How To Land 81% More New Clients
By Eric Ruth
Independent studies by the Direct Marketing Association and Association of Sales Executives revealed that 81% of all sales occur on or after the fifth contact. A separate study showed that approximately 90% of people investigating a potential solution do NOT choose the first provider they inquire with. These studies are tied at the hip.
The reason 9 out of 10 folks don’t choose the original provider usually has nothing to do with the quality of the provider’s service or product, but rather with the lack of follow-up. Consumers have options. Lots of them. If you’re not staying in touch with your leads, consistently – with six or more impressions, and clearly articulating your unique selling proposition – why the prospect should choose you over and above all the other options – you’re losing bookoo bucks, my friend.
But following-up takes time and effort, right? It’s a pain to track leads and stay in touch with them consistently. I know. Been there. Done that. That’s why the secret to landing lots more clients lies in the implementation of an automated follow-up system. I’ll show you how to do that right now.
A good follow-up system has three components:
1. A System: the follow-up process is, with a few exceptions, done the same way every time.
2. Minimal Work: there should be a minimum of physical interaction – it should run on autopilot (for the most part).
3. Consistent Results: a good system will generate predictable results time and again.
Sounds pretty darn good, eh? It’s not a pipe dream. It will require a little effort to get set up, but once that puppy is running, the clients and cash come in like clockwork. The technology available today is what allows you to automate and systemize this process, freeing you to do the other 101 things you’ve got to do to run your business.
Your follow-up system should be segmented for marketing to suspects (folks you believe have an interest in what you offer), prospects (folks who’ve actually raised their hand indicating an interest) and clients (folks who’ve spent money with you). Your marketing has different goals for each of these segments:
Suspects
Goal is to entice them to call, visit, request info.
Prospects
Goal is to persuade them to make the first purchase.
Clients
Goal is to get them to buy more stuff, more frequently and to refer.
Your primary tools for follow up are the telephone, direct mail and email. Keep in mind that the telephone can be threatening to suspects and prospects alike, and therefore should be used judiciously, and generally only after establishing a relationship of trust by first educating them on what you do, how you’re different and how you can help them. This is usually done with informational items. Keep in mind that each contact should include instructions on how to take the next step. People generally move through the buying process in baby steps. Recognize and respect that in your follow-up marketing.
The effectiveness of following-up lies in sequencing. Creating linkage. Each step in the sequence should build upon the last. Linking what you say today with what you’ve already told them is like a conversation. Each sequence should follow a logical argument for why the person should choose you or buy more from you or refer to you.
Sweetening the pot with each sequence (this is not done by discounting, but rather by piling on, guarantees, bonuses, etc) can be very effective. Using deadlines for response in order to get special consideration, additional stuff, or whatever, is also very, very important.
Here’s how to automate the process. Use robotic systems and outsource manual interactions as much as possible. On the internet, use an autoresponder service with 7-10 pre-written follow-up messages ready to roll out to each person who opts-in to your mailing list. Offline, use an automated recorded message system that captures your prospects’ contact information, transcribes it and sends your leads to you via email every day. If you’re using direct mail (my favorite and most productive marketing tool), find a fulfillment house to do the mailings for you (you might want to do a sequence yourself first, just so you discover how grueling and time consuming it can be and therefore make it easier to justify the small additional expense to outsource this task).
Your leads can be managed using a software program like ACT! or My Database Manager or even in a simple Excel spreadsheet. There is work involved in getting this automated follow-up system up and running. But once it’s running, it will bring in the clients and cash like clockwork.
Picture this scenario: your ad, brochure, business card, direct mail letter, or presentation hand-out contains a specific offer for a compelling piece of bait (revealing report, audio CD, guide, etc.). The suspect calls your automated recorded message system and leaves their contact info. The lead is emailed to you, plugged into your database and your sequence of direct mail, containing your most persuasive marketing message, goes out without you lifting a finger (if you use a fulfillment house) or with just a small amount of work on your part if you fulfill yourself. The same scenario, but even more seamlessly and effortlessly, can occur online using an autoresponder series. Best case is to use both online and offline – to the same prospect.
When you’re automated in this way, the majority of the phone calls will be inbound rather than outbound. Educated prospects will be calling you, rather than you chasing them. But a nice “get to know you” call from you after one or two automated contacts can move the process along even faster.
I guarantee that if you implement this automated follow-up system, it will dramatically affect your bottom line profits in a very positive way.
More sales with less effort. What’s not to like?
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