The Importance of Following Up in Sales

Great sales includes following up with your customers, and this practice can be a valuable asset for a growing business. To break through the noise of your customers’ crowded inboxes, a personal connection needs to be made, and here are a few reasons as to why doing this is crucial to your sales:

Following up builds trust

Part of a salesperson’s job is to encourage a prospective customer to purchase a product. This process starts at the beginning, with the very first conversation. In this conversation, a salesperson should be walking a customer through the reasons why this potential purchase is worth the customer’s time and money. This encouragement should continue in subsequent follow-up contact, which can help build trust. Trust in a product can lead to loyalty to the brand, potentially leading to more sales in the future.

Follow up contact adds value

Instead of relying on deals and promises made during a meeting, follow-up contact can help a salesperson be sure of where they stand within a current deal. It can also help them ensure their connection with a customer and provide growth for that relationship. Even if a deal seems closed, follow up contact shows the customer that the salesperson is interested in maintaining a long-term relationship and that they’re not only interested in the possible, short-term commission reward.

Following up can address problems early

A customer can sometimes have issues that get overlooked during the sales process. These issues can lead to cancellations or returns, which is not ideal. By actively following up with customers, salespeople can provide themselves with an opportunity to address customer frustrations and further secure a sale. Make sure to encourage your customer to ask questions, and answer all of them before ending the conversation. Apart from securing the sale, you’re also showing your customer that your business provides outstanding customer service.

In a study done by Roshan Shetty, it was found that the most successful salespeople are consistent in following up with their customers via phone and email. If you want to add an extra edge to your sales skills, follow up with your customers more. In the same study mentioned, it was shown that major mortgage lenders attempt to follow up with their customers a minimum of four to five times, with some major lenders following up over a dozen times. When in doubt, reach out!

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