How Often Should You Follow Up on a Sales Prospect?
Watch this week's Short Attention Span Sales Tip here.
Good morning!
“How often should I follow up with a prospect?”
Now there is a popular question. Here’s my answer:
One January a few years ago now, my wife and I visited a car dealership. We chatted with 2 salespeople (it was a slow foot traffic day, I guess), and obtained the information we needed. As he should have, our primary personal rep asked us our purchasing timeline. We said, “November” and asked the rep to get back in touch with us in September or October.
It was noted and we left.
We jumped in the car, took a right, and then immediately pulled in to a restaurant parking lot for lunch. As we sat down, my cell phone rang. The caller ID told me it was the dealership we had just left. I thought to myself, “We must have left something behind.”
Nope.
It was the manager at the dealership. He wanted to know what it would take to put us in a car. I repeated that our time frame for a purchase was later in the year since that was when our twins would be getting their drivers’ license. I then told him once again he can follow up with us later in the year.
The next week, some lackey from that car dealership called us to follow up. He called the following week and then a month later. It was the same kid each time and each time I repeated our timeline and asked him not to call until later in the year.
Clearly, that was too much for me. However, that follow up cadence was not too much for the powers-that-be at the dealership.
My point is, the answer to the question, “How often should I follow up with the prospect?” is personal. Be the sales rep YOU would want to buy from. That last sentence applies to many aspects of the sales process but it's a good rule of thumb when you think about your own follow up cadence.
So, how often should you follow up? I don't know. How often do you like to be followed up on?
Sales success takes a village. The Sales Vault is yours. Go to SalesVault.pro. Bill Farquharson can be reached at 781-934-7036
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.
