By Tom Kulzer (AWeber CEO)
Your web business probably gets product inquiries from potential customers around the globe. Inquiries come via e-mail and your web site, and you try to send information to each hot prospect as quickly as you can. You know that you can drastically increase the likelihood of making a sale by satisfying each person’s need for information quickly!
But, after you’ve delivered that first bit of information to your prospect, do you send him any further information?
If you are like most Internet marketers, you don’t.
When you don’t follow that initial message with additional information later on, you let a valuable prospect slip from your grasp! This is a potential customer who may have been very interested in your products, but who lost your contact information, or was too busy to make a purchase when your first message reached him.
Often, a prospect will purposely put off making a purchase, to see if you find him important enough to follow up with later. When he doesn’t receive a follow up message from you, he will take his business elsewhere.
Are you losing profits due to inconsistent and ineffective follow up?
Following up with leads is more than just a process - it’s an art. In order to be effective, you need to design a follow up system, and stick to it, EVERY DAY! If you don’t follow up with your prospects consistently, INDIVIDUALLY, and in a timely fashion, then you might as well forget the whole follow up process.
Consistent follow up gets results!
When I first started marketing and following up with prospects, I used a follow up method that I now call the “List Technique.” I had a large database containing the names and e-mail addresses of people who had specifically requested information about my products and services. These prospects had already received my first letter by the time they requested more information, so I used the company’s latest news as a follow up piece.
I would write follow up newsletters every now and then, and send them, in one mass mailing, to everyone who had previously requested information from me. While this probably did help me win a few additional orders, it wasn’t a very good follow up method. Why isn’t the “List Technique” very effective?
The List Technique isn’t consistent. Proponents of the List Technique tend to only send out follow up messages when their companies have “big news”.
List Technique messages don’t give the potential customer any additional information about the product or service in question. He can’t make a more informed buying decision after receiving a newsletter! If someone is wondering whether your company sells the best knick-knacks, what does he care that you’ve just moved your headquarters?
List Technique messages convey a “big list” mentality to your potential customers. When I used to write follow up messages using the List Technique, I was writing news bulletins to everyone I knew! I should have been sending a personal message to each individual who wanted to know more about my products.
What follow up method really works?
Following up with each lead individually, multiple times, but at set intervals, and with pre-written messages, will dramatically increase sales! Others who use this same technique confirm that they have all at least doubled the sales of various products! In order to set this system up, though, you need to do some planning.
First, you’ll need to develop your follow up messages. If you’ve been marketing on the Internet for any length of time, then you should already have a first informative letter. Your second letter marks the beginning of the follow up process, and should go into more detail than the first letter. Fill this letter with details that you didn’t have the space to add to the first letter. Stress the BENEFITS of your products or services!
Your next 2-3 follow up messages should be rather short. Include lists of the benefits and potential uses of your products and services. Write each letter so that your prospects can skim the contents, and still see the full force of your message.
The next couple of follow up messages should create a sense of urgency in your prospect’s mind. Make a special offer, giving him a reason to order NOW instead of waiting any longer. After reading these follow up messages, your prospect should want to order immediately!
Phrase each of your final 1 or 2 follow up messages in the form of a question. Ask your prospect why he hasn’t yet placed an order? Try to get him to actually respond. Ask if the price is to high, the product isn’t the right color or doesn’t have the right features, or if he is looking for something else entirely. (By this time, it’s unlikely that this person will order from you. However, his feedback can help you modify your follow up letters or products, so that other prospects will order from you.)
The timing of your follow up letters is just as important as their content. You don’t want one prospect to receive a follow up the day after he gets your initial informative letter, while another prospect waits weeks for a follow up!
Always send an initial, informative letter as soon as it is requested, and send the first follow up 24 hours afterwards. You want your hot prospects to have information quickly, so that they can make informed buying decisions!
Send the next 2-3 follow up messages between 1 and 3 days apart. Your prospect is still hot, and is probably still shopping around! Tell him about the benefits of your products and services, as opposed to your competitors’. You will make the sale!
Send the final follow up messages later on. You certainly don’t want to annoy your prospect! Make sure that these last letters are at least 4 days apart.
Following up effectively seems complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! So many potential customers are lost because of poor follow up - don’t you want to be one of the few to get it right?
