No follow-up system? No sale!
You must have an organized method or system of following up if you want to make the sale. There are several types of follow-up systems. Pick one that works for you, your type of business, the size and complexity of the sale, and one that you will use faithfully.
Here are a few examples:
1. Personal computer-If you use one, there are programs specifically designed for sales follow-up. It's a bells-and-whistles database with mail merge and date-to-follow-up tickler reminders, and a bunch of fields to help control the sale. Also, you can retrieve your data a number of ways - by call-back date, by product, by priority, etc. A personal computer is by far the best follow-up method, and should be used if at all possible.
2. Single sheet notebooks- (one page for each prospect) Design your sheet so that all information you need is at your fingertips, and update information the same moment you receive it. This system works well because it keeps you up to date with the progress of each prospect. This type of system is a must if you have big ticket items that may take several weeks to close. I have found it's best to keep your top 10 or 20 hot prospects in the front of the book, with the rest filed alphabetically by customer name. You must review your "hot ones" once a day, and your entire book once a week.
3. Business card file- The easiest system to make. Write tiny notes on the back (and eventually front) of the card. Space to write is a limitation; zl.14 ($5.80) investment at the office supply store buys you a business card file with space for 100 prospects, and you're ready to go. The card book can also be used as a supplemental system to the computer before information is entered.
4. A (larger) card file (staple business cards to save time)- This is a combination of the business card and notebook system; great if many follow-ups are needed before a prospect commits to a sale.
5. Personal organizer - It's good because you usually have it handy to write notes and meeting dates. It's bad because you're constantly rewriting, and nothing is in any kind of order.
6. Yellow pad - Not a very good system. Pages get lost, constant recopying, and you panic when you misplace the pad.
7. Scraps of paper-This method is guaranteed to make you look bad, lose sales, and eventually find a new career.
Notes to better productivity:
* Have special A4 lead sheets around the office for inquiries instead of message pads. Have a checklist and plenty of lined note space on the sheet to determine what type of follow-ups need to be or have been made, and when.
* Update all information the same moment you receive it or do it.
* Photocopy everything once a week. Keep back-up copies in case of loss.
Next week: Various methods and tools for following-up, and some creative techniques that won't make the prospect feel like you're bugging her.
