In this age of information overload and overcrowded inboxes how many touches does it take for a prospect to agree to a meeting? Is it two, five, ten…? The latest research says it’s anywhere from eight to eighteen! However, 90% of sales reps give up after only five touch points, how crazy is that?
Your prospects need to know you are not just looking out for yourself, but that you care about them and their business. You have to nurture them, talk to them and follow-up.
So if you were able to stand out from the crowd, with just a few more touches than the average joe, how would that impact your bottom line? I bet it could be significant! So let’s walk you through how we make sure we are not leaving money on the table at RevGrow and what you can take from us to implement in your business – today.
Nurture
RevGrow blogs are full of proven tips on how to effectively nurture leads and establish relationships with your prospects. If you haven’t read through them, you should.
Talk
Once you have the meeting, you know it’s best not to go for a hard sales pitch, right? The initial call or meeting is designed for you to get to know your prospect, understand their needs and see how you can be a better resource for them. This can lead directly to a sale; however, it will likely be just the beginning of the dialog with this prospect.
Follow Up
The fact is, no one is going to be ready to buy until they have a need which you can meet or a problem you can solve. On average, about 3% of prospects have an immediate need. You want to be the one to solve that need the minute they realize they have it.
You have worked hard to build rapport with a prospect, and you feel you have established a real business relationship. This is the key moment to your success. Following up your conversation the right way can make or break any deal you are looking to broker.
Most service providers follow a protocol of general thought-leadership emails and monthly newsletters. Oftentimes, these are thinly veiled sales material that may or may not be relevant to the prospect. In addition, the sales rep will send/make the occasional “checking in” or “touching base” email or call. These aren’t necessarily bad, but so much more is required if you want to consistently grow your business.
You need a follow-up plan that includes accountability. That plan should include a customized post-appointment nurturing plan based on their business, pain points, communication preferences and agreed upon next steps.
Your plan should include unique, personalized follow-ups like:
- Play matchmaker – refer a prospect or make an introduction
- Endorse a skill
- Like or comment on a post
- Ask their opinion on something
To ensure you complete your follow-up, develop your own accountability plan to complete the tasks that need to be performed in order to accomplish everything you developed. Use formal systems like:
- CRM, Spreadsheet, Calendar, etc.
- Track the touch-points (date sent/response/etc.)
RevGrow has a complete system in place to take you from initial contact through the follow-up process to landing the sale. Schedule a free strategy session today.
