Effective Follow Up Techniques

Most managers tell their sales people to have a reason to follow up their customers.

In this blog I’m going to share with you why that’s not enough, and how each sales person can get a couple of extra deals per month through using effective follow up techniques.

Yes you have to have a reason to call but as a top sales coach for over the last 15 years, I’ve learnt that having a game plan and an outcome before you pick up the phone are even more important.

Think about it for a moment.

If you know what you want to achieve before you start the conversation, would that increase the chances of you getting that result?

I promise you it would. If I asked if you could give me a lift and you agreed. What would be the first question that you’d ask me?

Where do you want to go Adrian?

Without knowing that we are either going nowhere or where you want to go. The same is true on a sales follow up call.

Know where you are going and have a plan of how you might be able to get there. If you don’t, the customer will probably control things

Effective Follow Techniques include – Making The Call Personal

Rather that just asking “any more thoughts on the car John?”

Why not personalise it with something like this – “Hi John, It’s Adrian Law here. I was just thinking about you and what we discussed on the weekend. I’ve just had a look at the car again and it’s everything that you said you wanted. Why don’t you come in and have another drive. That way you’ll know 100% if that’s the car that you want to own or not.”

Then you can set an appointment. Setting an appointment should be the most common outcome you aim for.

If you are in sales I understand that you might be reading this thinking that you sell plenty of cars over the phone, and I’m all for you getting a deposit over the phone if you can.

Having said that, unless you have unusual circumstances, a huge percentage of the cars you sell are when the customer is in front of you.

My advice is to walk before you can run when it comes to the phone. If you are new or not that confident on the phone keep it simple. If I’ve got my telephone sales coach hat on and have been asked to speak to a sales person who’s struggling on the phone.

I recommend that they stop trying to do what their manager has asked and I’ll chat to the manager straight after our conversation. Often they have been told to get the customers details, get an appointment, sell the dealership, seed finance, warranties etc.

That’s way too hard to do if you are not confident on the phone. To start with, just focus on getting the customers details and setting a quality appointment.

Once you get good at that you can add the other things but not before.

This Next One often isn’t thought about as an technique, but it can be – Successful Sales People Are Busy.

That may come as no surprise to you but one thing that separates them from the rest, is that they value their time. If you are in sales, you may be thinking, hang on a second Adrian, I value my time.

Maybe you do but how most average performers speak to customers you’d never know that they did.

‘Come in, ask for me.’ ‘When can you come in?’ ‘I’ll be here.’

In fact at the time of recording this, just yesterday my partner Angie and I were in a dealership in Sydney, looking for a car for her. Angie likes the Mazda and at one stage

she asked “When I want to come and test drive, do I need to call you and book a time?”

I couldn’t believe it when the sales person said – “No that’s OK. Just come down when you are ready.”

After we left I asked Ange if she would have made a time then and there if he’d simply replied with a ‘Yes, it would be much better to make a time?’ Angie said that she would have made a time.

When you value your time customers will too. Not always, but more often that not.

The difference between saying ‘No that’s OK. Just come down when you are ready.’ Compared to something like this the following is huge –

Yes, it’s much better that we make a time as it’s often really busy down here and I’d hate it if you came in and I couldn’t look after you properly. Let’s arrange a suitable time and then I’ll take you through the car properly. I’m very confident that you’ll be impressed.

Are you able to come in tomorrow morning or is after hours better for you?

This happened to us in the dealership but it could just have easily have been on the phone.

Out of the two responses which do you believe is the Most Effective Follow Up Technique?

You are smart enough to be reading this blog so I’m confident that you chose the second example

Rather than offering the customer 10 different times trying to find one that suits or catering to there every request. If you aren’t busy, act like you are. Give reasons why they need to make a specific time and let them know when you are available.

Check your diary, set unusual appointment times. 12.45 instead of 12pm can even subtly influence people that you’ve got a lot on.

Don’t get me wrong, customers couldn’t care less that you are busy, but it this affects their ability to get what they want; often they will let you lead them
We’ve got lots of different strategies and ways to get your sales team much better results, so please get in touch to see how we can help.

In closing; a long time before I was a sales coach, I was firstly a telemarketer and then moved up to become a telemarketing manager. In both roles without fail, the sales guys and girls that learn’t and practiced the effective follow up techniques made the most sales and the most amount of money..

I hope you enjoyed this Blog