In my last post, I outlined why even the concepts of sales + marketing sends most of us running for the zee hills!
And when it comes to sales, it’s the “hard sell” the really blisters peoples buns.
Fortunately, there’s a technique that not only ditches the dreaded “hard sell,” but is infinitely more effective.
It’s also one of the most overlooked aspects of marketing… Follow up! (Whadya think I meant by the “F-Word?” … Oh you cheeky rascal ;—)

The Importance of the F-Word (Follow Up)

According to research by the folks at SilverPop (IBM’s marketing automation platform), the average sale requires seven follow up interactions.
That’s right friends, count ’em 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 follow up interactions.
Interactions is the operative word here, because it implies more than just seven attempts… Not seven calls. Not seven voicemails. Not seven emails. But rather, seven exchanges — actual conversations complete with back-and-forth dialog that yield meaningful discourse.

Why is Follow Up in Such Short Supply?

The Effort Factor…
Seven “follow up interactions” sounds like a lot of work. And it is. It requires time, effort, and persistence.
Especially because, we’re not just talkin’ seven conversations dominated by the pushy hard sell. Nope. The order of business in the follow-up game is seven conversations spent exploring the prospect’s needs and illustrating how your services can solve their problems.
It’s faaaaaaaaaaaar easier to simply make your pitch, press for “the sale,” and write the prospect off if they don’t buy. Checking that “deadbeat” off the list, and moving on to the next victim as quickly as possible.
The Organizational Factor…
It’s also a lot tougher to track and follow through on seven interactions. Plus, you have to consider how to time and space out your outreach attempts. Obviously, there’s a fine line between follow up and invoking the dreaded hard sell.

So, how do you tie it all together?

We’ll jump on that train in our next outing!
In the meantime…

How Has Follow Up Impacted Your Marketing Efforts?

Whether you’ve lost out or won big, how has follow up, or lack there of, impacted your business? Swing by my Google+ page and share, we’re all ears!