As Business owners, we all come across potential leads who show great interest in our products and services and yet, they do not commit fully to putting their money where their mouth is. This can be for a variety of reasons and learning how to follow up with these people is absolutely essential to building a profitable, long lived business
Let me give you three tips that could work for you in ensuring you do not let any lead slip through the net.
1. Connect with them via Social Media
The great thing about social media is that it can be used as a medium of staying in touch quite regularly with your list of prospects. So the chances are, you are not going to want to do a 800 word blog post each and every day, however, using a platform like Twitter or Facebook, you have the ability to direct prospects to stay in touch with you on there. You can do mini posts fairly regularly which keep you in your prospects’ sight. Of course, these are platforms you do not own so anything can change – BE VERY aware of that.
2. Connect with them using an Email Newsletter
Social Media is certainly a starting point but try to encourage your prospects to move onto your own personal email list in order to have a little control over how frequently they see messages from you. Send out your blog posts to your prospects. Send out attractive offers that you know will serve them well. Make the email personal so they feel you are speaking directly to them. Take the time to care for your prospects even those that do not work with you immediately. Be consistent with it.
3. Take it to the phone
Yes, this is where most business owners struggle when it comes to the follow up. It is fairly easy to stay stuck behind a computer screen, however, with some people, the personal touch is best. Give them a quick ring and find out how they are doing. Be gentle but ask the question – Are you ready to start working with me to…………… (mention the benefit they want)?
The thing to remember in the follow up is to consider the person. Each person is an individual and from your initial contact with them, you will get a feel for what they may or may not want or need.
Remember this VERY important point – It is NOT ABOUT YOU! You may feel that you are bothering them but the truth is, they are looking for solutions. Can you give them one? Yes, then it would be selfish of you not to offer it.
I cannot tell you how many times I have had clients say ‘why did you not tell me about this before?’ This was because I had thought that they knew more about me and my business than they did.
Your prospects do not have you on their mind all the time so where you feel you are bothering them, you are probably not even on their radar. Remember, everyone is more concerned about themselves than they are about you.
So, do not make it about you, make it all about them. OK?
There are other ways to follow up but I wanted to give you three today. What other ways do you follow up with your prospects?
