How to Follow Up in Sales and Drive Positive Results (8 Easy Ways)

How bash you summation income conversions and nurture clients you already adjacent deals with to go loyal customers? How tin you marque prospects bargain your connection and marque repetition purchases? In some cases, follow-up connected income is crucial.

Data from Marketing Donut’s blog indicates that you request astir 5 follow-ups connected mean to adjacent 80% of income deals. But for immoderate marketers and income representatives, income travel up is simply a closed book. The study shows that income reps travel up lone 20% of leads─giving up connected 80% of imaginable buyers.

In different words, you’re losing a important portion of your concern income owed to the deficiency of income follow-ups. But determination are respective follow-up techniques you tin commencement applying contiguous to adjacent deals without being salesy. 

So, however tin you travel up with leads to support the momentum going? In this article, you volition larn income travel up champion practices. I volition screen the pursuing areas:

1. What is Follow Up connected Sales?
2. Importance of Follow Up connected Sales
3. Top Eight Marketing Techniques to Follow Up connected Sales
4. Which Marketing Communication Channel is Best for Following Up successful Sales?
5. How Often Should You Follow Up a Lead?

What is Follow Up connected Sales?

Follow-up successful income is simply a selling strategy you acceptable successful question aft the archetypal brushwood with a prospective lawsuit oregon paying customer. It involves a bid of income pitches to promote eventual customers to bargain your connection oregon nurture an existing lawsuit to repetition purchase.

Thus, income travel up is simply a important constituent successful establishing and maintaining semipermanent concern relationships with consumers. You tin bash this maturation hacking strategy successful assorted ways. But the astir salient methods are email marketing, SMS marketing, and telephone communication.

Why are Sales Follow Up Important?

Besides gathering marque credibility, trust, and semipermanent relationships with prospects and existing customers, the eventual extremity of income follow-ups is to adjacent deals. And acquiring leads and closing income tin hap done follow-ups successful sales. 

Therefore, income travel up is indispensable due to the fact that it encourages consumers to bargain your connection and marque repetition purchases. Also, considering that marketers adjacent lone 2% of income astatine the archetypal meeting, pursuing up successful income is essential. 

In essence, salespeople are not pursuing up adequately. Please, analyse these sales travel up statistics:

• 44% of selling representatives travel up leads lone erstwhile and springiness up. 
• Over 90% of income reps springiness up aft 4 follow-ups.
• 80% of apt clients accidental “no” to salespeople 4 times earlier they yet accidental yes.

• Only 20% of salespeople adjacent 80% of income deals. (Those who completed the deals merchantability to imaginable customers whom implicit 90% of income reps stopped pursuing up).
• 70% of marketers sent 1 follow-up email and stopped. (They suffer retired connected a 25% accidental of proceeding backmost from the lead). 
• Improving lawsuit loyalty by 5% tin summation gross by 25%–90%. (You tin execute this extremity with follow-ups connected sales).

Source representation via Zety.

Do you spot wherefore income follow-ups are essential? The follow-up statistic successful income speaks measurement and amusement wherefore this selling constituent is captious to your income successes. Brands are losing gross and concern maturation due to the fact that of inadequate follow-ups successful sales. 

Consequently, portion immoderate income reps whitethorn person assorted reasons for not pursuing up connected leads enough, you indispensable prioritize it. The income follow-up statistic stress the value of follow-up leads arsenic a captious constituent for your selling tactics and concern growth. 

8 Effective Ways to Follow Up connected Sales for Optimal ROIs

Maximizing your income processes volition summation your:

• Products oregon services sales
• Email motion ups
• Webinar registrations
• Subscription renewals and different selling goals. 

Hence, 1 of the champion selling channels that volition assistance you conscionable your income extremity is follow-ups connected sales. A robust follow-up pb income strategy volition get consumers onboard your bottom-funnel and positively interaction your concern growth. Here are a fewer follow-ups connected income selling tips you tin commencement utilizing to thrust ROIs.

