What is a Follow-up and why make it up

Follow-up (FU) literally means , «follow-up», «bringing to the end». In business, this term is used to describe a strategy for maintaining communication with a client, partner, suppliers, and team members. There are several ways to support communication: phone calls, e-mail newsletters, SMS messages (less often), meetings. The goal of the strategy is to establish a stable connection, as well as support and develop communication in order to motivate a person to take planned actions. Long-term communication helps the manager to understand more precisely what the other side wants, remove objections, and gives the client time to think, overcome doubts.

This article is about how to use the FU strategy without making mistakes and achieving maximum effect in business, as well as for solving personal problems.

Why is follow-up important

According to research, the probability that a buyer will make a deal based on the results of the first call is 1:50. A person will buy a product only if he already knows exactly what he needs by the time of the call, and also has good information about the market situation. But most of the time it happens differently. After a cold call, the client needs time to think about it, collect information, maybe he just doesn’t have money at the moment. 60% of buyers take an average of 3 months to make a decision, and 20% think about it for up to one year. It is clear that if the manager does not remind himself and his offer from time to time, he will be safely forgotten in a year.

Statistics show that 80% of transactions are brought to a logical conclusion on average after 5 fallout contacts, as well as several closing calls. At the same time, more than 40% of sales stop trying to contact after the first refusal. Many sellers, especially beginners, are frankly afraid to call or write after the first refusal, for fear of looking intrusive or getting a rude response. The result is a regular loss of opportunities to build a customer base.

5 Reasons to Implement follow-up in Your Work

1. Elimination of misunderstandings. For example, during a telephone conversation, the issue of advertising in the amount of 100 thousand rubles was discussed. The interlocutors discussed its appearance, content, and placement, but missed a nuance related to the period. The customer planned to stretch the amount for a quarter, but the manager decided that one hundred thousand was the monthly limit. If, after the call, the customer had received a letter with a list of agreements, he could have made adjustments and there would have been no misunderstanding.
2. A reminder about yourself or your product. The acquaintance can be not only by phone, but also in person, for example, at a conference. The potential buyer was interested in the offer, but due to a series of events, he forgot about the conversation. To avoid such a situation, Sales is recommended to call or send an email the next day with a short reminder of the meeting and his offer.
3. Consolidation of agreements. The FU strategy allows you to outline an action plan, clarify details, deadlines, set priorities, and select performers.
4. Building trust. Unobtrusive communication disposes people, creates a sense of caring for their interests, understanding their doubts. This tactic eventually pushes the buyer to take action, and also causes a desire to choose the same seller next time.
5. A well-designed follow-up strategy not only increases the chance of concluding a profitable deal, but is also an effective tool for expanding the customer base.

10 principles of using follow-up calls

1. A well-chosen time. The most unobtrusive way of communication is considered to be e-mail. A person does not have to read immediately, it can be done later when there is time. However, this is not the best option for the manager, because there is no guarantee that the letter will be opened and read. And this means that the connection did not work. Therefore, it is better to call. It has been practically established that the most favorable days of the week for calls are Wednesday and Thursday, the time is from 8:00 to 10:00 and from 16:00 to 17:00. Calls in these time frames increase conversion by 49%. The most unfavorable hours for negotiations are lunch hours, from about 11 to 14 o’clock.
2. The optimal conversation time should not exceed 7 minutes. If you prepare for the conversation, then this time is enough to clarify all the details, as well as agree on further actions and contacts.
3. A reminder letter. Despite the arrangements for the next call, it is recommended to send a short reminder letter a day in advance. This increases the chance by 16% that a person will not forget about the contract and will be on the spot.
4. A message confirming the agreement. Within a day after the call to the post office, the potential buyer should send another short message with thanks and a summary of the arrangements.
5. Consistency. Any strategy is a system of actions. In the case of FU, it is also crucial. It is important to act according to a well-established scheme. After the first call, plan when the next one will take place, what will be discussed. All the details must be recorded so as not to miss a single detail.
6. Persistence. This is an important condition for achieving results, and its absence is the main reason for defeats. If the client does not answer the phone, do not hesitate to call a second or third time: the person may just be busy. If there is no answer, send a short message asking when it is convenient to call. Potential buyers often forget about agreements with sales managers, because they are not ready to conclude a deal yet. And the task of the latter is precisely to keep in touch.
7. Carefully track the information in the CRM. It shows not only who to contact and what tasks to solve, but also information about which email templates are more effective (they are opened more often).
8. The reason for the contact. For example, information about the client’s company was in the news or there were any industry changes. Business people don’t like to have their attention distracted in vain.
9. Correct assessment of your physical abilities. Working with customers through telephone support is psychologically difficult. It takes a lot of time, requires tension, attention to detail, politeness, and positivity. The more negotiations the manager conducts, the more tired he gets, and at the end of the working day it will be difficult for him to maintain a friendly tone and maintain sharp perception. Each sales person should evaluate their strength and plan the number of contacts they can make per day (week) at the proper level. According to surveys, about 70% of managers can reach no more than 250 potential customers per year and only 15% are able to keep in touch with more than 1,000 people per year.
10. Referrals. It is recommended to increase the clientele not at the expense of new clients, but by attracting acquaintances of those clients with whom the manager has already established strong communication. Referrals are the most promising, because attracting through an acquaintance is already a recommendation, and it will take much less time to establish a relationship. At the same time, according to polls, only 18% of sales use this opportunity.

Follow-up formats

The FU strategy uses all available forms of communication:

• phone calls;
• e-mail
• messages to messengers.

