Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/53564
48 • FEBRUARY 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Despite the stereotype of the an- noying salesperson who is always pes- tering you to buy something, the fact is that people want to do business with those who show exceptional follow up skills. While they don't want to be bul- lied or stalked for their business, they do want to work with a salesperson who takes the initiative to educate them, remind them, and keep them abreast of current offerings. Unfortunately, many salespeople lack decent follow up skills. They may call or e-mail a prospect one time, but when they get no response, they give Arm yourself with the proper follow up tools BY JUDY GARMAISE up and ultimately lose the sale. Why is this the norm? Because good follow up skills re- quire good organizational skills, and many salespeople are confused on how to stay organized. They haven't found the right tool that works for them, and they haven't figured out their own fol- low up techniques. Since they haven't even thought of becoming organized, they don't have a system that works for them. And if they do have a tool, such as when a sales manager dictates that everyone will use certain contact man- agement software, they don't know how to use it effectively…and their re- sults suffer. However, these days there's really no excuse for not following up. With all the technology and reminder sys- tems available, everyone should be a follow up master by now. The key is to know what works for you and to use it consistently. In fact, when you pick a system and use it, you can quickly become a follow up extra- ordinaire. The value of a system Why is having a system in place so important? Consider this scenario: You promise Prospect A that you will get back with him in two days. Rather than put the follow up reminder in some sort of follow up system, you rely on your short-term memory. Two days come and go, and you OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTORS, INC. 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In order to get the sale, as soon as you promise to follow up with some- one, you need to stop what you're doing and jot down, type, or speak into your calendar the correct day and time to make the follow up. If you do that with every promise you make to some- one, you can dramatically increase your sales in one year. People will be so impressed with your impeccable use of time that they will refer all their friends and family to you. The biggest mistake you can make is believing you will definitely remember your promises. Don't fool yourself; no one is that good. The reason you can't leave any- thing to your memory is not because you don't mean well; rather, other fac- tors come up and other situations tran- spire that distract your focus. Once your mind is diverted to a new situation, it is highly unlikely you will remember that previous detail. Most likely, you will simply forget to call Prospect A, but three days later at 4 a.m. you will wake up in a sudden scare and remember that you forgot to follow up as promised. That's why all salespeople need some sort of follow up system in place. www.odifence.com Tools you can use The first step to creating a follow up system that works is to know your personal style. You then have to un- derstand how to integrate that style into your company's culture and exist- ing systems. The following tips will help: Know yourself Are you a techie? Or do you love writing things out by hand? Are verbal reminders more effective for you than visual ones? Since each person is different, it's completely normal for each person to have a different preferred follow up system. For example, some people are pen and paper people, even though tech- nology is everywhere. They love to write and erase and highlight and handle physical pieces of paper. Be open to new things. And remember that just because you love online activities and are a computer whiz doesn't mean your follow up system has to be high tech. You can have one low tech area of your life. Other people are techno kings and queens who thrill at watching their iPhone screen move at the flick of a finger from page to page. Whichever technique you prefer, that's the one that will make you ex- cellent at the art of follow up. Experiment Once you understand your per- sonal style, experiment with the vari- ous tools available. The most common follow up tools are: ware system) calendar; • Blackberry® • iPhone® • Microsoft Outlook (or other soft- calendar; calendar; • Daytime planner; • Sticky notes. Pick one and try it out. If you hate it or don't use it consistently, then try something else. Be open to new things. And re- member that just because you love on- line activities and are a computer whiz doesn't mean your follow up system has to be high tech. You can have one low tech area of your life. Whatever you choose, just make sure it works for you. Combine and conquer If necessary, use a combination of methods. For example, perhaps you like using sticky notes. You use a particular color sticky note for the various activ- ities, and your computer monitor looks like one giant rainbow flower. contin ued on pa g e 50