1. Segment Prospects With a Lead Scoring System

Start your income follow-up run by segmenting prospects with a pb scoring system. Why is that important? Because it lets you categorize leads according to prime values. Otherwise stated, a pb scoring strategy allows you to prioritize consumers and travel up connected the champion prospects based connected captious factors, specified as:

1. The interests they amusement successful your products oregon services
2. What pages they interacted with connected your site
3. Their existent presumption successful the purchaser journey
4. Conformity to your brand
5. Their willingness to buy
6. Purchasing power

Indeed, a pb scoring selling system tin besides assistance you pinpoint imaginable customers that request nurturing. For instance, low-scoring leads necessitate much nurturing to boost their interests successful your products oregon services. But however tin you place lower-scoring leads and promote them to go qualified customers?

Here’s wherever a durable pb scoring strategy plays a captious role. With this system, you tin classify prospects with a scope of scores and rapidly travel up income leads successful your pipeline according to each buyer’s journey. Besides, forecasting your gross becomes easier since pb scoring is much predictive.

Example of a Lead Scoring System

A pb scoring strategy is not a modular strategy that’s emblematic to each businesses. Every marque oregon enactment has a method that suits its concern goal. It is simply a straightforward strategy that assigns a people of 1-100 to visitors depending connected the actions they instrumentality connected your website.

However, the people is taxable to changeless alteration and updated based connected users’ actions. Since the people is from 1-100, higher scores bespeak top-level leads.

For example, Lead Pilot developed a unified pb scoring bundle instrumentality that considers prospects’ actions connected its site. 

Image source: LeadPilot.

The algorithm examines the magnitude of clip a visitant spent connected the site, what different pages they visited, searches they conducted, and more. Hence, the strategy assigns a people for assorted activities users execute connected your site.

For instance, visitors tin prosecute successful the pursuing activities connected your website and person scores accordingly. Here’s what it looks like; a user: 

• Perform searches wrong site; +2 points
• Sign up for your email newsletter; +3 points
• Downloaded an ebook and near their data; +5 points
• Watched your caller webinar; +10 points
• Visit the assets page; +20 points
• Visit pricing page; +30 points

Consequently, the pb got a full people of 70 points. This people puts the idiosyncratic connected your apical database for income follow-ups. 

2. Send a Thank You Note

This maneuver applies to marketers oregon income reps who closed a deal. Thus, a enactment of acknowledgment is words of appreciation you nonstop to clients who completed your selling objective. This measurement is indispensable since it enables you to make coagulated lawsuit loyalty that drives repetition purchases.

You tin nonstop your appreciation connection done email (the astir commonly utilized signifier of concern communication). Or you tin bash truthful via telephone oregon substance message. Also, if it is simply a carnal product, you tin enclose the convey you connection successful the bundle for delivery. 

Moreover, you tin usage different connection methods not mentioned here. What matters is that you scope customers with a enactment of acknowledgment aft making a merchantability to support the momentum going. It helps amended lawsuit restitution and determination shoppers to bargain much from you. 

How to Send Thank You Messages

While there’s nary one-size fit, the pursuing enactment of acknowledgment tips volition help:

• Keep your connection abbreviated and concise
• Send the convey you enactment close aft you adjacent the deal
• Center the connection connected showing gratitude and don’t merchantability anything
• Customize your connection and code the lawsuit by name

Besides, you tin usage the pursuing convey you enactment examples for inspiration oregon edit and usage arsenic desired. Thank you enactment examples that volition animate you:

1. We astatine [your institution name] honestly admit your support, and we’re truthful grateful for your spot successful doing concern with us.
2. Thank you truthful much, [clients’ name], for choosing to bargain from [your institution name]. We’re truthful pleased to person you arsenic a valued client, and ever present to supply continued assistance.
3. [Your institution name] would similar to convey you, [customer name], for your fantabulous support. It means a batch to us, and we anticipation to spot you again.
4. Thank you, [customer name], for moving with [your institution name]. We admit doing concern with you, and we volition proceed to supply you high-quality services to the champion of our ability.

Also, guarantee that your notes person the sanction and interaction details of your company’s typical oregon interaction person. That way, if customers person an issue, query, oregon further accusation earlier deciding to buy, they volition cognize wherefore to contact.

3. Define a Problem and Provide the Solution 

Your people marketplace has pressing issues that request solutions, and your merchandise oregon work provides the answer. So, erstwhile sending a follow-up income pitch, it would beryllium champion to callback the symptom they’re going done and notation to your marque arsenic the champion remedy for it.

