48% of SALES reps never attempt a single follow-up.

Spring in Minnesota has finally sprung! We had a stretch of 80+ degree weather a month ago (the average temperature at the time was in the mid-50s) as a tease. But now, on May 7th (as I type this) I think we’ve finally made it out of winter. Finally!

During the 80+ degree stretch in early April, with MASSIVE spring fever, I called the company that stores our pontoon over winter, as a follow-up to their outreach on spring boat pick-up planning. It was ready to pick up two weeks later, on April 26th. But up until recently, it hasn’t been warm enough to take a ride.

Until last week!

Our soon to be 1 year old, Zayden, got his first pontoon ride! He wanted to drive like his sister, Ensley (see below).

The company I use to store our boat sent an email in February, reminding anyone who hadn’t paid for winter storage to true-up their account, but also to remind everyone that they need a two-week window to get a boat unwrapped, serviced, and started, and ready to go!

It was a simple but effective message, following up on the long winter, and preparing (reminding?) their customers for how to proceed as spring approached.

They effectively delivered a follow-up communication.

In SALES, did you know that 48% of reps never attempt a single follow-up?

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Work smarter; increase closing %’s and make more $$!

Whether you’ve seen this tweet on my feed before or not, I wanted to start a conversation around the importance of executing simple follow-ups to gain new customers, greater topline revenue, or increase your margins.

Here are three actionable ways to deliver impactful follow-ups:

^{Continue to ‘be curious’ after submitting a proposal.}

The percentage of closing business by simply submitting a proposal and not continuing to “sell” to your prospect is quite low.

The biggest mistake I see in SALES reps’ activity after submitting a proposal is stopping with communication, or in this case, being curious.

• Continue to engage and ask problem-solving questions

• Dig deeper and keep seeking new problems to help solve

• Be curious about other factors that might impact a decision

Stopping your curiosity just because you’ve already sent your proposal to the prospect is a surefire way to operate with low(er) closing percentages.

^{Ask for the business!}

It’s SALES 101, but for the reps who don’t ask for the business as part of their selling process or follow-up strategy, you don’t deserve to be upset if you don’t close the deal.

I quote tweeted Jay Clouse in the above tweet, who reminded us to ask for the things we want!

• Looking for a date? Ask someone out.

• Want to change your electrical bill’s due date? Ask the utility company.

• Need help with some work around your home? Find someone who enjoys handyman work and ASK!

ACTION ITEM: Don’t wait, pull up your sales pipeline of qualified prospects and ask yourself, “Which prospect have I physically not asked for their business?”

You immediately gained multiple follow-up opportunities for later today.

What do you ask? Try this:

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^{Seek a “Yes” or a “No,” but avoid “Maybe.”}

Getting a YES in SALES is great! Getting a NO isn’t as fun. But the worst?

MAYBE. Or, no answer altogether.

Purchasers of products and services understand that you as the SALES rep have to sell new business; it’s your job. They should also know that not getting any answer is the most frustrating aspect of the job.

A great follow-up for outstanding proposals is simply being open and transparent with your prospect, and asking them “I want to be respectful for both of our time; can you give me some direction on when to expect a decision on the proposal I submitted?”

Other tactics?

• Take your proposal back, and state the pricing is only good for another week.

• Ask if your prospect is the ultimate decision maker (hopefully you clarified this earlier in your SALES process).

• Discuss transition, or production difficulties to deliver if you’re not given more concrete direction.

You want to get to the YES or NO as quickly as possible. And if you find yourself in MAYBE-VILLE, do what you can to get out of that space ASAP.

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The moral of the story? The best SALES reps are the best simply because they engage in continuous follow-ups with their prospects.

They understand that SALES is not a “propose it and forget it” type of job. It takes multiple touchpoints (even AFTER submitting a proposal) to build a level of trust and comfort for many purchasers.

Don’t visit Maybe-ville. Or if you do, only stay as long as it takes to get a YES or a NO.

And for goodness sake, please ask for what you want! Believe it or not, some purchasers won’t award business until they’re asked. If you sell a commodity, it’s even easier for the purchaser to assume their business isn’t important to you. Make them understand that it is. Show them you want their business.

And close more deals, simply because you followed up.

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