Increase your sales fast – follow up multiple times with every lead and customer

There is a tradition in marketing that it takes an average of at least seven contacts with a potential customer before you get a sale. It could be something like this:

1. The potential customer calls or emails you or signs up for your list. (That’s the first contact.)
2. You answer. (That’s the second contact.)
3. You follow up 10 days later with a phone call (etc.)
4. They have a few more questions for me to send more information in the post
5. your e-mail
6. call again
7. They call you and are ready to buy

What contact number does it stop at?

A typical seven-step sales process might be:

• Call, letter, call, letter, call, letter, call, sale, or
• Call, email, letter, call, email, letter, call, sale or
• Email, email, email, email, email, email, dirty

Nowadays, especially with the amount of advertising people are bombarded with, you’re more likely to be successful if you contact people 20 or 30 times, because they ignore three-quarters of what they see: don’t take it. like something personal; it is often that they are short of time. But even if you only stick to seven steps, choose to follow up with inquiries and customers more now.

Look at your own clothing shopping, or assume you’re one of their customers, and you’ll see that shopping is often a process, rather than an instant decision. Let’s say you want a new vacuum cleaner; You most likely won’t go to a store and buy the first one you see.

Instead, probably:

• You decide it’s time for a new vacuum cleaner.
• Read some online and offline reviews
• Start looking at car advertising.
• Ask others for their opinions/knowledge
• Call or email to get some brochures and read them and/or visit some stores
• Think about how much you want to spend and compare prices
• Make your purchase, or decide to rent the appliance

This process applies whether you are looking for a house or want a new car, boat, horse, dinner service, plasma TV, or computer. It can even apply to buying shampoo, but let’s stick to something like vacuum cleaners or cars for this example.

So now that you know how the buying process works, can you see that staying in touch could pay dividends? Even when they do buy from you, maintain your customer service and they will be more likely to buy from you again in a few years, or at least recommend you to other people.

You should start keeping in touch when the buyer gets thinking and makes the initial contact (by phone, email, or in person). At this point, they have given you permission to sell to them and communicate with them. Most retailers will submit the information and leave it at that: If you continue your marketing efforts, you’ll reap more rewards.

Okay, you don’t need to go into “hard sell” mode. All you need to do is be very helpful (not obnoxious or obtrusive, just really helpful) and focus on solving prospects’ problems rather than on the sale itself. Ask questions, find out their needs and wants, and offer solutions. When the time comes to buy, they will seriously consider it. If you can’t help directly, then say so…and recommend someone else who can help them, even if it’s a direct competitor you don’t have a reciprocal agreement with. Prospects will remember your good deed and tell others about it.

And remember to do the same with your existing customers: keep in touch with them and see how you can help them further. This is especially important if your competitors are likely to approach them or see ads for similar products (and they don’t see any of yours). Have a follow-up system for your existing customers and offer them new/additional products or services at regular intervals. Mix up your communication methods and test to see which works best with whom and for which product.