Every salesperson goal is to simply close a deal with the result of reaping benefits in the future. Although a lot comes into play when actually closing a deal, sometimes the follow-up can make it or break it. The value placed on reaching out to the prospect afterwards isn’t as high as it should be. Even though a personalized letter may be an effective way to follow-up, most of the time salespeople result to sending emails. Not that sending emails to follow-up is a bad thing, but most of the time lazy salespeople tend to copy and paste more than they should. Redundancy in this case is an outcome. And it’s not a good one. Personalizing and tailoring emails to specific clients not only shows that you are interested in solving their problems, but it also builds trust. Prospects don’t want to feel like their just another customer. They want to feel unique or special. By creating a follow-up response that is customized to their needs and wants, prospects are left content and wanting to do business with you in the future.
Stemming off of the personalizing aspect of the follow-up, such emails should inspire intrigue, not guilt. Customers can’t stand when follow-up emails are designed to provoke guilt or feelings of obligation. Emails that tend to work the best are ones that strike a cord with the prospect involved. Formulating an email that obliges the customer or guilt-trips them won’t result in positive outcomes.
BoweryJE22
This is definitely an interesting topic. Follow-ups can definitely make a huge difference in sales relationships. My uncle has built a multi-million dollar book of business by doing something similar. He doesn’t always follow up with clients with a written letters/emails, but he does make mental notes about personal stories/details the decision makers have shared through small talk. It immediately creates a bond that translates into retention loyalty.
I think this relates to the Sandler rule 10, that everyone is a suspect and that your goal is to watch if they turn into a prospect because following up is such a vital asset.