Get an easy-to-use email management system that makes consistent communications possible by clicking this link.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Secret to Sales Success - Even When Times are Tough
Brockwell's Note: I thought that this had perfect timing for everyone, with the economy down and all. Enjoy!
By Jill Konrath
"I get so frustrated," Melissa said. "My company is small. No one knows who we are. It's just about impossible to get prospects to call me back when I'm cold calling. If only we were a household name, selling would be a whole lot easier."
I know how she feels. I spent many years toiling in obscurity as a small one-person firm. Cold calling new customers was always a challenge.
Andrew didn't have much sympathy for Melissa. "You're the lucky one," he said. "Everyone knows the company I work for. When I try to get appointments, prospects immediately say we're too expensive or sophisticated for them. If only I worked for a less recognizable firm, selling would be a whole lot easier."
Of course, he's totally right. I used to work for Xerox. The minute I'd say that, prospects would blurt out, "We don't need any copiers" and hang up the phone. It was tough.
But, the reality is, the grass is always greener on the other side. Sellers from no-name companies win big deals all the time. So do sellers from well-known companies.No matter where you look, you'll find sellers who succeed despite insurmountable odds. Some may work in declining industries or depressed economies, yet they still bring in orders. Others succeed selling cutthroat commodities or complex, over-priced offerings.
How do they do it? Don't they understand they're in a no-win sales situation?
The truth is, you can be successful in just about any situation. However, to make it happen, you'll likely need to change your sales strategies, techniques and mindset.Certainly it's much easier to keep doing what you're comfortable with. But, as Dr. Phil says to the self-righteous complainers who appear on his show,
"So how's that working for you?"
Or, you could find a different company to work for. While that might make things better in the short term, it still doesn't teach you how to handle adversity in your sales career. Believe me, you'll have these tough times again!
In my opinion, there's only one viable option. Get out of the "if only" trap - or should I say cut the "if only" crap?
Banish those self-sabotaging words from your vocabulary now . Then, commit to figuring out how to succeed right where you're at. Even if you're working for a no-name company. Even if you're selling non-differentiated products or services. Even though your offering isn't the best or the cheapest.In my book, Selling to Big Companies, I share how I had to entirely re-invent my cold calling strategies because they were no longer effective. I felt grossly uncomfortable trying new approaches. On many occasions, I blew it badly.
There were even days when I feared my mojo was gone and that I'd never land another corporate client again.
I'd think to myself: If only my prospects would answer their phone. If only Wall Street would stop their never-ending pursuit of profits. If only the economy would turn around.Shoot! I even lived in Fantasy Land for a while: If only a perfect client with massive needs for my services would call me from out of nowhere.My bad luck finally came to a halt when I stopped playing the "if only" blame game and decided to figure out how to be successful again.The pivotal first step was to accept the situation as it was, not bemoaning or fighting it. Customers weren't answering the phone. Wall Street wasn't going to change any time soon. The economy stunk, but it was out of my control.
Then I started searching for the solution. I knew it was there, because other sellers were overcoming the account entry barriers. Ultimately, I found it and my career took off again.
So back to those people who are doing well in your company or industry right now.
Rather than diminishing their success by your "if only" thinking, look at them as beacons.
Success is possible! If they can achieve it, so can you!
___
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She is a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings and association events.
For more articles like this, visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com . Get a free Sales Call Planning Guide ($19.95 value) when you sign up for the Selling to Big Companies e-newsletter.
By Jill Konrath
"I get so frustrated," Melissa said. "My company is small. No one knows who we are. It's just about impossible to get prospects to call me back when I'm cold calling. If only we were a household name, selling would be a whole lot easier."
I know how she feels. I spent many years toiling in obscurity as a small one-person firm. Cold calling new customers was always a challenge.
Andrew didn't have much sympathy for Melissa. "You're the lucky one," he said. "Everyone knows the company I work for. When I try to get appointments, prospects immediately say we're too expensive or sophisticated for them. If only I worked for a less recognizable firm, selling would be a whole lot easier."
Of course, he's totally right. I used to work for Xerox. The minute I'd say that, prospects would blurt out, "We don't need any copiers" and hang up the phone. It was tough.
