Follow Up – Just Do IT

 You’ve just returned from a successful tradeshow – unlike previous trips, you’re not returning with a stack of business cards, scribbled with hand written notes. No, this time you used ACT! and Scan IT to capture your business card sales leads. So, now that you have all these new prospects captured and recorded in ACT! what do you do?  The next step in the cycle is one that many fear – the follow up.

Sales leads are dead within 72 hours. Following up with all of your prospects immediately, no matter how quick or simple the message, is essential to building a relationship. Don’t be duped into thinking you know which of your leads will be a ‘real’ sale and which of them may just be ‘window shopping’ – every lead most be followed up on. Many believe that sales follow up is dirty work – it’s tedious, time consuming, and boring – however, it doesn’t have to be. With a few adjustments and additions, sales follow up can be easy, simple and quick – bringing you closer to what we all want – closing the sale!

There are  three ways to follow up on sales leads. Each method has options to make it less stressful.

• Email: This is perhaps the quickest, easiest way to follow up with a large group of leads. A short, generic note sent to a group of leads can get the job done. Outreach IT for ACT! allows you to send templated emails to ACT! contacts or groups.
• Phone: The most personal of all follow up options. A simple follow up script – :30 to a minute – can be very effective. Utilizing Dial IT for ACT! will greatly increase your call completion ratio, as well as give you a chance to associate the history and any notes from the call with the contact.
• Print: A very impressive method (as most choose not to go this route). ACT! has a library of templates available for this very purpose and a creative, signed letter can go a long way with a prospect.

Each one of these options has their positives and negatives – if possible, a combination of all three is the best option. At the end of the day (literally, by the end of your first day back from your tradeshow) make sure you choose at least one option and just do it.