Use This Question to Clean Up Your Follow-Up File

How many prospects do you have pending right now? How many of them will close in the next week? The next month? If you're like most salespeople, you're not entirely sure where you stand. Tele-sales expert Art Sobczak suggests you use "The Cleansing Question" to move prospects along and find out where you stand!

Ask the Cleansing Question
The main reason reps have too many leads working is that they don't ask the tough questions early enough. You need to find out if the person you're talking to is really a "player." It's always better to get a "no" early, than to waste time, effort, paper, and postage chasing shadows that never will materialize.

Here is what you need to do starting today. Begin cleaning up your "non-prospect" prospects now by asking this Cleansing Question:

"Mr./Ms. Prospect, we've been talking for awhile now, and have agreed that we'd be able to help you (fill in with how they would benefit.) I want to be sure I'm not bothering you, or wasting your time or mine. Tell me, what is the probability we'll be able to work together in the next month?"

Think of the possible results here.

1. They say, "Zero probability." Great, now at least you can find out the real problem, or move them out. Movement, forward or out, is progress.

2. They give some other probability. Good, but not great. You want to ask what you both need to do to move forward now. Get specifics. Commitments. Ask them to attach time frames to the commitments. Don't allow them to continue putting you off. Again, movement here is success.

3. You just might get the business right now. Perfect. Sometimes all it takes is the nudge to get the boulder rolling down the mountain.

Do some late-summer cleaning. Examine your follow-up files. Prepare you own strategy and ask the Cleansing Question.

Art Sobczak, President of Business by Phone, Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople - both inside and outside - designing and delivering content-rich programs that begin showing results from the very next time participants get on the phone. Learn more at www.businessbyphone.com

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Getting Past the Emailed Quote

Sales trainer Joe Guertin often answers salespeople's questions on his blog, and I thought his most recent answer was very appropriate and advice we could all use. A recent reader asked "My customers are busy and can't take time to meet face-to-face. They want prices e-mailed. But then...NOTHING HAPPENS! Help! What can I do?"

"I get asked that a lot," says Guertin. "And it's a chronic problem. Busy buyers just want quotes, and then make their decisions on their own criteria (which, for the most part, include who they feel the most comfortable buying from)."

I don't like e-mailed quotes. Unless it's going to a current customer with whom you have an on-going relationship, e-mailed quotes take the selling out of sales.

But, in those cases where you absolutely have no choice, add these two steps and you'll see those all-important 'connections' grow (and get a better closing ratio):

Call Ahead
"I'm about to send that quote and just wanted to confirm one thing."
Ask a question about one of the specifications, about their timetable, etc. Thank them again for the opportunity, tell them you'll "follow up shortly," and let 'er rip.

Follow Up
Did they say it'll take a week or two to get an answer? Did they say they'd let you know? Did I say stop there? Especially if this is a new customer, FOLLOW-UP. The key is to have a specific reason for following up...as you don't want to sound like a lap dog who says "didja getit...didja getit...didja getit?" (Of course they got it.)

Make a strategic call that includes these elements:

"I know it'll be a week before you make a decision" (set aside THAT debate)
"but I just wanted to make sure we've got everything covered."

This could elicit responses from "I haven't looked yet" to "looks good."

Now, reconfirm their next step, thank them for the opportunity. Be sure to fire out a brief thank you letter, too.

P.S...Personal visits should be proportionate to dollar amounts. Larger, more detailed quotations have "I need face time" written all over them!

Joe Guertin is an advertising sales trainer, speaker and coach. His programs have informed and entertained sales professionals nationwide. Visit his Sales Resource Center at www.StreetFighterSelling.com

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If You Dread Follow-Up Calls, So Will Your Prospects

When marketing expert C.J. Hayden first started her business she was uncomfortable making follow-up calls, like many people. After all, you're basically saying, "So are you going to hire me?" and that can be an uncomfortable question for everyone involved. Hayden thought up a different approach to follow-up calls that made her and her clients feel comfortable. Read on for her tips!

"When I first started marketing my own business, one of the first things I noticed was how difficult it was for me to call people and ask if they were ready to hire me," says Hayden. "But I'm no recluse; I enjoy interacting with people. In fact, I even enjoy talking on the phone. So what was it about these particular calls I found so distasteful?"

Being the analytical sort, I decided to identify exactly what it was about these calls that I disliked and avoided. Here are the elements I identified:

1. Asking for a sale or referral.
2. Calling just to "say hello."
3. Making small talk about generic topics.
4. Fearing rejection.
5. Telling people how great I was.
6. Calling back someone who had already said no.
7. Feeling as if my call was an imposition.

"Reviewing this list, it seemed to me that the secret to enjoyable follow-up (that would actually get done) was to eliminate these elements that I didn't like and replace them with ones I did," continues Hayden. "This reverse engineering didn't happen overnight, but over time, I began to find more and more ways to follow up agreeably. Here are the alternative approaches I discovered to make follow-up a pleasure instead of a chore."

1. Offering something instead of asking for anything. Like many professional service providers, giving advice, making connections, and sharing resources comes naturally to me. Instead of focusing on what I wanted to get from the person I was calling, I switched my emphasis to what I could give them.

2. Calling with a specific, helpful purpose. I've had many salespeople call me just to "stay in touch," and it always feels like a waste of my time. Instead of calling people just to chat, I would call to invite them to a networking event, introduce them to a new contact, or let them know about a book, article, or workshop they might find valuable.

3. Having meaningful conversations about what's going on in peoples' lives. Making small talk about weather, sports, or entertainment news has never been one of my favorite pastimes. But hearing what's
going on in someone's life, career, or business fascinates me. Those were the topics I began introducing in my follow-up calls.

