Sales and the Importance of Following Up

Sales are the life force of any business. Here's an outline of the key factors in getting them for your business.

Persistence

Business owners and decision makers are typically very busy people. Often, the difference between making a sale and not making a sale is catching the decision maker at the right time. One of the best ways to catch a decision maker at the right time is to catch him or her many times. Of course, you do not want to be contacting a prospect so often that you become an annoyance. Still, using a combination of phone calls, emails, faxes and snail mails you can ensure your prospect remembers your company when the time comes to purchase the product or service you sell.

Organization

One of the most important aspects of following up is being organized. There is a great variety of software to help you get your lead management in order, but all lead management software is not created equal. One feature to look for in lead management software is portability. Web based systems allow users to access their leads from any Internet connected computer. Another feature to look for is built in document management. Ideally, your lead management software will allow you to easily send emails, faxes and snail mails and document the contact automatically. A good scheduling tool is also a great asset to lead management software


Follow Up and Consistency

Once you have contacted your lead, make sure to let them know when you will follow up again and follow through. Setting a time and day to follow up and then following through will build trust with your prospect. Just doing what you say you'll do is a huge source of confidence to prospective clients. After following up several times at the same time and day of the week, your prospect will come to expect your contact. Use this to build rapport. Become involved in your prospect's life and you are much more likely to make a sale. Use your lead management software to make notes about your conversations. Other wise, it is very difficult to remember the details of every conversation you may have. By following up and staying in front of your prospects, you will make more sales. The more familiar your prospects are with your company and products or services, the more likely they are to choose your company. Using the right lead management software can make the task of following up a breeze.