When it comes to generating leads and closing deals, following up on your buyers and sellers plays an important role. Following up with your clients can spell the difference between a win and a loss. Unfortunately, not everyone completely understands the gravity of its impact.
According to findings, up to 80% of prospective buyers say “no” four times before they say “yes” to a sale, and up to 92% of salespeople give up after four “nos.” Among these, 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up call.
The numbers above show you how important it is to follow up in sales and how many prospective clients you’re potentially losing if you give up early on. While it can be discouraging to hear a “no” on your first follow-up call, you need to be persistent in reaching out to them.
To help you out, take a look at the best practices you can implement to better your strategy and convert leads into sales.
Before getting into the best practices, you need to understand that not all “nos” are sure rejections; some “nos” can mean future “maybes.” What you need to do, therefore, is to determine which are definite nos and which are potential maybes for these best practices to work.
While you know who to follow up with, you might not know how to prioritize. The key is to segmentize your list of prospects into different categories, such as buyers and sellers, hot and cold, etc.
Once you know who to contact, the next step is to ask the right questions. The questions will help you get additional information about the prospect to guide you on your following steps.
Whether scheduling calls or putting up online ads, you should always have a follow-up activity to engage with your clients. This will enable them to notice you more and strengthen your rapport.
Many real estate agents make a mistake after every call to schedule the next appointment, even weeks or months away. This is an ineffective way to follow up with them because they might forget about it, opening room for inactivity. What you need to do instead is future-pace.
This method allows you to explain your plan over the call without expecting anything from them in return. As a result, you can effectively update your clients on the next steps so that they can set their expectations for your future conversations.
Aside from calling clients, you can use other online tools to sync up with them. For instance, Facebook ads, PPC marketing, or email can help you engage with them in various ways. As such, they can respond to you with more flexibility.
When following up, avoid sounding as if all you’re concerned about is getting a commission. Focus on your “why” and bring forth the value you can offer them. Doing so will help you connect with your prospects better and strengthen your relationships.
If clients keep pushing you off, following up may not be the right course of action. In such cases, the best choice may be to put them on the back burner and devote your efforts to more readily available prospects to close deals.
Through these follow-up best practices, you can create a routine and a strategic system to guarantee a return on investment and an increase in sales. Feel free to explore other follow-up methods if you find an approach that gives you more results!