But, the reality is, the grass is always greener on the other side. Sellers from no-name companies win big deals all the time. So do sellers from well-known companies.No matter where you look, you'll find sellers who succeed despite insurmountable odds. Some may work in declining industries or depressed economies, yet they still bring in orders. Others succeed selling cutthroat commodities or complex, over-priced offerings.
How do they do it? Don't they understand they're in a no-win sales situation?
The truth is, you can be successful in just about any situation. However, to make it happen, you'll likely need to change your sales strategies, techniques and mindset.Certainly it's much easier to keep doing what you're comfortable with. But, as Dr. Phil says to the self-righteous complainers who appear on his show,
"So how's that working for you?"
Or, you could find a different company to work for. While that might make things better in the short term, it still doesn't teach you how to handle adversity in your sales career. Believe me, you'll have these tough times again!
In my opinion, there's only one viable option. Get out of the "if only" trap - or should I say cut the "if only" crap?
Banish those self-sabotaging words from your vocabulary now . Then, commit to figuring out how to succeed right where you're at. Even if you're working for a no-name company. Even if you're selling non-differentiated products or services. Even though your offering isn't the best or the cheapest.In my book, Selling to Big Companies, I share how I had to entirely re-invent my cold calling strategies because they were no longer effective. I felt grossly uncomfortable trying new approaches. On many occasions, I blew it badly.
There were even days when I feared my mojo was gone and that I'd never land another corporate client again.
I'd think to myself: If only my prospects would answer their phone. If only Wall Street would stop their never-ending pursuit of profits. If only the economy would turn around.Shoot! I even lived in Fantasy Land for a while: If only a perfect client with massive needs for my services would call me from out of nowhere.My bad luck finally came to a halt when I stopped playing the "if only" blame game and decided to figure out how to be successful again.The pivotal first step was to accept the situation as it was, not bemoaning or fighting it. Customers weren't answering the phone. Wall Street wasn't going to change any time soon. The economy stunk, but it was out of my control.
Then I started searching for the solution. I knew it was there, because other sellers were overcoming the account entry barriers. Ultimately, I found it and my career took off again.
So back to those people who are doing well in your company or industry right now.
Rather than diminishing their success by your "if only" thinking, look at them as beacons.
Success is possible! If they can achieve it, so can you!
___
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She is a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings and association events.
For more articles like this, visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com . Get a free Sales Call Planning Guide ($19.95 value) when you sign up for the Selling to Big Companies e-newsletter.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Priorities (from the Bone Marketing November newsletter)
What a wild ride this year has been. You may have noticed that we missed the last 2(!) email newsletters. Why? Hurricane Gustav hit us hard! With no power for two weeks in September, we got way behind and only caught up two weeks ago.
In a time of devastation, like Gustav, God reminds us about priorities. It was re-enforced that protecting and caring for our families should be our top priority – always.
Our house was not damaged (luckily) so the only priority I had was keeping my family fed. Because we had to cook over a fire, I took over all of the cooking duties the first few days (thank you Boy Scouts of America!).
I experienced the family priority from the point of view of a son – on the fourth day without power, my dad purchased a generator and brought it to us. He went without so that his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren could have power.
When power returned, we stopped the active pursuit of new business – prioritizing our clients over business growth – something that is now company policy. If we are attempting to meet a deadline for a client, we will cancel appointments with prospects in order to meet it. Thank you all who bared with us during this difficult time.
You are our company’s top priority,
Brockwell Bone
To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please visit www.bonemarketing.com or send a blank email to subscribe@bonemarketing.com.
In a time of devastation, like Gustav, God reminds us about priorities. It was re-enforced that protecting and caring for our families should be our top priority – always.
Our house was not damaged (luckily) so the only priority I had was keeping my family fed. Because we had to cook over a fire, I took over all of the cooking duties the first few days (thank you Boy Scouts of America!).
I experienced the family priority from the point of view of a son – on the fourth day without power, my dad purchased a generator and brought it to us. He went without so that his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren could have power.
When power returned, we stopped the active pursuit of new business – prioritizing our clients over business growth – something that is now company policy. If we are attempting to meet a deadline for a client, we will cancel appointments with prospects in order to meet it. Thank you all who bared with us during this difficult time.
You are our company’s top priority,
Brockwell Bone
To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please visit www.bonemarketing.com or send a blank email to subscribe@bonemarketing.com.
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