Sales reps are no strangers to the ups and downs of the sales journey. While there’s nothing more rewarding than converting a prospect into a customer, they often have to navigate a maze of calls and emails.
We get it. It’s frustrating. No wonder many sales reps give up after the first conversation. But, you see, research shows that most successful sales require at least 5-8 follow-ups.
And it makes sense. You can’t expect a prospect to buy your product on the first call. That’s where persistent follow-up calls come in. In this blog, we’ll reveal why sales follow-up calls are important and give you 10 killer tips on how to master them.
What is a follow-up call?
A sales follow-up call is simply reaching out to a prospect after an initial interaction. This could be a meeting, a phone call, or an email. It helps you build trust, nurture the relationship, and ultimately move them closer to closing the sale.
Think of a sales follow-up call as a bridge between where your prospect is in their buying journey and where they’re going—making the purchase. This helps you keep the conversation going while gently nudging the prospect toward a favorable decision.
Why are sales follow-up calls important?
Sales follow-up calls go beyond simply reconnecting with the prospect. They are strategic moves that can make or break your sales efforts.
A few follow-up call attempts can increase your conversion rate by up to 70%. Here’s why they should be an integral part of your sales calling strategy:
Create urgency
Prospects often delay making a decision. Plus, with their telegram database users list busy schedules, they might forget about you if you don’t contact them again.
Follow-up calls help you stay top of mind. They create a sense of urgency by reminding them of the values and benefits they can gain. This helps you maintain the momentum of your conversation and ensure your solution doesn’t fall by the wayside.
Handling potential objections
Your prospects will inevitably have objections to your solution. These could be related to price, features, competition, or their goals. Follow-up calls help you address these and provide assurances, making them more likely to convert.
In fact, some prefer calls to emails when following up, especially for this purpose. They say it allows them to address objections and concerns immediately to ensure the prospect doesn’t lose interest.
Building Better Relationships
Gone are the days of impersonal, heavily scripted sales calls. Today, it’s all about building a strong relationship with the prospect by personalizing your customer interactions and showing that you truly care about their needs.
Follow-up calls serve this purpose. By continually interacting with the prospect, you can understand their pain points and tailor your pitch to meet their needs. This helps you build trust over time, making them more likely to become loyal customers.
10 Tips for Making the Perfect Follow-up Call
Stressed about following up how to enable two-step verification for your telegram account that goes nowhere? Then relax and apply these proven tips for the perfect follow-up call.
Set the right expectations for follow-up calls
Sales teams should schedule their follow-up call at the end of sales calls. Ask your customer what the next step will be. Then understand their interest and suggest your action plan.
Let them know how you will contact them, such as by phone. If the prospect confirms the next interaction, set a date and time for the call.
Find out how to stay in touch
At the end of a call, ask your prospect how you can stay in touch with them. Find out the best way to reach them.
Also list a few reasons why staying in touch with ar numbers you would be beneficial. For example, provide solution summaries, industry details, or competitive analyses.
Learn the prospect’s preferred mode of communication
Understand how your prospect prefers to communicate. You don’t want to bombard them with calls if they prefer emails.
After your discovery call, ask your prospect their preferred method of communication. This brings you one step closer to working with them.
Ask them what would work best – a call, text message, or sales follow-up email. Then confirm when to make the next call.
Ask the prospect – ‘When would be the best time to follow up? Can you free up some time during the week?’
Such questions always give you a relevant answer without appearing aggressive.
Decide on the next step at the end of a conversation
Identify what you are trying to achieve with the customer. Write down the steps and follow them. This way, you can prepare accordingly for the next step.
If your conversation goes well, set a date and time for the next follow-up call. If your customer commits to taking the next step, you can be sure to re-engage them.
Give a reason for tracking
Whether you make a follow-up call, text message or email, make sure to specify a good reason behind it.
For example, if you’re sending a follow-up email, include information that’s helpful to the customer. Similarly, explain to your customer why you called in a follow-up. Prepare your reasons in advance to ensure a smooth conversation.
Send a conversation summary by email
After your call or meeting, send an email that summarizes the entire conversation. This practice has several benefits:
- It proves that you have listened and understood the customer’s needs.
- It stores discussion notes (avoids misunderstandings).
- It commits your client (once you have their email confirmation).
You can use such emails as a long-term reference. Plus, it means you’ve really engaged your customer or prospect well!
Don’t forget to express your gratitude
A little extra effort opens up a lot of possibilities. When dealing with a prospect, be sure to send them a thank you note after every call.
‘Thank you, David, for taking the time to speak with me. I look forward to our meeting on the 18th.’
A short ‘thank you’ message creates a degree of fairness, setting you apart from other sellers.
Send an email with a reminder and the next agenda
The day before your follow-up courtesy call, send your prospect an email to remind them of the appointment. This email can be a reminder and should also include the agenda for your next call. By agenda, we mean the topic of discussion in the next call. Remember to use a slightly casual (professional) tone.
Use speech analysis software
Speech analysis software will help you:
- Analyze sales conversations between reps and prospects to find gaps and areas for improvement.
- Perform a quick lead scoring to distinguish high-intent leads from low-intent leads. This will help you know which leads are more valuable and suitable for follow-ups.
- Generate an automated sales guide to document all your sales activities and keep the entire team informed.
Be persistent, be patient and above all be polite.
Perfecting a follow-up call requires a salesperson to be persistent, patient, and polite. In short, a thorough professional.
Avoid harassing the prospect if they don’t answer. Leave a message so they know you called them on time. Wait for them to answer for 10 to 15 minutes. If you don’t receive one, leave another message asking them to call you back at their convenience.
All in all, a perfect follow-up can happen in different ways, as each seller can mix their interaction methods. However, following best practices can help you win half the battle. So, use these tips and combine them with your confidence. Nothing can stop you from closing that deal successfully!
