When we talk about cold calling, convincing a prospect to listen about your product or service might not be a challenge, the tougher part is following up to drive a conversion. A follow-up call is where the sales cycle starts rolling, and the telemarketer establishes a relationship with the lead. Having a well-planned and implemented follow-up call strategy, therefore, ensures that the telemarketers don’t waste time chasing uninterested or wrong leads from their custom lists. In this post, we discuss a few effective follow-up strategies to help telemarketers enhance conversions.
What Is a Follow Up Strategy?
A follow-up strategy is a step-by-step process in which a salesperson calls/emails/texts a contact after the initial call/email/text in order to secure a sale, build a relationship, or obtain information. The strategy will entail things like the time to follow-up, what to say in a follow-up, the appropriate amount of follow-ups, and more.
In telemarketing, there is information that the salesperson must know that is imperative to making the sale. In our guide to telemarketing for beginners, we discuss everything you'll need to know about telemarketing, including how to make the most sales!
Types of Follow Ups Every Telemarketer Does
Listed are the three types of follow ups that almost every telemarketer uses:
- Initial Follow Up: The first follow up call after the initial call.
The initial follow up is the most important because it sets the tone for the rest of the follow ups and in some cases is the call that makes the sale.
- Ongoing Follow Ups: The second and beyond follow-up calls.
The ongoing follow ups are useful in situations where you have to gain the person's trust and create a relationship. This type of follow up is not used as often because most telemarketers give up after the first call, even though statistics show 80% of sales happen after the 5th call.
- Automated Follow Ups: Follow ups that happen repeatedly at a set time through email, text, or pre-recorded voice message.
The automated follow ups are good for various situations, although they are not as personal, they can generate sales that you otherwise wouldn’t receive from a live phone call.
How Do You Follow Up Professionally: Mistakes to Avoid
Telemarketing is like a game of strategy; if you go in using the same tactics as everyone else, no one will have the upper hand. On the flip side, if you go in using tactics that aren’t tried and true, you could lose the game. We compiled the most common mistakes made by telemarketers, so you could avoid these mistakes and help you better infer what you should do in your next follow up.
Starting Off Weak
Rarely ever does “just following up” end with a sale at the end of the call. People hear this too often. This doesn’t provide any value or context to the consumer also, “just following up” indicates to them that you are wasting their time. Instead, talk with authority and start off with something that grabs their attention.
Not Having a Clear Call-to-Action
You should know the goal of the call before even making the call, and you cannot lose sight of the call-to-action. As the salesperson, you need to have a call-to-action for every campaign, you also need to have a call-to-action to present to the prospect. Whether that be signing up for the email chain, or scheduling a meeting to talk about the product or service. Give the prospect an action that they can do to move them further into the sales pipeline.
Not Knowing When to Call Again
While there are expectations for the frequency of follow up calls you should make at any given time, there should be a general rule that you should set and follow. In addition, leave an appropriate amount of time for the prospect to think while also keeping the contact consistent and frequent to build the relationship.
We have a suggested follow up frequency of calling that might prove to be useful for your business. Keep in mind that there are exceptions, like if someone specifically asks to be called at a certain time.
What Are the Best Ways to Follow Up With Customers?
Now that you know what you should not do, let's take a look at what you should do in a follow up. These tactics are sure to increase your sales, as well as differentiate you even more so from the competition.
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Take a Follow-Up Commitment
A rookie mistake that most telemarketers make is not asking the prospect about the exact date and time for the follow-up call. If a prospect asks the telemarketer to call after a week, chances are higher that it will either result in missed calls or a longer sales cycle. Therefore, agents need to ask the exact date and time to follow up with prospects. This is a simple but extremely powerful tactic that works in most cases. Note that this tip is only effective if the salesperson uses it on every call (including the first).
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Be on Time
After a prospect is willing to speak with you on a particular date and time, make sure that you don’t take the follow-up for granted. It is important to honor the opportunity and never be late, even by a minute. Punctuality shows that you respect the prospect’s time and also presents a professional image of your organization.
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Have a Follow Up Plan
Follow up calls are not something you do, so you can simply check it off your to-do list. There needs to be a purpose in the follow up. Just like with any successful telemarketing campaign, the telemarketer needs to define their objective(s), set their goal(s), and create a script for the plan. Another useful tip when creating a plan is to find the right businesses and consumers for your campaign. Using these tips for your follow up plan will produce a better outcome for success.
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Talk Human to Human
The person on the other end of the line is a human, not a sale. You have a product and they have a need. Use these tactics to remind yourself of that and make the interaction more personal. Here is what to say and what to avoid saying:
What NOT to say:
- How are you?
- Will you transfer me to your boss?
- When would you like me to contact you again?
What to say instead
- Introduce yourself using your full name
- Provide your company’s name
- Remind the contact of the previous discussion in the previous call
- Come to the agenda
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Stay Polite
You should have an idea of how to be polite on the phone, having likely had good and bad experiences on the phone to compare and learn from. You know how you like to be treated on the phone so treat the prospect in that way. If you need examples, here are a few tips on good cold calling etiquette:
- Introduce yourself clearly
- Be happy and willing to repeat yourself
- Back up the things you said as well as what they said so there is documentation and understanding on both sides of the conversation.
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Send a Follow-Up Email to Recap the Call
Emails need to be short, to-the-point, and need to add value to the contact. Don’t lose the contact's interest by making the email too long and don’t lose their interest by simply summarizing the call. Anytime you make contact with the individual, include some incentive or something of value in order to get their response.
Turning a Follow-Up Into a Client
Lastly, keep persistent! Using all the tips and tricks we have provided will get you most of the way, the rest is dependent on the type of leads you use. Lead generation is made simple with AIDAS. See how this simple, yet effective, model can help you make the most of your lead generation.
Works Cited
Telephonelists.biz. 2021. Telemarketing: A Guide for Beginners | TelephoneLists.Biz. [online] Available at: https://www.telephonelists.biz/telemarketing/guide-to-telemarketing-for-beginners/ [Accessed 19 May 2021].
Brandon, L., 2021. Cold Calling Etiquette. [online] Telephonelists.biz. Available at: https://www.telephonelists.biz/blog/cold-calling-etiquette/ [Accessed 21 May 2021].
Telephonelists.biz. 2021. Telemarketing 101: Telemarketing Lists Secrets | TelephoneLists.Biz. [online] Available at: https://www.telephonelists.biz/telemarketing/telemarketing-101-youre-only-as-good-as-your-call-list-2/ [Accessed 19 May 2021].
Flobile.com. 2021. 8 Steps to a Highly Effective Follow-Up Strategy. [online] Available at: https://flobile.com/blog/8-steps-to-a-highly-effective-follow-up-strategy/ [Accessed 21 May 2021].