4. Avoiding rejection by staying away from selling. Phoning someone to ask whether they're ready to hire me feels awkward and pushy, and I'm sure my prospects often feel the same. I'd much rather help people than sell to them. Unless I was calling someone to follow up on a specific deal already in progress, I stopped asking for business and focused on having helpful, meaningful exchanges.

5. Telling people how great my clients were. While talking myself up feels uncomfortable, talking about my clients' successes comes easily. I began describing my work by sharing my clients' accomplishments instead of my own (honoring client confidentiality, of course). These success stories turned out to be much more effective than simply telling prospects what I could do.

6. Letting go of sales that were too hard to close. It's important to be persistent and follow up multiple times with prospects who don't respond or say they're not ready, but calling back someone who has actually said no can be pretty confronting. I realized that if I had a long enough follow-up list, I didn't really need to call those prospects at all. I could spend my time instead with people who were more likely to be interested.

7. Designing a call that anyone would welcome. If making a call just to push for business isn't a good experience for me OR to the person I'm calling, why make it? I'd much rather spend my time having conversations both sides can enjoy. I discovered that if I contacted people in a spirit of friendliness and generosity, instead of acting like a salesperson, plenty of sales and referrals resulted without asking for them directly.

"Now, I'm not talking about using these principles as a way to avoid answering direct questions or provide needed clarity, when those are called for," says Hayden. "If prospects ask about your ability to do the job, by all means, you should tell them about your skills and experience. If you've submitted a proposal, and are waiting for the prospect to tell you whether he or she has accepted it, asking whether you got the order is completely appropriate and usually necessary."

"But what I am suggesting is that you can design much more pleasurable, helpful, and relationship-oriented reasons to pick up the phone and call your prospects and referral sources, just once or many times throughout the year. And THAT can transform making follow-up calls from a dreaded task into a welcome activity -- for both you and the people you call."

C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now! Thousands of business owners and independent professionals have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. For more information, please visit www.GetClientsNow.com

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Diligent or Desperate?

Diligent follow-up is an important part of being successful in sales, but have you ever worried that your follow-up comes off as desperate to your prospects? It's easy to cross the line without realizing you're doing it. These tips from sales trainer and author Renee Walkup are a great way to make sure you're coming off as professional and dedicated - and not desperate!

Avoid pinning the customer into your time frame.
For example, telling the customer that you will call him in two days doesn't empower him to take the lead. What's so special about two days? Ask your customer when is the best time for him. You may find it's sooner than two days. Once you negotiate the day and time, then be diligent by following up when you promised.

Avoid the "end of month special" approach.
Whenever a salesperson tells a customer that they have to purchase by the last date of the month/quarter/year, it spells "desperate" to a customer. Let the customer know about the deals and be more relaxed about the end of month. You can follow up, and in fact, I encourage you to do so...just don't push for the end of the month. Customers are able to recognize a good deal and they buy on their time frames. Just keep in mind that if the customer misses the 31st deadline, they will end up paying more and you increase your commissions.

The same is true for price increases for those of you in commodity markets.
When you call and tell your customer the price is going up by the 6th, another reminder call, email, or note is perfectly in order. The customer has a calendar--give them the options of when to buy when there's an impending price increase on the horizon.

Always do what you say.
If you tell the customer you will call on Thursday at noon, it doesn't matter what has occurred, call the customer at that time! Even if an emergency has arisen, call before that time and let him/her know.

Follow up, follow up, and don't forget to follow up!
Remember the "diligence" part?

Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK Inc. and author of "Selling to Anyone Over the Phone."

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Follow Up Sales Effectiveness

"Follow up in sales is critical. Particularly critical is the timing between a salesperson's follow-up and a prospect's pain point to want, not just need, what you sell," says sales trainer Patricia Weber. "Unless you have a crystal ball to bring that timeline into your view, then it is up to you to continue to be in front of a prospect about what might interest them."

Follow these tips from Weber on how to effectively follow up with your clients, and your timing will never be off!

Manage the process

If you do not plan to follow-up, the sale will likely not happen. Jeffery Moses says, "Sales is one part initial contact, four times follow-up." What is the average length of the sales cycle of your customers? Once you know this, then determine a series of different types of follow-up at different points in this cycle.

Start sooner than later

The first thing could be a handwritten note or even a voice mail saying how you appreciate their interest and maybe a reminder that you plan to stay in touch. This does two things: you've communicated your regards, and you let a prospect know you are going to talk with them again. Then, get your plan out of your head and on to your calendar.

Scheduling versus planned

A week after you've sent the first handwritten note, contact your prospect with an email containing pertinent information about something that interests them. After that you could send something seasonal, even a "just thinking of you" card, or if appropriate, a small gift. You can intermix real cards, emails, telephone calls and if appropriate, in-person visits.

Collaborate

Ask for help with the follow-up process. If you were referred to the prospect, ask the referrer something that might be important to the prospect for your follow-up. If you meet someone who knows the prospect, they may have some insights to add to your follow-up plan.

Have something pertinent

If "Are you ready?" is the first, last or only question you have on the scheduled plan, than you're probably seen as just a bother. An update on pricing, or a new product, or that you are on holiday for a week are valid reasons for a follow-up. How many valid business reasons can you think of to put in your plan?

"How much is a new customer worth to you?" asks Weber. "Is that worth more than putting all your effort only into that initial contact? Or is it worth you staying committed to a systematic follow-up? If you say yes to both these statements, then with your sales skills and timing, the outcome will likely be, "Okay. What do I have to do to get started with you?" or "How soon can you ship that to me?"

Sign up to receive a free report, ezine and teleclasses from Pat Weber – America’s Sales Accelerator Coach, specializing in Introverts and Shy people at http://www.prostrategies.com

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