The Power of Effective Follow-Up
By Ryan Stewart |
One of the most effective ways to build your sales network is the follow-up
sales call. When utilized properly, this can influence the outcome of the sale.
Unfortunately, many people don’t plan properly and lose the opportunity for a
return visit. Here are some tips to ensure that you are maximizing your
follow-up opportunities:
* Take notes during your sales call. You may
only have one point that you document but that may be an important piece of
information later on in the sales process.
* Learn how to effectively
question your prospect. When you meet with a client effective questions get them
to reveal their needs, whether stated or implied, and this creates an
opportunity for you to address that need.
* When networking be sure to
provide your contact information and the best times to reach you for additional
discussion.
* Listen to your prospects. This is the obverse of questioning
and is certainly more important. Effective listening requires that you are able
to paraphrase your prospects and truly understand what they are saying. When you
do this well you uncover useful information that can help close the
sale.
All of those points lead to your ultimate goal, a reason to follow
up with your prospect. This is the most important component in developing a
networking relationship. During any sales call, work towards the goal of having
a reason to follow-up with your prospect. This may mean making a scheduled
return, dropping by unexpectedly or making a follow-up telephone call. If you
took appropriate notes and effectively listened you should have at least one
reason for following up with your prospect. Some of those reasons may
include:
* Providing additional product information
* Sending a news
article on a topic related to your conversation
* Birthday or work
anniversary cards
* Telephone call announcing new product launches
If
you are dedicated to creating a full sales funnel, you need to use all your
available tools to cultivate your prospects and turn them into sales. Remember
that even if you are closing a lot of sales, it is essential that you continue
to build your client list. Following up with your prospects will help you
determine which ones are hot leads and which require periodic contact only. The
whole premise is to build rapport with as many prospects as possible and get
them to call you!
Please note that this article speaks in terms of making
a sale and remember that your job search is exactly that. You are selling a
product (yourself) to customers (networking contacts) on a daily basis. Spend
some time thinking about how the tips from this article can improve your
networking skills. If you network correctly, you should never have to walk away
from the contact again thinking, "When should I call him/her next?".
About the Author
Ryan Stewart is the Founder, Owner, and Administrator of
first-class Pharmaceutical Sales Job Search Megasite PharmBoard.com
http://www.pharmboard.com
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