When Following Up,
Be a Guest, Not a Pest
by Joe Gracia
Once you have attracted prospects to your business, persistent,
and skillful follow-up are the keys to converting a percentage of those prospects
into paying customers.
If you don't follow-up skillfully, and in a way that your prospects want you to,
you can easily go from being an invited guest to a pest.
People don't buy from pests.
Here's what I mean by being a pest:
SALESPERSON: Hello, Jim. This is Bob Smith of Acme Marketing. I'm just calling to see
if you received the free packet of information you asked us to send to you?
JIM: Yes. I received it.
SALESPERSON: Uhh. Did you get a chance to read it yet?
JIM: No, not really. It's on my desk on top of a pile of other things I still have
to get to.
(At this point, the guest relationship is quickly deteriorating.)
JIM: Listen, I'm very busy right now . . .
SALESPERSON: Right. Well, there's also some information in that packet
about our new marketing program. I don't suppose you've had a chance to
read that yet have you?
JIM: No, I haven't. And I really don't have the time to discuss this right
now. So, I'm going to have to go.
By not understanding what his prospects want, this salesperson has become a
pest instead of an invited guest.
And it gets worse. Two weeks later, Jim receives another call.
SALESPERSON: Hello Jim. Bob Smith again.
("Oh, no!" Jim thinks to himself. Not this pest again!)
JIM: Yes? What can I do for you?
SALESPERSON: I was just calling to see if you've finished reading the information
about our marketing package.
JIM: Yes, I looked it over and I'm not really interested.
SALESPERSON: Oh? Well, how about if I just call you back in a few months,
to see if you've changed your mind?
JIM: Please don't.
This is what we mean by being a pest. And it happens a million times a day.
This is not the kind of follow-up we mean.
Reprinted with permission from Joe and Maria Gracia's FREE, Give to Get Marketing Newsletter.
You can subscribe to their newsletter and receive their
complimentary Marketing Idea-Kit by simply visiting their Web site:
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