Marketing Follow-Up Strategy

As small-business owners, we worry about contacting people too often — but no one tells us how often is too often. Many salespeople think a good follow-up strategy is to e-mail or call someone a week or two after the initial contact and then maybe touch base occasionally over the next few months.

If this is your follow-up strategy, whether with a new prospect or a long-time customer, then you've got to formalize it and put it on auto-pilot. Around 80 percent of sales are lost due to insufficient follow up. Are you losing sales this way?

Marketing is all about fostering relationships with people, and one of the key ways to do this is to have consistent and relevant follow-up in your marketing strategy. Remember, you're not following up to pester someone to purchase — you are keeping the lines of communication open and providing important information that can help the prospect or customer.

Below are 13 ways for you to ensure that ongoing follow-up is a constant part of your marketing strategy:

1) When someone requests information, give it to him or her immediately.

2) When someone asks a question, respond within 24-48 hours.

3) When someone makes the first contact (i.e. leaves a message through your Web site), follow up with e-mails every few days providing helpful information, highlighting specific ideas or providing tips.

4) When you have a time-limited product special, make sure to remind your prospects frequently. People always buy on the last day, so send a friendly reminder e-mail on the last day to get the discount.

5) Call or send an e-mail to a customer who has just purchased something from your Web site. Say, "thank you," and ask if they have any questions or need clarification on anything.

6) If you're offering a seminar, open house or other event, give enough advance notice and send reminder e-mails providing the pertinent details.

7) If someone has made an appointment, make a reminder phone call or e-mail a day before the scheduled time.

8) If someone sends in a contact form via your Web site, make sure you get back to them within 48 hours.

9) If you've made a good contact at a seminar or networking event, send them an e-mail — or better yet, a handwritten note — expressing your desire to keep in touch. Then mark a date in your calendar in one month to follow up with a phone call or e-mail.

10) Send thank-you notes promptly to people who give you a referral, a great piece of information, the name of a possible joint venture partner or other helpful tip.

11) Have a system in place that captures names and contact information so that you can keep in touch.

12) Keep track of clients' birthdays, business anniversary dates, when you started working together, etc., and send cards via mail or e-mail to mark these milestones.

13) Send out a weekly or bi-weekly e-zine or newsletter to all your prospects and customers.

If you incorporate a consistent follow-up strategy into your marketing activities, you will allow people to know, like and trust you; give them information that they can use; exhibit the value and results you can provide; and of course, see your sales climb!

Jody Gabourie, the small-business marketing coach, delivers simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to help business owners find and keep their most profitable clients. To learn more about how Gabourie can help you take your business to the next level, and to sign up for her free special report, e-zine and articles, visit www.jodygabouriemarketingcoach.com.