The 3 F's as Ryan Serhant calls it.
Follow up, follow through and follow back...
There is not a more important aspect of selling than the 3 F's.
So let's break it down...
You already know that 98% of all sales come from following up.
But do you know how to follow up?
Firstly you want to divide your opportunities into three segments...
Hot, warm and cold.
The hot opportunities are the ones that know what and why they want to buy.
For these people, you want to follow up every single day.
Warm opportunities are looking to buy but haven't decided exactly what yet.
You should follow up once every week with these people.
And lastly, the cold opportunities that are simply open to buying but not actively looking for it.
Here you only need to follow up once or twice every month.
When following up you don't say...
"Hey Anton, I'm following up on our talk about blabla two weeks ago. What do you say, shall I send an agreement?"
In a fairytale world that might work but in the real world... nope.
You want to provide valuable insights and information when following up.
Send an article, a snippet of something you've read, updates on what is happening in your life...
These sorts of things are what create genuine relationships and don't make the opportunity feel like you're just here to sell them something.
Follow through is exactly what it sounds like...
Following through on what you promise.
If a potential customer asks a question, you answer it ASAP.
If a potential customer requests a specific document, you send it ASAP.
You want them to understand that you're reliable...
One of my favorite songs lyrics say it best...
"A man's just as good as his word"
Of course, you need to be reasonable.
You shouldn't say yes to anything...
But you want to make the potential customer instinctively turn to you with all matters related to your business.
Now, a lot of people lose potential sales because they don't follow back after the initial sale.
What you want to do is keep following up and continue building the relationship.
Because there are no easier customers to sell than those you have already sold.
View your customers as genuine friends.
Go for lunch together, grab a drink, play a round of golf or whatever other activity sounds suitable for you...
Remember, we make a sale to acquire a customer.
Now go implement these steps in your schedule!
And never miss...