Following up with potential clients is one of the best ways to close the sale.

If you have a great conversation with a prospect and they tell you they will get in touch soon, that most likely means you will never hear from them again. It’s not that they don’t want to work with you, but they are busy and have a lot on their plate. They may forget or feel like it is not the right time.

Statistics show that 60% of customers say no four times before saying yes, whereas 48% of salespeople never even make a single follow up attempt. Don’t be one of those people, FOLLOW UP!

By following up you stay on their radar and it keeps you top of mind.

Ways to Follow Up

1- Ask Them – Before you close the conversation, let them know that you would like to follow up with them and ask them about their preferred contact method. Some people prefer a phone call while other like email. Also, ask them when they would like you to follow up. They may be ready to consider your offer in a week or they may want to hold off for a month or two. Asking them lets them know that you respect their time.

2- Send a Same Day Message – This does not have to be the follow up to close the sale, but just a note to let them know you enjoyed talking with them. If you referenced some information or a website in your conversation, you can send them a link. Your email can be as simple as “It was nice talking with you today. As you requested, I will follow up with you next week to see if you have any questions” A nice touch would be to send them a quick thank you in the mail.

3- Connect On Linkedln – Connect with them on social media. This will help them to learn more about your company and read your posts.

4- Offer Value – Build trust with your potential clients by offering them something of value. Help them make quality connections on Linkedin, send them and article with valuable information, ,or offer them some sort of FREE advice or resource.

5- Create a Follow Up Log – You don’t ever want to miss an opportunity to follow up with a prospect. Crating a log of your contacts and dates you need to connect again will help you stay on top of this. You can create tasks in your calendar or create a spreadsheet with names, dates, and contact methods.

6- Don’t Be Pushy – Consistently asking for the sale will turn the prospect off and make them consider avoiding all your follow ups. Instead, offer value, share any specials or discounts you may be offering on something they are interested in, and just stay top of mind. When they are ready, they will let you know. And they will be more likely to work with you than someone else if you are not pushy.

7-Make your Follow Up Personal – Don’t send our generic messages to everyone in your contact list. Instead, personalize the message to each of your potential clients with information that is relevant to them.

Build Relationships

Following up with your potential clients is the best way to build a solid relationship with them. However, sometimes they are just not interested so it is important to know when to let go and stop contacting them. If you can do this, you may even find the prospect sending referrals your way.