The format is selected depending on the circumstances. Mailing lists are most often used. For example, a person has registered on the company’s website, which can be regarded as an interest. Now the task of the sales manager is to establish a strong connection, fueling interest and pushing for action. It is necessary to immediately send an e-mail with thanks for registration and some important information, for example, that there will be sales or discounts soon, or the user can receive something as a gift for registration.

If the user has subscribed to the free trial version of the product, after the expiration of the demo version, you must send an email with instructions on how to connect to the paid version. That is, every time it is necessary to find a reason to send and send a portion of important information. This is how chains of connections are formed, the purpose of which is to bring the customer to the purchase.

Messengers are more often used in the service sector. The client visits a beauty salon, sauna, massage parlor for the first time. The reason to contact him is to find out his impression, and at the same time inform him about other services, ask if he liked everything, if he wants to sign up for another session. This can be done via messenger from the company’s account.

Personalized e-mail or personal calls are appropriate when a contact has already been established and needs to be maintained and developed. With their help, the parties do not discuss general issues, but details, deadlines, and wishes. For example, if the manager and a potential buyer met offline, talked and exchanged coordinates, sales can call back or send a personal e-mail.

Do not underestimate automatic mailing lists. This is the best way to establish contacts with customers who have come to the company’s website for the first time.

How to compose an effective follow-up letter (message)

1. FU-letters and messages have a clear structure, including: a clear topic, greeting, a link to a previous contact, information about sales, reminder of previous arrangements, A call to action, contacts for feedback.
2. The topic should be short, but explaining who the e-mail is from, so that the recipient immediately remembers and roughly understands what might be inside. Otherwise, the message will simply be sent to spam.
3. The greeting should be formal with a brief self-presentation, since usually the interlocutors do not know much. Familiarity is unacceptable.
4. In the main part, it is necessary to briefly describe previous agreements, tell about the terms of cooperation, and give a link to the product catalog. You should not immediately make a specific commercial offer in the first letters (the interlocutor should be prepared for discussion), it is enough to outline a topic for future contacts.
5. A call to action means that in the letter it is necessary to agree on the continuation of contact – a call, a meeting, an invitation to a conference. By offering several communication options, Sales makes it easier to choose.
6. Leave more contact information: phone numbers, e-mail addresses, links to social media accounts. It will also make it easier for the opposite party to choose.
   • greeting;
   • a link to a previous contact;
   • information about sales;
   • reminder of previous arrangements;
   • A call to action;
   • contacts for feedback.

And some more tips on how to improve the follow-up:

1. It is necessary to send emails only through corporate mail. If communication is maintained through messengers or social networks, then from corporate accounts with a name, a recognizable avatar and an appropriate description. This rule ensures that the e-mail is not sent to spam.
2. Keep the businesslike, specific, positive tone of the narrative. The language should be simple, understandable, and not overloaded with complex terms. The use of slang and the use of diminutives are unacceptable.
3. Develop several email templates with texts about yourself, about the company, about the product, with a step-by-step cooperation plan. This will speed up the work: you can only change the recipient’s name.
4. Don’t write long texts. This is a business letter, it should contain only work-related information. Using lists, for example, when listing the steps of cooperation or the advantages of a product, makes it easier to read and helps to remember details.

Common mistakes with follow-up

1. Violation of the deadline for sending. Written notifications on the results of the negotiations must be written and sent on the same day. The longer the interval between negotiations and mailing, the higher the risk of losing a client or violating the points reached during a telephone conversation. The same applies to internal communications in the company. The Sammari with the summary results of the meeting should be sent out on the same day so that no one forgets the tasks set, as well as the deadlines for their execution.
2. Lack of specifics. Both in conversation and in writing, you should focus only on the main points of the agreements. Too detailed descriptions of the nuances of a previous meeting or previous negotiations will distract from the purpose of the current contact and reduce its effectiveness.
3. Don’t remind me how you met. This is an important component of any FU. Even if the meeting took place in the morning and the letter was sent after lunch. No one is required to remember all the meetings that took place during the day: in a business environment, there may be dozens of them per day. By referring to the last contact, you immediately establish a positive relationship that encourages you to continue the conversation.
4. Obsession is the most repulsive. If you have not received an answer to your e-mail during the day, do not rush to write a new one: it is better to wait 3-5 days.
5. A complex language. Juggling with special terminology is repulsive, it is much more pleasant for people when they understand what is being discussed without additional explanations. Based on this, it is necessary to build a conversation or compose a text.
6. Using personal communication channels. Despite the fact that some messengers are used for business negotiations, you should not use personal accounts, especially if you have just met a person. If he receives a message from an unknown user, he can simply block it. Business contacts should be maintained only through business channels. It’s just that in a messenger, for example in Telegram, you can create an account for business correspondence, arrange it accordingly, and set an avatar.

Conclusion

Follow-up is a strategy that allows a company to establish internal and external communications. Through the methodical compilation and dissemination of summary reports on previous contacts, as well as action plans for a certain period of time, a chain of relationships is built that encourage action. The ultimate goal of the strategy is to get a specific result: for the manager – to increase sales conversion, for the team leader – to establish a production process where each employee clearly knows what to do and by what deadline.

From several Follow-up formats (call, messenger message, e-mail), the optimal one is selected depending on the situation. It is important that all the rules and deadlines are followed when making it. It is also important to maintain a respectful business tone and always keep in mind the interests of the opposite party. This is the only way to build a positive dialogue and motivate a person to do what you have planned.