If you’re all talk and no action, the competition will destroy you. Here’s why honoring your commitments is vital.
What is your “follow-up reputation” in business? Are you always prompt, or habitually late? If the latter, you’ll never come out on top. To get everything that you want, first help others get what they want.
The highest performers keep their promises and exceed the expectations of their prospects and clients. Be a bear about this one. It isn’t a task to be dreaded; it is an opportunity to be seized. You can set yourself apart with good follow-up skills.
But there’s a difference between “following up” and “following through.” If your prospect declines or delays the decision to do business with you, you still have obligations to that person, which requires following up. If they do become your customer, you need to follow through and ensure that every promise is completely fulfilled.
Let’s assume you didn’t get the sale. That means it’s time to follow up with this prospect. First, the prospect deserves to be sincerely thanked for her time and for giving you an opportunity to exchange information. A hand-written note is always appreciated and sets you apart from a vast majority of salespeople that take shortcuts.
Next, you need to stop and objectively reflect upon the circumstances that caused the prospect to say, “No, thank you.” Depending upon the situation, you may have a high likelihood of landing the account sometime down the road.
Here is a list of questions that you should ask yourself when debriefing each sales call:
- Did they decline because I proposed a solution before fully exploring their needs and collaborating solutions with them?
- Did I do my best possible job of asking questions and encouraging them to share their ideas, or did I do too much “presenting” of my ideas and possible solutions?
- Did I adjust to their pace (faster versus slower) and to their priority (task versus relationship)?
- Am I confident that I helped them make the best possible decision that is in their best interests?
- By behaving respectfully and professionally, have I left the door open for doing business later if their situation changes?
- Based on their reasoning for not buying, might the situation change in the future?
True sales masters become comfortable hearing “no”, as long as they have gotten to the real reason(s) for the answer.
After careful, objective analysis, you are now fully prepared to follow up with this prospect. In many cases, you can often turn a “no” into a “yes” if you execute customized, long-term follow-up campaigns.
It is common for salespeople to be in the right place (a qualified prospect), but at the wrong time. Many prospects, if empowered to educate themselves over time, can–and often do– change their minds. However, no one likes to have to do so in front of a salesperson.
There are two different types of follow-ups that you can execute; each serves a specific function.
The first is a standard type of follow-up.
You send literature, case studies, testimonials and other “value proposition” information designed to further educate the prospect about the value your product/service delivers. Sometimes this does work, but no matter how cleverly disguised, it might convey a message similar to: “You didn’t say ‘yes’ during our discussion, so here’s evidence that may help you change your mind.”
While this traditional practice of marketing is acceptable, it can be improved. Educating prospects is never a bad idea, but “attention erosion” is making it harder to get your messages received, read and digested.
Business people today are over-taxed, stretched thin and have little time to spare reading your literature and newsletters.
However, we bring good news: The second type of follow-up makes the first type much more effective.
Legendary self-help guru Dale Carnegie said that if we live our lives helping others achieve their goals, everything we desire will come back ten-fold. We heartily agree.
DALE, NOT DON
Successful companies today act more like Dale Carnegie and less like Don Draper.
Forget the “Mad Men” ethos of lying, cheating, and betrayal that’s romanticized on television. Follow the time-tested advice of Carnegie and treat others the way they want to be treated. That’s how to get ahead–and that’s my mantra.
We have all heard of The Golden Rule and many people aspire to live by it. But The Golden Rule is not a panacea. Think about it: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Golden Rule implies the basic assumption that other people would like to be treated the way that you would like to be treated.
We’ve developed an alternative to The Golden Rule that we call The Platinum Rule: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.” The Platinum Rule accommodates the feelings of others. The focus of relationships shifts from “This is what I want, so I’ll give everyone the same thing” to “Let me first understand what they want and then I’ll give it to them.” The goal of The Platinum Rule is personal chemistry and productive relationships.
By blending the Carnegie philosophy with our patented Platinum Rule, “system,” then adding customer retention management (CRM) technology, you are able to create a new method of following up with everyone in a customized, effective manner that ensures marketing messages are received with open arms–and open minds!
Read the entire article, Don’t Be an Empty Suit in CrushingIt Magazine.
Dr. Tony Alessandra is a behavioral and communication expert, and author of 29 books including The Platinum Rule, Collaborative Selling and The Art of Managing People. Today he is a leading business motivational speaker on communication, customer loyalty and sales.
