Contents:
Why Follow-Up Matters in Business
Do you consistently follow-up with your customers, clients, or potential leads? If not, you might be missing out on some valuable business opportunities.
Reasons to Follow-Up
- Product Launch: Let's say you've launched a new product online. After a strong promotional campaign across various platforms, sales peak initially but then begin to dwindle. Continuous engagement could keep the momentum going.
- Client Contract: You are a coach, and your client has signed a six-month or one-year agreement. You begin to work with her and she’s getting results. You now have three months left in the agreement, what follow-up strategies do you have in order to discover if she wants to extend her contract?
- Free Optins: After your subscribers access their freebies, check in on them. Have they found your resource useful? This can provide invaluable insights.
- Free e-Mail Course: Engage during the course and seek feedback at the end.
- Client Journey: Engage at every state of the journey – from awareness to post-sales.
Why Having a Follow-up Plan is Essential
Surprisingly, many entrepreneurs underestimate the power of consistent follow-up. They invest energy in product creation and launch but neglect the post-launch phase. Maximizing sales requires a strategy that encompasses it all, from pre-launch to post-sales follow-ups.
Sadly, this emphasis on follow-up isn’t often a part of standard business coaching. Yet, follow-up isn't merely a post-sales strategy—it's an integral part of the entire marketing process.
3 Essential Benefits of Following-up
Here are three more powerful benefits to consistently using well-thought-out follow up process:
1. Following-up builds trust – The primary reason customers favor certain brands? Trust. While resolving issues forms trust, consistent follow-ups solidify it. Trust isn't built in a day; it's cultivated over time through repeated positive interactions.
It's like being introduced to someone at a convention. You may like them, but if the contact is brief, you may also forget them. And it's not until you've had a couple of conversations about your shared interests that you begin to develop a relationship built on shared experiences, and trust.
It’s similar to marketing online: Your perfect potential customer "meets" you... but if all she hears is one sales pitch, with a couple of sporadic letters that don't do anything towards building up a relationship, she is likely to go elsewhere to buy a similar product - even though yours is actually far more in tune with what she originally wanted, and would have met her needs at a higher level.
2. Following-up builds consistency - Consistency creates a reassuring air of professionalism and commitment, letting the reader know that you are not going to disappear for long periods of time. A systematic follow-up plan breeds familiarity. In contrast, erratic communications can make customers feel disconnected or forgotten.
3. Following-Up Makes You Stand-Out - The simple truth is, for every one marketer who follows up, there are often hundreds of would-be competitors who don't. In a sea of businesses, those who consistently engage and uphold their promises shine the brightest. They are perceived as genuine, encouraging loyalty among their clients.
Your Reputation
What impact do you believe that having an effective follow-up system can have on your reputation? Your decision to follow-up, or not to, can make or break your reputation.
Consistency not only retains customers but also deepens their emotional connection to your brand. This bond transforms casual customers into loyal fans who eagerly await your emails and offers.
Cultivating the habit of consistent engagement is critical. When done right, it not only boosts sales but also solidifies your reputation in the market.
