We all have situations that demand it, and we all know the perils of not doing it.  Regardless, many sales professionals are still not adept, or consistent with their follow-up.  This is not a long topic, but it is an important one. Many professionals, sales and otherwise, do not do proper follow-up after a sales call.  This is true of a prospecting follow-up, sales call follow-up, presentation follow-up, or any other type. After doing the hard work of prospecting, a sales professional will then risk negating that work by not doing timely and well thought out follow-up. Proper follow-up is the capstone of all of your labors.

Two Examples of Proper Usage

Follow-up, when done properly, can create the necessary evidence of professionalism.  Remember, if you don’t follow-up, the professional that consistently communicates like this will stand out.

Following an initial visit

This one requires a quick, almost instant response to the buyer.  I would say that you should do it within two days or less.  This is your chance to say how much you appreciated the buyer’s time as well as the opportunity to work with him or her.  I would keep it short and sensible. If during the visit you came away with a listing of “to do” items, or some other things to check on, don’t hold the correspondence until you get them done.  They can be fodder for another note.  The key is to let the customer know that you are looking forward to providing solutions.  Here is some simple wording: “Mr. Buyer, I appreciate the time you have taken to show me your operation and explain your (packaging, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, etc) needs to me.  I look forward to our meeting as we agreed on Monday, September 1st to share the proposal with you.  If you have any questions or concerns prior to that, please contact me. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Remember why you are composing this note.  You want to make sure that he recognizes that you appreciate his or her time.  You also want to make sure that you reinforce the proposal date, and that if there are any changes or concerns that he or she touches base with you. You could put together an epic memo, yet the idea is to make sure that you reinforce the meeting and your appreciation.

Following the Proposal

This one is very important.  If a buyer is getting four proposals, then there are four different sales professionals, attempting to make their mark with him.  They may even be getting more than four proposals and then your initial call may be less memorable. Your goal is to have the customer to remember the importance of working with a true sales professional (you), along with some of the most important features and benefits of your product and your company.  Here is your chance to list the most important points succinctly so that they can be remembered. Here is an example: “Mr. Buyer, thanks for the opportunity to show you what ABC Company can do for your organization. We are prepared to begin supplying your 14 Eastern State division with cartons if we are selected, and will begin the process of quoting your Southern division with the information you supplied to us. Please keep these important points in mind:

• We are a nation-wide organization – able to supply all 5 divisions, coast-to-coast.
• Our “Flex” Pricing Program will deliver the lowest costs overall for cartons regardless of the volume in any particular division
• Our just-in-time delivery will save you 6% in inventory costs

I look forward to working with you, and I will use my 18 years of packaging experience to keep your packaging program “state of the art.”  Do not hesitate to call if there are questions regarding our proposal. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Notice here supporting the features with some bullets just to reinforce your sales points and getting a final shot in about yourself.

Degrees of Formality

Effective letter writing is essentially a lost art out there, but there are times when you should consider it.  If you make an election to write someone an email follow-up note, follow the same rules that a letter would follow:

• Keep it short and to the point
• Know and respect your level of familiarity with the customer/buyer
• Always be professional

If you are awarded the business, which is the “grand prize” then I think you proceed to use the fine stationary or card to send a personal note of appreciation.  You might want to take a look at Black Sales Journal 2/3 Make Yourself Memorable to explore this.  It carries a significant amount of power and effectiveness. The follow-up letter is a useful tool to keep close during the sales process.  Don’t let someone forget you, and don’t be overshadowed in the sales process.

Your comments are always welcome.

There something about telling the truth!  It can disarm, humble, or even impress a buyer.  There is also something else about telling the truth: Its easy to remember!

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You have seen in previous posts my comments about telling the truth in the sales process.  It is without fail that when a sales professional gets immersed in small lies, they graduate to being able to tell the larger ones with aplomb, and without much hesitation.

I will clarify what I mean, and I am almost certain you will know someone who engages in the practices that we are talking about.  The truth has a strange way getting in the way for some sales professionals.  Being honest about the fit of your product and the customer’s needs is an essential part of the process.  If you are caught in a lie in the sales process, your chances of a good relationship are diminished.

What Kind of Lie?

There are several different types of lies that are common in the sales process.  I would suppose that it would be simple to say this a prohibition against lies should apply only to the “big ones.”  To be truthful, that is not correct.  Sprinkling your encounters with customers with lies cannot result in any great advantage worth losing your credibility over.

We spoke in Black Sales Journal 3/31 Credibility – The Goal of the Black Sales Professional,regarding this issue, which is so important.  It cannot be denied that credibility is the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” for the Black sales professional.  You cannot manufacture it, you must earn it, and it can be fleeting if you are not careful.

Lies of Convenience

I am sure that we all believe that there are small imperceptible lies to customers that don’t matter.  They are small, and meant to be “convenient” type lies.  This is convenient for whom? I think you get it.  The small lie, which is told to the customer, is for the convenience of someone else.  It may be that you cannot get delivery until next month, even though the product is needed next week.  Missing this sale would be better than losing the confidence of customer.

If you are lying for convenience, rethink it.  That small lie for convenience can break any confidence and trust you have if you get exposed.  Think of your relationship with the customer based on the “life value” of the customer.  The total amount of business that you can get from this particular buyer, whether he/she stays at this current organization or not, is what should be considered, this year, the following year, and the years after.  The total of this is the life value.  To guess at it, multiply the value of the average sale (in dollars) times the average amount of transaction or sales that will occur in the life of that relationship.  Sometimes, you might find yourself surprised by the size of that number.

The confidence that you maintain with the buyer will go well past the fact that you don’t deliver in a particular instance.  Tell the truth and you will be recognized for delivering “when you say you will.”

Lies in the Middle

Obviously, these are not necessarily big, but they do happen. Yes, there are sales professionals who would tell something other than the truth about their product or service to get the commission or bonus. The problem comes when the performance is not there, and someone loses confidence in you and your product or service.  Knowing the features and benefits of your product or service, is what you do.  You can easily substitute, or contrast a different feature when you know your product/service is not the leader in particular area.  When you say things about your product/service, or your organization that are misrepresentations, it may be sales talk, but it is still a lie in the eyes of a customer.

Lies to avoid embarrassment or cover for mistakes are lies told which could be avoided.

Lies for Profit – The Big Ones

If you know someone who is telling lies to consummate the sale, and thus pocket commissions or bonuses, then they are involved in the “big one.”  I only say this because if they can twist the truth for the self of self-aggrandizement, I suppose that they have decided that this is a job, and not a career.  It will catch up with them at some point.  Obviously, no suggestion in a journal like this will change their mind.

I will say a couple of things about the process of lying in sales.  In a profession where relationships change everything, a lie can change the landscape.

A Case for the Truth

The energy expended on the lie, and the “maintenance of the lie” are consuming.  Additionally, the truth is easy to remember.  No need to expound on this issue.  So it is noble to tell the truth, and may expose you to some chagrin, yet we all make mistakes, forget, and have errors in judgment.

Resort to the truth and you will find that the best customer is the one that appreciates you because you are an honest professional.  Sales professionals who tell the truth don’t always get the business, yet they secure and grow relationships.

Some sales roles are transactional, but for some of the best compensated it is a relationship game.  Don’t forget it!

We welcome your comments.