You tin punctual prospects of the worth of your products successful assorted ways, specified arsenic through:

• Branded content
• Industry report
• Blog articles
• Personalized emails
• Case studies
• ebooks

Whatever format you use, guarantee to get the constituent of your connection across. Let consumers spot wherefore they should spot your marque and bash concern with you. Your product’s worth proposition is the superior crushed consumers privation to bash concern with you, truthful marque it pop! 

Make the benefits of utilizing your products oregon services basal out, but don’t springiness distant excessively much. Instead, make an avenue for further follow-ups. Also, warrant to nonstop the close message. For example, if a imaginable lawsuit is astatine the apical of the funnel (TOFU), nonstop peculiar messages that volition instrumentality him to the adjacent signifier of his journey─middle of the funnel (MOFU). 

At this stage, your contented should beryllium short, sweet, and to the point. But marque definite to punctual leads of the values your merchandise tin connection constantly.

4. Provide Helpful Information Via Content Marketing

Right above, I highlighted the request to punctual prospects of the benefits of doing concern with you done assorted channels, including tailored circumstantial blog posts and customized content. But don’t marque the follow-up worldly dependable similar a income pitch.

Instead, bring successful breathtaking ideas that volition marque your transcript compelling to read. And if you’re utilizing a podcast oregon video, guarantee that it excites and engages your viewers and listeners. 

How to supply worth with contented marketing:

1. Tailor the contented to your leads (make them the halfway of attention).
2. Connect your products oregon services to the issues they privation to solve.
3. Create invaluable contented astir their pains─showing however your marque tin help. (If you person societal impervious oregon testimonials, see them to fortify your copy).
4. Ask the close question to prolong the momentum.

In this step, branded contented is your champion tool. Why? Because it is user-centered, and the nonsubjective is to assistance you:

• Communicate your work oregon merchandise values.
• Strengthen your marque image.
• Establish your concern arsenic an manufacture authority.
• Create a unsocial presumption of your concern and acceptable it isolated from the competition.
• Build an progressive assemblage of loyal customers.

According to research, 90% of buyers similar branded content. In different survey, implicit 62% of respondents who ticker customized video contented respond much positively than those who ticker regular commercials. Also, astir 70% of readers recovered branded contented much engaging and influential.

Otherwise stated, providing adjuvant accusation tin boost conversions significantly. But each follow-ups should not look arsenic nonstop conversations. Your extremity is to adhd worth astatine each touchpoint, and contented selling lets you span that spread portion providing value. 

Remember that you must constitute the contented thoroughly without plagiarized materials and guarantee that it complies with the spatial bid enactment successful penning for optimal results.

5. Use Emails to Send Sales Follow-Ups

Did you get a effect from your archetypal fewer follow-up income pitches? What method did you use? I’m assuming you utilized telephone selling tactics. Ok, let’s accidental you made 4 follow-up calls and got zero response. It’s clip to use a antithetic follow-up income technique.

The 2 astir communal strategies for follow-ups are emails and telephone calls, truthful prime up the email code and nonstop the imaginable an email. Email selling is simply a important follow-up income instrumentality for marketers and salespeople. That’s due to the fact that implicit 70% of young online shoppers place email arsenic their preferred means of selling communication.

So, if you’re pursuing up leads by telephone and not getting responses, nonstop them emails. Follow up emails are essential and precise influential due to the fact that they can:

• Convert leads
• Build steadfast concern relationships
• Get caller customers
• Close deals

However, the situation with email selling is making recipients unfastened the emails, work the content, and respond accordingly. What is the solution? Email taxable lines! How compelling are your taxable lines? Do they get recipients to click?

Therefore, to marque your email income follow-ups get results, make affirmative taxable lines to entice recipients. It volition summation your chances of getting unfastened and read. Don’t marque your taxable enactment excessively abbreviated oregon excessively long. Instead, effort to support a equilibrium betwixt six to 10 words.

Why is that so?

Studies amusement that 6-10 words successful email taxable lines get the champion unfastened rates. Please, analyse the screenshot beneath carefully:

Graphic source: Invesp.

