Follow-up marketing conversations should be a piece of cake, right? After all, you’re just picking up where you left off. The customer already knows what you’re pitching, and they’ve even shown interest. So, surely, a big “yes” is just around the corner! Well, not so fast. Sometimes, a follow-up can send your sales goals running for the hills. The trick is to keep the conversation moving forward without making the customer feel like they’re being chased down the street. After all, you want to pull them closer, not push them away!

Can you without being annoying -- get that "yes"? For few people, the art of selling fits like a second hat. When they reach out, it doesn't feel like a sales pitch or an Intrusive follow-up. On the contrary, it feels like an old friend touching base to say hello, how are you, and by the way - would you like to buy this? Other people In a sales profession, however, find the follow-up to be the most painful part of the process. You don't want to wait so long that a complicated conversation is required to remind the consumer who you are, but you likewise don't want to reach out and poke someone too soon or too often, especially when they have their own lives to live.

Somewhere between being annoying and becoming a memo a fragile tightrope where you must find the perfect balance, picking a point where you can follow up with a consumer in a timely, concise, and successful manner, rather than letting it fall by the wayside and become weak, watered down, or disregarded altogether.

Oddly enough, a consumer's lack of response isn't necessarily a hard "no" It's often a quiet reminder that the person on the other end of the line Is living a life full of obligations, distractions, priorities, and promises - not to mention a likely overloaded inbox or list of "things to follow up on" of their own. This means that the real issue isn't in following up, It's how you do it.

Redefine what following up means to you. Many people consider follow-up to be obnoxious, annoying, and borderline harassing. Sometimes it is, but it shouldn't be - not if you want it to be successful. if you view follow-up as a form of pestering, you are heading into the conversation with a predetermined mindset that will reveal itself in your choice of timing, tone, and words. Following up effectively shouldn't feel like an interruption. You aren't bothering someone and asking them for a favor.

You are continuing a pre-existing conversation and checking with the consumer on a shared subject for which interest already exists. Look at it as providing a service, rather than selling something. Your Job Isn't to compel the customer to decide; your Job Is to eliminate any existing friction that is keeping them from deciding.

Clearly state a reason to respond. If you reach out with a follow-up that says you are "just checking in," you are tossing the burden ball back into the customer's court. This forces them to try to recall who you are, what you're selling, how it was going to improve their life or meet a need, and why they were interested in the first place. This leaves an open-ended gap between you, where a non-response is extremely common. Your follow-up should be full of information, value, and purpose, but as short and sweet as possible. Remember, the have their own lives, priorities, commitments, and concerns. Remind them of your original interaction!

Selling is tough, but you'll close more deals and earn better commissions if you do it right.

Keep hustling!