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The Secrets to Effective Follow-Up
By Margaret Gill
This month’s article was inspired by my astrologer friend. She has a small business doing astrology charts and readings and every now and then takes courses on astrology. I did one of her 8 week courses last year. Quite frankly I still struggle to know if the chart is upside down or not but I find it fascinating and it’s a great hobby for me. I am a perfect contender to do another course.
This week I came home to find a flyer she had dropped into my letter box for a three hour course she is running to help us understand what is happening in the heavens this year and how it will impact our charts. I thought to myself “what a great idea, I’d love to do that” and promptly put the flyer on the edge of the desk with every intention to call and book in for the course, after all it was only $25. Did I do that – NO!
Then I came home on the weekend and there was a message on my answering machine telling me she had dropped the flyer in my letter box and “had I found it and was I interested?” I listened to the message and made a mental note to call the next day and book. Did I do that – NO!
Then this morning when I logged into my email there was an email message telling me about the course and was I interested in coming because there was afternoon tea as well. I picked up the phone and booked there and then not because of the afternoon tea but because of her determined follow up!
Did I think she was pushy – no because it was all done in a nice chatty sort of way and bless her she sounded surprised when I said I’d sign up so I couldn’t even for a moment think she was pushy.
Did I think she was taking her business seriously? You bet! In fact I told her how impressed I was at her follow up and praised her for getting on the phone.
Did I want to do the course – yes, I just wasn’t being proactive about picking up the phone to book.
Would she have had someone booked on her course if she hadn’t done the follow up phone call and email? Quite honestly I probably would have found the brochure in a few weeks time and kicked myself for not going and I would have wished I’d called her to book in.
Will I enjoy the course – you bet I will and I’m certain I will learn about something to avoid or do at just the right time that will help me over the next year.
So what is the lesson here: FOLLOW UP!
Have you ever been in the situation where you set up a course or did a mail out but didn’t get the response you desired because you didn’t follow-up?
If you aren’t going to do the follow up from a mail shot or networking event you might as well have been at the beach instead of doing the mail out or networking event. The net effect from not following up or being at the beach will be the same – no clients. There is no point slaving over these things if you aren’t going to follow up and convert at least some of the leads you get to clients.
Unsure about whether to call or email? Wondering how to be diligent and professional with your follow-up without seeming needy or pushy?
I recommend the Call/Email/Call approach.
STEP 1: Make a follow-up phone call
Begin with a follow-up phone call. Calling is a great place to start because if you reach the person you have an immediate opportunity to reconnect.
If you get their voicemail, leave a message. Here is a sample voicemail message script:
“Hi Sue, this is Sally Jones, the Kinesiologist. We met at the Business Women’s meeting last night. You mentioned you would be interested in having a treatment with me to help you move forward with that health challenge you have been experiencing.
I’d love to schedule a consultation with you to discuss if my treatments could help you.
My phone number is xx-xxxx-xxxx and the best time to reach me is xxx. I’ll also send you an email in case that is a better way for us to connect.
Sue, I really enjoyed meeting you and I look forward to speaking with you soon.”
STEP 2: Send a Follow-Up Email
Your follow-up email should communicate the same basic information as your voice mail. In addition, offer a way that he/she can stay in touch in case the person is not currently ready to schedule a session.
STEP 3: Make one more follow-up phone call
If you have not heard back from the person after one week, make one more follow-up phone call.
The key points for this call are to briefly reiterate your offer and remind them why they would want to speak to you while still leaving the decision totally up to them. For example,
“Hi Sue, this is Sally Jones. I’m calling to see if you received my voice and email messages last week.
Based on our conversation at the Women’s Business meeting, I’m guessing you’ve been busy and might be hesitant to add anything else to your ‘To Do’ list.
My offer of a two for one session still stands. If you decide to schedule it, my goal would be to give you some real value so you can experience for yourself how working with a Kinesiologist can really help you find a healthy balance in your body.
Of course it is totally your decision, so if you would like to set something up please call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx or email me at xxx@xxx.com.
I hope to hear from you!"
STEP 4: Let go!
Don’t be like the fisherman who keeps thinking about the “one that got away.” If the person doesn’t respond, simply let go. Feel good about your professionalism, the actions you have taken and the value you have provided. You have planted a seed and that is never a bad thing. Keep looking forward and taking inspired action in your business. Some of the seeds you sow WILL grow in the future, you just don’t know which ones!
KEYS TO SUCCESS
While I recommend the Call/Email/Call approach, the key points to keep in mind when following-up are:
1. Do it!
Obvious, huh?
2. Promptness Counts
No procrastination! If you make the effort to go to a networking event or engage in other activities to generate leads, be sure to follow up promptly. For a networking event, I recommend within 24 hours! For a mail out the following week would be appropriate.
3. Be Yourself
You don’t need to put your hard sell salesperson hat on when doing follow up. The key is to just be yourself. Be genuinely interested in the person and just have a chat with them. You will never be pushy if you are being yourself, well I guess unless you have a pushy personality :-) but I find most therapists couldn’t do a hard sell if their life depended on it!
4. Provide Value
There are many ways you can provide value: recommend a resource, include something you have written, provide an assessment, etc.
5. Keep in Touch Offer
The follow-up email is a great place to invite the person to subscribe to your newsletter or mailing list. Remember, not everyone is ready when you meet them to set on a path of healing, but if you stay in contact they very well may become ready in the future. Don’t have a newsletter yet? Invite them to be on your mailing list. When you launch your newsletter send to the list you’ve been compiling!
6. Be Unattached
As much as you might want the person to become a client, you MUST stay unattached to the outcome. Maintain your professional posture when following up in order to not come across as needy or desperate.
SUMMARY
Following-up pays off! Use this article as motivation to sort through those business cards on your desk or to review those names in your database. Do you have any overdue follow up? Use the ideas above and commit to handling any outstanding follow-up this week. As Nike says, “Just do it!”
-oOo-
Margaret Gill of Abundant Private Practices is a business coach and mentor to health and wellbeing practitioners. Her Full Practice Building System has helped many passionate natural therapists get more clients, help more people and grow the natural therapy practice they deserve and desire.
margaret@margaretgill.com
www.Abundant-Private-Practices.com
This article orginally appeared on Samantha Richardson's fabulous Empowering Women Website
Abundant Private Practices
PO Box 574, Daylesford, VIC, Australia |
