Your follow-up phone call is when the ball really gets rolling and your prospect enters the sales cycle. It’s really important to make the most of this second contact with a sales-qualified lead, and these 3 tips below will help you develop that perfect follow-up strategy.
1. Establish a Specific Day and Time
The biggest mistake salespeople make is being too casual about setting up a follow-up appointment. Saying, “I’ll shoot you an email next week to schedule a time,” or “I’ll follow up in a couple of days,” leaves too much room for ambiguity with your sales-qualified leads.
Uncertainty leads to missed calls, which leads to a longer sales cycle. No one wants that, so recommend a date and time that you could reconnect. If your suggestions don’t work, ask your eCommerce lead when it would be best for them.
2. Email a Reminder
People appreciate reminders. A day before you’re scheduled to touch base, email your prospect any pertinent information and a general agenda. Confirm the date and time of the call, and estimate how long the conversation will last.
Your email should be casual and informal and make the phone call seem pressure-free. The last thing you want to do is make the prospect feel like he’s being forced into a decision by speaking to you again. Many prospects will skip out on the phone call if they’re worried they’ll have to make a commitment.
3. Avoid Cliché Opening Statements
“Hello, this is Darren calling to follow up on that proposal.”
The moment your sales qualified lead hears this statement their guard goes up because they know they’re in a sales call. The secret to a great follow-up call: differentiate yourself.
- Start with your full name and company
- Then remind the prospect what prompted the follow-up call in the first place
I hope you were taking notes the first time you spoke with your prospect. The more personal you can make your statements, the more casual and comfortable the conversation will be for him or her.
Take steps to ensure your follow-up phone calls go smoothly and set you up to close a sale.
How do you plan and execute follow-up phone calls?