Imagine this – you call a company to purchase a new software tool that will help your company by leaps and bounds. You have just a few questions, though, before you feel confident about presenting the idea to your boss and colleagues. When you call, you have the opportunity to speak with a wonderful salesperson who helps you get the best answer to your question. The salesperson also mentions that they have a guide that goes into further detail in answering your question. They commit to sending to you shortly after the call. You are very pleased and hang up the phone ready to receive the document and present the idea to your boss.
Minutes go by. Hours go by. Days go by. You never receive the document.
This leaves you unprepared to present your findings to your boss. At this point, you have three choices:
- Call the company again to try to get the guide.
- Present to your boss without the guide and the information that may have sealed your case.
- Call someone else.
Most people will go with option #2 or 3. Personally, I would opt for #3 because I believe that if I’m unable to get quality followup before I purchase something, my followup post-purchase will likely be even worse. Is this an organization I want to trust with a portion of my company’s livelihood? Not necessarily.
What happened here? The salesperson you spoke with committed a cardinal sin – they didn’t followup with you when they said they would. Truthfully, they had you hook, line, and sinker. But, they didn’t followup. This caused them to miss out on a hefty potential commission check and revenue for the company they represent. Believe it or not, these things happen all of the time. That’s why it’s super important to do what you say you will do when you say you will do it.
Have you ever been the person who lost a sale because you didn’t followup? What about losing a retained customer for not following up? People and companies have choices in their suppliers and service providers.
How can you make sure that you come out on top? Followup with potential and existing customers when you say you will do it.
There are many tools to help you do this:
- Calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, etc. with reminders
- Pen and paper (less reliable)
- A reminder tool like FollowUpThen
How do you manage followups with new/existing clients?