If you’re a business that is always on the lookout for more clients, you’ll need to be relentless when it comes to pursuing them so they can do business with you. Sometimes, you won’t be able to connect with them upon initial contact. That’s why it is always important to follow-up with them. However, a lot of people hate the idea of following up because they feel like they’re annoying them.
No, it’s not wise to spam them every ten minutes with those annoying “did you get my message” emails. Plus, it’s never good to be needy with prospective clients. But following up is never a bad thing. Here are a few tips you can use to make your follow-ups less annoying:
Time sensitive offers can work because you’re creating scarcity by giving them a certain timeframe to act. At the same time, you’ll want to get a “yes” or “no” answer as quickly as possible. The next time you send an initial offer, don’t be afraid to add a deadline on when they should reply to you or take you up on your offer. What you shouldn’t do is give them too short of a time frame (like 24 hours). The last thing you want to do is apply some kind of pressure to reply or not. They’re busy people, so they may turn around and say no if you come on too strong. Choose a deadline like a week or two from the initial contact date.
Don’t take this the wrong way: no one cares about you. They don’t care about what you do or what kind of services your team does. They care more about themselves and their needs. So do a little research about them. Find out who you want to reach out to and dig up a little bit of information on them on LinkedIn. For best results, find some kind of common ground. If you follow them on social media, bring up something they posted and authentically give your take on it.
Yes, even your message can get lost in the pile sometimes. Which is the likely reason why your prospects may never reply back to you initially. The best time frame to follow up is anywhere between 3 to 5 days. Keep in mind that persistence is the key to success. But do not confuse that with being needy and harassing them every single day of the week. Think of your prospect like a cat. If you chase after it, you’ll scare it off. If you call it once in a while, they will eventually come to you. Timing is everything.
There is no shame in following up with your prospects. You should do this as if your business depends on it. But don’t mistake it for desperation. Remember, even if a prospect says “no”, don’t give up. There are so many prospects all over the place that are just waiting to work with people like you.