In the early stages of the sales cycle, an incredible amount of time can be spent just getting in contact with the right people. Frustrating and discouraging as it may be, following up is a necessary step in the sales process.Knowing when to follow up is just as important as the action itself. Leave it too long and you might find yourself having to start the sales cycle all over again. Too early and often can lead to ticking off your prospect. So when is a good time to follow up?
Depending on what you are following up on, the timing may be different. A rule of thumb that I use is one business week - no longer and sometimes shorter. If you are following up on a voicemail I would call again within 2 days.
What ever the case, the easiest way to avoid the worry about timing for the follow up is to set it up and communicate it in advance. If you have left a voice message, include when you are going to call back. If it is a letter, state when you are going to follow up. Be sure to do what you said and you will begin to develop trust with your prospect - you are following up on your commitments.
Never assume that your message is not being heard or your letters are not getting read. If you doubt your market research (identifying your target market) on the basis of not being able to get in contact with your prospects, you have successfully sold yourself out of a possible opportunity with unsubstantiated, but perhaps convenient untruths.
As I have said in previous posts, do not let yourself talk yourself out of doing what you know you should be doing. Leave those activities for your competitors to master.
Following up with confidence in the value you are representing will pay off.
Good selling,
Richard
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