So that initial meeting with your new prospect went well, but you haven’t heard anything back all week. Now what?
Following up with potential new clients is one of the most important marketing aspects for any company. Whether it’s emails or calls or face to face meetings, you have to make sure to keep yourself and your organization in front of the competition for your prospects.
What are you to do now, and how can you make sure that when your potential new client is ready to buy, you’re the first person they come to for their need? Here are 10 great (and creative) ways to follow up with your prospects:
1. Share an interesting link or article with them.
Among other places, LinkedIn Groups is a fantastic resource for finding useful information on particular industries.
Find a recent article in your clients industry of service that may be helpful to them, and pass it along. It’s a great way to send them an email and a reminder about yourself, without seeming more selfish.
For example:
Hi John Doe,
I hope you’re having a great week! The last time we spoke, you mentioned that you were working on trying to add more online reviews for your business, and I wanted to pass along a really great read on the subject that I came across on LinkedIn this morning. Here’s a link…
So you’ve provided value, you made contact, but you’re not being a salesperson by sending the cliche follow up email.
2. Refer them to a vendor that solves an issue outside of your services.
Your prospect likely has needs outside of your service area, so pass them the information of one of your contacts that can help them with a separate issue. Not only are you helping the prospect with an issue, you’re also referring potential business to a friend or colleague, which will likely turn into future referrals back to you.
3. Invite them to an event that you’re attending (or hosting).
If you’re hosting an event, make sure to pass an invite on to your prospects. But, even if you’re not the host and you’re just attending an event that would benefit your prospect, invite them to join you.
4. Send them a case study
Seeing proof of others finding success by working with you is a great way to get your prospect back on track. Send them a couple of case studies or even to your Google My Business page with real client reviews to exhibit the type of results that they can expect to see from working with you.
5. Share a hack that your other clients are seeing success with.
If you have software or real world hacks that can benefit your potential client, pass that info along as a helpful How-To. Let them know hat you have other clients who are finding great success with it, and you thought it may help them as well.
Want Even More Small Business Marketing Tips? We’ll Send Them To You, Free!
6. Facebook Custom Audiences
The best feature of Facebook marketing is the laser-targeting options that they have. One of these options is to create a Custom Audience. You can upload lists directly into Facebook and target your prospects when they visit the social media giant. For more information on Facebook Custom Audiences, grab our free Guide to Facebook Marketing.
7. Share an Ebook, Free Download or White Paper
Who doesn’t like free things? If you have eBooks or White Papers to share, make sure to send one to your prospect as a way to be both helpful to their cause, but also as a way to get back in front of them.
For example, if you’re in need of a great Facebook Cover graphic, you could download our free Cover Graphic Templates file, here.
8. Invite them to subscribe to your blog.
Let your potential client know that they can find tons of helpful information on your blog, and that subscribing will deliver the tips to their inbox weekly for free. Not only is this a great way to grow your email list, it’s a great way to position yourself as the expert in your field to your future client.
9. Send your initial meeting notes, readdressing their issues.
You should’ve taken notes when you initially met with your prospects, and if you asked the right questions, your prospect should have given you the reasons that they’re looking for your service. Put these in a summarized format and send out to your prospect, showing them what needs they told you about, and how your company can help.
This method is more direct, but offers you the opportunity to ask for another meeting with the prospect. Here’s an example:
Mr. Smith,
Great meeting with you this week. Per our conversation, you had just moved into your new home and found a few troubling issues with your patio:
- There was no real shaded area on your patio for you to enjoy sitting out in the summer months and,
- The mosquitos were “eating you up” pretty bad
The solar screens that we discussed seemed to be a perfect fit for your needs, and are custom made to your patios specifications. I’d like to setup a time to come out to your home and to accurately measure the patio area, so that I can give you that exact quote you were looking for. How’s Monday of next week, the 15th?
It’s non-threatening, and is simply a reminder of the minutes of your meeting. But it’s also a perfect way to continue your sales process with the potential client.
10. “I saw this and thought of your company”
This is a great one! If you are reading an interesting article, blog or post, or you went to an exhibition or trade show, then think about sharing that with somebody. If you do this in a genuine way, it’s a great and very personal way to get in touch with people again. You can also do this if you see something that their competition is promoting, making them aware of the situation.
I do this regularly and people often find it really helpful.
Following up is a process that you must implement into your sales process. You’re not going to sell everyone upon first meeting them, but you will improve your overall closing rates if you properly follow up with prospects as time moves on.
How are you following up with clients? Tweet to us @Aginto with your most successful follow-up methods. Thanks for reading!
