Follow Up: It Makes A Difference

A while back the headlight switch on our minivan quit working, so early one Saturday morning we took it to the neighborhood repair shop that has been mailing postcards to us the past three years. They said it would take 90 minutes to check things out.

Three hours later we call: still haven't gotten to it, but it's up next. Two hours after that we call again: he's looking at it right now. Three more hours, another call: yep, it's broken, but we can't get the part until Monday. We decide to pick it up for the remainder of the weekend, arriving there as instructed 10 hours after this ordeal began: Sorry, we haven't had a chance to put it back together. Another trip two hours later completes a very frustrating day.

Following up is one of the biggest challenges many businesses face. You see it when dealing with some vendors, working with some clients/customers or just trying to get an update on a car repair. When it comes to your marketing efforts, it's essential to have a follow-up system in place, so you convert prospects into buyers.

Success Handler Action: With your team, develop a checklist of the steps you will take once you grab a prospect's attention. For example, assume that as a result of reading your monthly E-newsletter a prospect sends you an e-mail asking for more information. The follow-up system you create for your small business might look like this:

Name: John Reed
Company: Reed Mortgage
Marketing responded to: E-Newsletter
Initial contact date: February 5, 2004

X Respond by e-mail immediately with thank you for contacting us

X Visit website to learn more about their company

_ Send PDF of "Services" brochure

_ Mail personal letter explaining how we work with others in their industry

_ Make follow-up phone call three days later to ask if they have any questions

_ Schedule meeting appointment and mark on calendar

_ Send hand-written thank you note letting them know we look forward to working together

Have you ever considered what prospects do when they receive a marketing message from you that makes them realize you might be able to help them? Whether it's a direct mail piece, conversation at a networking event, or receiving a recommendation from a mutual friend, what do prospects do once you grab their attention?

Success Handler Action: With your team, create some "in-motion" scenarios that depict how prospects respond to you. Think about when they call, respond by e-mail, send in a reply card, or walk into your small business. Visualization, role-playing and writing down different scenarios will help you see things from their perspective. Walking through the steps prospects are likely to take will prepare everyone for handling contacts.

Here are some things to consider when analyzing how prospects respond:

? Which message did they receive? Why did it catch their attention?

? What are they thinking about your company?

? What do they need from you? Why do they need it? What other options do they have?

? What is the first step they will take? What are subsequent steps?

Tracking and follow-up activities may appear to be time-consuming, but the more they become habit the easier they are to fulfill. It's essential to have a follow-up program in place, lest your marketing efforts and dollars go to waste. The worst thing that can happen is to drive a prospect to make contact with you, then fail to follow up with her. That breaks the trust expectations of your relationship, making it extremely difficult to convince them to believe any further marketing messages they receive from you, or to make the leap to doing business with you.

By the way, it took two more trips back to the auto repair shop and eight more hours of our time to get the correct switch installed. Needless to say, they can take us off their mailing list.

Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders, franchisees and franchisors find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there ? as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


What One Thing?

A few weeks ago I asked my readers what the... Read More

What Is Business Sense?

What is the principal thing you need to succeed in... Read More

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique... Read More

Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 6th C: Changing Vision

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More

Business Fit

I have been an entrepreneur for over twenty years and... Read More

Employee Orientation: The 90 Day Difference

Why do some new managers succeed while others fail? It... Read More

Dont Get Side-Tracked By The Nay-Sayers

You, the Entrepreneur, are 'normally' a type-A individual. One who... Read More

Organizational Capital in Politics, War, Sports and Business

Intangible Corporate Assets such as Organizational Capital, Blue Sky and... Read More

Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps

Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the... Read More

The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs

You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA)... Read More

Five Ways to Increase Profitability By Doing The Right Thing

1. Base your business in the Magic Triangle. Honesty, integrity,... Read More

Executives and Emotional Self Awareness

A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional... Read More

Using, Choosing, and Using an educational consultant

IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and... Read More

Communication in Business

Effective communication in business is not about creating the perfect... Read More

Unveiling the Value of Your Expertise

All of us have knowledge, expertise, and experience that others... Read More

Get Down With OCP: Evaluating DBA Job Applicants in an OCP World

Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech... Read More

Jack Welch--Success Is Getting Back Up on the Horse

A few months ago I had the opportunity to spend... Read More

How To Decrease Downtime and Increase Productivity

All maintenance activities of the workforce must be documented, this... Read More

5 Tips For Creating Great Jobs

1) Create A Powerful "Mission Statement"-When your business mission is... Read More

Time Management Tips for Managers

Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the... Read More

Key Control ? Who Has the Keys to Your Kingdom?

Key control, or more accurately the lack of key control... Read More

Business Innovation ? Organizational Structure

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way

Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses.... Read More

Internal Prisons: The Thief of Productivity and Quality in our Workforce

As a professional speaker, one of my biggest challenges is... Read More

Turnaround or Terminate? How to Deal with Problem Employees

Do you struggle with a "problem" employee? If so, join... Read More

Innovation Management: The Power of Emotional Attachment

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Online Business Peace of Mind

Is your online business disaster-proof? Online businesses face a unique... Read More

Five Ways to Influence Change in Others

Because of my work as a consultant, trainer and coach... Read More

Is Your Business Ethical?

Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that... Read More

Doing More With Less

This is a bottom-line environment.Decreasing the downtime of revenue producing... Read More

Behavioral Interview Questions You Can Use Monday Morning

If past behavior is the best way to determine future... Read More

Five Defining Characteristics of Great CEOs

1. Personal insight. Great CEOs are great leaders. They know... Read More