Entrepreneurs: These Mistakes Could Be Costing You Big Sales
About a year ago, I was attending a networking event and I met an individual who offered a service I needed. We had exchanged business cards and promised to get in touch when we returned back home.
When I finally returned home all the business cards I had collected at the event was posted into my contact database for future follow-up’s. It was probably about a month or so later when I realized the potential vendor I had met had not even contacted me or followed up at this point. I no longer had the cards so I couldn’t look through them and I couldn’t remember his name or his company’s name and I didn’t have the time to sift through my database looking for him.
Needless to say, he did not get my business. And the sad part was I was ready to give it to him, this is why I thought of him a month later. But she didn’t follow up so he never got the chance to get my business. I ended up using someone else.
The morale of the story is; you need to follow-up with all your prospects. Period. Even if its not right away, you can always give them a call, send them a letter or email.
I see this mistake happen time and time again. Entrepreneurs spend so much of their time and putting in so much effort to bring in the leads and then they never follow-up with you.
All those business cards they have collected just gets stacked up on their desk never to get into any kind of database, and never used. They may have the best of intentions of reaching out to those leads, but somehow it just never gets accomplished. And then these very same people wonder why their businesses are not growing, and they struggle getting new clients.
There is simply no substitute for following up with a prospect. Giving someone your information or business card is not the same as following up with them with a call or even email. You are taking the lazy way out and relying on THEM to do your business for you. To keep your business card on hand, and to remember what you have offer when they need it. This is not realistic, nor good business practices.
You need to be the one to take action, build on that relationship as well as maintain it. You need to take the initiative and remind that prospect about the services you offer and how it will help make their life just a little easier. Not the other way around.
Now, I’m sure you have probably heard this all of this before and you are well aware of the power of follow-ups. So if you’re not following up with your prospects, may I ask why not? What’s stopping you? More than likely is time and fear that keep you from picking up that phone or using their contact information.
You are way too busy, and you don’t have the time to follow up let alone has a conversation. And perhaps even afraid that you might be bothering your prospects if you do follow up.
I get it. No, I really do. I was too that person who feared picking up that phone or even emailing them. But here’s the thing, if you don’t get over those the time and fear issues, you’ll never grow your business or enjoy steady cash flow.
So I’ll share with you two effective strategies to help you get started:
1. Who says you have to be the one following up? Hire someone a couple hours a week to make those calls for you. Chances are if you train them right, and you follow-up with those prospects you will surely increase your profits. Having someone to help you in this will ease that fear. bottom line).
2. Following up does not have to be about calling prospects up and asking for their business. Get their attention by sending them newsletters, advice and tips, or maybe something humorous that makes them smile. They may just reply and ask YOU about your services or how can they become your newest customer.
Remember, it can take as many as 8 times before a prospect can turn into a customer (and in the down economy it may take a little more than that). So do not be discouraged in any way if you’re first few attempts don’t turn into a sale. Stay the course, be persistent as well as consistent and you will see all of your hard work paying off.
Andrew W. Hobson is a freelance writer for Public Relations Depot, a PR Marketing company catering to small business. He has worked in the SEO, PR, Internet and Small Business Marketing industry since 1999. http://www.prdepotchicago.com/ For More Information
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