According to Invesp, astir 70% of email recipients would study emails arsenic spam due to the fact that of the taxable line. Also, astir fractional (47%) of recipients volition unfastened emails owed to the taxable line.

Graphic source: Invesp. 

Consequently, marque your email taxable enactment count.  

6. Use Other Sales Follow-Ups Channels

Besides email and telephone selling channels, determination are different avenues to scope prospects and get results, specified arsenic societal media and SMS marketing. You tin leverage these selling channels to physique chap feelings and get a response. 

For example, I get radical reaching retired to maine done Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram due to the fact that they couldn’t get a effect from maine via emails. Also, others would travel up connected maine via emails aft respective attempts to get my attraction connected societal networking sites. 

Why is Social Media a Great Marketing Channel for Sales Follow-Ups?

Social media networking sites are large for pursuing income leads due to the fact that they connection measurable results. Moreover, societal media is cost-effective and allows you to:

• Establish your online presence
• Reach a broader audience
• Connect with existing and eventual customers 
• Increase engagement, and 
• Deliver breathtaking ROIs.

Remember that societal media engagement and connection alteration you to physique closeness and empathy, which helps pull and person leads. That is wherefore 97% of marketers and income reps are utilizing societal media for concern growth.

Additionally, 78% of income representatives who usage societal media merchantability much products than those who don’t. That is according to statistic recovered connected the Coschedule blog.

Why Use SMS Marketing for Follow-Ups connected Sales?

Although marketers underuse SMS marketing, it is simply a fantastic mean for pursuing leads. Why? Compared to different channels similar emails, app notifications, and nonstop mails, substance connection selling has an unfastened complaint of 98%, alternatively of a specified 20% unfastened for email campaigns. That’s according to statistic by Mobile Monkey.

Image source: Mobile Monkey

Also, substance selling has a 45% click-through complaint compared to email opens. Further surveys uncover absorbing findings, confirming SMS selling arsenic a apical income selling transmission you should beryllium using.

Source graphic; MobileMonkey.

According to broad research, SMS selling should beryllium portion of your income toolbox due to the fact that it has an mean effect complaint of 1 and fractional a infinitesimal (90 seconds), a overmuch faster effect complaint than emails.

It indicates that consumers work substance messages nether 3 minutes of delivery. Moreover, substance selling offers a one-on-one chatting acquisition with imaginable customers―boosting instant attraction and absorption than different follow-up channels.

Given this, and considering that a higher ratio of consumers is receptive to communicating with brands done SMS, it’s important to usage it arsenic a viable mean for follow-ups connected sales.

7. Send Follow-Ups Frequently, but Avoid Being Pushy

We each hatred rejection, but it is simply a fantastic instrumentality that motivates you to support going forward, nary substance what. However, immoderate marketers and income reps would halt pursuing up leads aft the archetypal oregon 2nd follow-ups. Why? Because they fearfulness sounding assertive oregon pushy and get rejected.

But you should recognize that prospects, similar everyone else, are engaged with different activities and whitethorn not person work your emails oregon had the clip to respond. So, it doesn’t mean that they’re not funny successful your offer. 

Another crushed whitethorn beryllium that recipients work your emails but request clip to analyse your products oregon services to warrant credibility. For instance, implicit 60% of consumers would hunt a merchandise oregon work online to stitchery much accusation earlier deciding to buy.

Source graphic: HubSpot

It means that, though recipients whitethorn person work your messages, they request much clip to probe earlier responding. This attack is emblematic for consumers astatine the apical of the funnel (TOFU)ㅡthe consciousness stage. 

As a result, if you springiness up pursuing leads excessively soon, you whitethorn suffer retired connected imaginable revenue. So, often pursuing up with consumers is captious arsenic it puts you successful the minds of imaginable customers. It allows them to retrieve your marque erstwhile they’re acceptable to buy. Hence, they volition respond and perchance bargain your products oregon wage for your services erstwhile they’re ready.

*Important* 

Regularly sending follow-up income messages does not connote spamming customers. Don’t nonstop excessively galore income follow-ups per day. Anything supra 2 regular messages is considered spam. I get irritated erstwhile I person 2 of the aforesaid connection from a marque per day.

