One of the most underrated aspects of any sales process and underrated skills of any sales person is the power of persistence. I recently read a blog which mentioned that 80% of deals are closed after eight to 13 follow ups (calls, emails, meetings) are made. What does this tell you? It tells you that sales requires a whole lot of persistence to see a lead through to a close.
To put some concrete proof around this, at a trade show I attended for a client, I met a prospect there that was a great fit for our client’s solution. The trade show was in the spring on 2011 and I followed up with the Vice President I met with seven times before he passed me along to his counterpart who had responsibility for the solution I was pitching. I recently had a call with the responsible individual and this has led to a face-to-face meeting over the next two to three weeks. I am not even at the proposing stage yet! This prospect though, if it translated into a win, would represent our client’s second largest customer.
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I think what I have found over the years is that many people believe they can do sales and you know what, many can. What I have also found is that many people, once they have identified a prospect and made the initial call, don’t bother to follow up ever again. Some get too busy, some have other leads that come in and the follow up simply never happens. The challenge with this is, if the stats I mentioned above are true (and I happen to believe they are), then think about how much business is left sitting on the table.
To do proper follow ups in sales and maintain that level of persistence necessary to close business you need a few things:
A Strong CRM System
We are big fans of Salesforce, but there are other systems out there. Even when using a CRM system you can get bogged down and I speak from experience here, so you need to make a continuous effort to keep your activities up-to-date.
Understand What Makes an Ideal Client
An understanding of who/what makes an ideal client and then spending your time and follow ups on the ones with the biggest potential. Don’t spin your wheels on leads you don’t think are a good fit. Better to spend your time doing the other 10-12 follow ups to close some great business.
Believe in Your Product
A strong belief that the product or solution you are selling really can help.
Remember to keep up the persistent sales efforts (whether calling, emails, mail-outs) for qualified prospects and don’t give up, especially if you truly believe you can provide your client with a value add.
If you don’t have time to be persistent in sales, take a look at our Part-Time Sales offering.
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