Shattering the Five Myths of Sales Follow-ups

Perhaps the most misunderstood and debilitating part of the average sales process is…the follow-up. This is where your intelligence, your ego, and your empathy can absolutely be your worst enemies to converting prospects.

Corporate sales speaker/trainer, Judy Garmaise, brings a unique focus to the practice of sales follow-up. 

Follow-up is the most mission critical part of the sales process,” says Judy. “Opening is just the beginning. It’s having the skills to see the process through to the close, and to run that marathon, that’s how sales happen.

“It’s many people’s inclination to live on an overpopulated place I call ‘Hope Island’. Residents of Hope Island are reluctant to follow-up, because they hope that somehow, as irrational as it sounds, “enough” opportunity will land in their lap. Because they fear rejection, they bank on hope.”

Judy believes that fear of rejection is the number one reason that gets in the way of effective follow up.

“Let’s pretend you find a genie on the beach and she gives you a dream day of getting “yes” from everyone you’d like to sell to – how many calls would you make?” she asks. “Now look at the average day. How hard do you practice follow up? Not as hard – because you know that you’re not going to be flooded with “yes” – and that’s depressing your effort.”

“What I personally do is anticipate the yes. And that makes me come across with positive energy – I’m not afraid to ASK ASK ASK! Only through a series of ASKs can you accumulate the “yes-es” you need to make a revenue goal.

“Be F.U.L.L. of yourself – and conduct upbeat energy in your phone call. F.U.L.L stands for “Follow Up Light and Lively”. Build rapport, build trust, and develop the relationship. Make your point quickly, and always know that you are going to come back and follow-up.

Judy believes there are a number of myths surrounding sales follow-up that need to be shattered. Here are her top five:

Myth Number One : That you can close a deal with less follow-up effort than is really needed.

This speaks to the culture of your sales organization. It may prove very useful to stop pretending that it’s a sign of “weakness” if you can’t get what you want in a call or two. It’s not weak, it’s normal. Base your sales process on that reality.

Myth Number Two: That your message was received.

Never assume that your message was received – especially if dealing with email. And, instead of referencing previous messages, think up a new reason to contact your prospects. They should not respond to you just because you already left two messages – they should respond to you because they feel you have something valuable to offer.

Myth Number Three: That your message was understood and remembered.

You live and breathe your own offer – but it may be a new concept to your prospect. Don’t assume that they know what you are talking about when you refer to specifics in a voicemail or email. Save the specifics for when you have adequately engaged them personally in order to go into detail. Keep the focus of your follow-up on the prospect, and their interests and requirements.

Myth Number Four: That voicemail (or email) is your only means of following up.

Don’t limit yourself. Snail mail and token gifts are a great way to break through the clutter of incoming communications going out to your prospects each day.

Myth Number Five: That repetition is effective follow up.

Your message has to be repeated with integrity and with differentiation in order to be respected and heard. Don’t be ashamed of following up. Having something positive to say, or give, is something that can be done with confidence. If it was as easy as sending three of the same email, or leaving three of the same voicemail – we’d all be reaching goals a lot earlier in the year.