Thus, for champion practices, nonstop 1 email reminder per time and abstraction retired for 2 oregon 3 days earlier consequent follow-up connected income selling campaigns.

8. Determine When to Send a Cut-Off Sales Message

To chopped disconnected pursuing up connected income implies disconnecting the pb and halt pursuing him/her to respond. So, erstwhile is the champion clip to scope retired and interrupt the connection process? Before you determine to nonstop that message, retrieve that the investigation mentioned successful the instauration supra points retired that galore income reps get responses aft 4 attempts.

It means that aft contacting would-be customers astir six oregon 7 times and inactive nary responses, you whitethorn see sending a break-up message. For immoderate marketers, this attack is daunting arsenic they fearfulness it’s not a bully concern ethic.

But there’s nary harm successful informing unresponsive prospects that you volition beryllium disconnecting them from receiving further messages. Please, enactment that the disconnection connection does not needfully mean that you volition halt contacting them entirely. Instead, presumption it arsenic a mode to get their attention. 

So, erstwhile sending the cut-off message, marque definite that each lines of connection are open. And past nonstop invaluable acquisition materials and proposal according to the recipient’s needs. The contented you connect to the break-up connection indispensable beryllium precious. It could be:

• Your caller webinar
• A lawsuit study 
• Testimonials of satisfied customers
• A caller video showing caller features and however your products oregon services tin assistance consumers
• Ebooks
• Product reviews, and more.

These materials assistance consolidate spot and boost your marque credibility. Nevertheless, archer prospects that you’re giving them the past accidental to person thing invaluable oregon other they volition miss it. 

Here, you’re utilizing the fearfulness of missing retired (FOMO) selling strategy to stimulate curiosity and summation your chances of getting a response. Even if you get nary reply, instrumentality a interruption for a fewer weeks oregon months and commencement pursuing up erstwhile again, but not arsenic often arsenic you utilized to.

What is the Best Channel for Sales Follow-up?

As stated earlier, determination are respective channels, but determination are 4 champion mediums for communicating with clients and would-be customers, which I recommend. The apical 4 tracks are:

1. Email marketing 
2. SMS (text message) marketing
3. Telephone marketing
4. Social media (DMs)
5. Referral marketing

However, depending connected your selling objective, either of these selling channels volition enactment for you. Also, marque definite not to support successful interaction with prospects excessively often. You whitethorn unknowingly annoy customers you privation to convert. And erstwhile they find you irritating oregon pushy, they whitethorn not privation to perceive from you again. 

How Frequently Should You Follow Up connected Sales Leads?

Persistence successful concern is excellent, but it’s besides a fantastic selling ethic to beryllium pleasantly oregon friendly-persistent. Following up connected income leads successful a affable mode means that you’re considering consumers’ emotions and interests. 

That way, you guarantee not to exasperate oregon irritate the pb with excessively galore messages. Since 5 follow-ups tin get consumers to respond and perchance convert, six would beryllium the decisive moment. Anything beyond that, specified arsenic 7 to a twelve consecutive follow-ups, is considered excessively much.

Nonetheless, your narration with the imaginable volition find whether you should proceed sending follow-up pitches aft the 6th clip until you get results. 

Wrap Upon Sales Follow Up

Prospecting leads is astir maintaining steadfast communications with existing clients and would-be customers without annoying them. And portion your eventual extremity is to person oregon transportation them to bargain your offer, don’t marque it prominent.

Instead, fto consumers cognize that you attraction astir their interests. It makes them consciousness valued and helps physique their spot successful your brand. Also, usage informative contented to amended buyers and summation your likelihood to person them.

Nonetheless, income travel up is simply a selling strategy that requires signifier to master. Therefore, whether you’re a newbie salesperson oregon an expert, applying the pointers supra volition beryllium worthwhile. What follow-up connected income strategies are you utilizing to standard your business? Please, archer america below!

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About the author

Moss Clement is an adept concern writer, laminitis of Moss Media, and blogger astatine Writers Per Hour. He works intimately with B2B marketers, helping tiny & medium-size businesses physique their online beingness and marque estimation by consistently delivering prime contented that converts.