you follow up that you find effective?
One of the reasons people are reluctant to follow-up is because they feel like they are bothering people. At least that is in my own online survey of over 500 people. This means that all throughout the process, you do better if you focus on the buyer – as you say, help the buyer. When you take the focus off of yourself, the process flows more effectively. Your post is well worth the read!
Thanks for the comment Patricia. Yes, I think that asking why we follow up can curtail the feeling the survey respondents have towards sales. Being valuable means having answers, providing insights and getting involved with the problem. Selling is losing. Helping people is always winning.