HEY...IT'S JUST ME

I believe we've all felt that, where, following up just feels uncomfortable, distasteful and at times, desperate.

The experiences I've had made feel that way on a few occasions, and after paying attention to why I would feel icky about follow ups, I discovered it was because I didn't capture my prospects' attention enough during the strategy call or consultation session. I didn't deliver enough value and projections which resulted in me being a pushy salesperson towards the end as I was pushing the sales more than delivering the value. Knowing this, made me feel icky following up.

If I effectively qualified my prospect during the consultation session where I clearly outlined their journey and set the expectations on projected outcome, following up actually became much easier for they would have already been presented with a lot of value to what they were looking for. In most cases, what's left to consider would be budget, timeframe and in some cases, a quick discussion with their partner(s).

Here's what I do when following up with prospects. For one, I tend to stay away from starting my email with:

"Hey [NAME], just following up on XYZ".

I actually don't like to use the words "follow up" too much. Prospects already know why you're reaching out to them, and saying you are following up is sort of redundant, but again, that's just me.

Before sending that next email or call, I would've ensure that before hanging up on the previous strategy call that I got their verbal confirmation that we would reconnect in 2-3 days which would have allowed them adequate time to mull things over. So assuming that they confirmed and said "Yes, give me 3 days, this should give me enough time to budget, discuss and reach a decision", then my next email would be to reassert their commitment and reach a decision. Not to hold them accountable though, as I find that it often backfires when a prospect feels pressure. But rather, to re-engage communications.

So this is how it would go, and feel free to modify as you see fit:

"Hi [NAME],

As per our first call, you're goal is to ____(mention the problems or goals).

We've outlined some strategies and solutions, are you still looking to fix or reach those goals?

If you are, let's keep our eyes on the target, but before taking the next steps, have you reached a decision or do you need more time to reflect on your best course of action?

If there's any concerns holding you back, let’s open up our lines again and see how we can help. Perhaps I didn't outline our strategy and outcome clearly"

I suggest to keep it brief. We used to say moving fast at the pace of a New York minute, but in this day and age, I think that minute doesn't just apply to New York. Everyone is hard pressed on time, so get to the point.

Do, however, customize your message as much as you can.

I put myself into my prospect's shoes and often ask myself "has the value been truly presented? Do I know what I am getting myself into? Are my expectations tangible?"

These questions, help me deliver a better presentation in outlining their journey and expectations. Look at it like going on a vacation to a sun destination. You imagine the flight and how it's going to be (dreadful for some). You know how much it's going to cost per head (time to use up those travel points). But most of all, you expect to lounge by the pool or on the white sandy beach with a nice cold cocktail in your hands. And to cool off the runny sunscreen, you'll go dip in the crystal clear water and soak in that great vitamin D.

How well you paint the vision and expectations is what helps reassure a prospect in entrusting you with their business. Not to be mixed up with features and benefits since features and benefits is outplayed.

"You get this, you get that..." (Blah)

It's more about what we call future pacing where you paint the journey, set the expectations that are associated with results that would trigger positive emotions. Get your prospect to feel the difference, to feel the results, and how those results would make them feel. And once they trust you enough to entrust you with their business, the rest is up to you to deliver and even over-deliver so you can turn them from an audience, to a fan, and ultimately, into a raging fan.