Mastering Sales Follow-Up: Strategies to Boost Your Close Rate and Maximize Revenue

In the world of sales, the journey from initial contact to closing a deal is rarely a straight line. It’s a dynamic process that often involves multiple interactions and careful nurturing of relationships. One of the most crucial aspects of this process is the art of follow-up. Effective follow-up strategies can mean the difference between a lost opportunity and a closed deal.

(source 1)Did you know – when emails or phone calls are ignored, 44% of salespeople give up after just 1 attempt, and only 8% of salespeople follow-up more than 5 times.

(source 1)Furthermore 92% of sales pros give up after the 4th call, but 80% of prospects say no 4 times before they say yes. That’s an awful lot of potential sales that are never being closed, and potential revenue that is being left on the table. Take a look below to see an actual example for yourself:

(source 2) 100 companies at 50k/deal

15% engagement rate means: 15 companies

85 companies left x 50k (average deal size) = $4.25M x 44% of salespeople = $1.8M

Then multiply this by the number of salespeople you currently have.

(source 3) When following up there are some techniques that you can put into practice to influence the best outcome:

Timing is everything – There’s no exact formula for correctly spacing your follow-ups. In most circumstances, every day will be far too often, and once a month is not often enough. I find that once per week or so is appropriate in most circumstances. Be sure to set reminders for yourself on your calendar to ensure you never miss the opportunity to follow up at the right time.
Use a variety of follow-up methods – if you’re not sure what someone prefers, try different follow-up methods. People prefer different methods of communication, and what gets one person’s attention will go ignored by another.
Provide Value with every Follow-Up – It is not about you, its about them! Ask how they are doing, how business is going, pain points and problems they are trying to solve, notify them of a special offer, etc.
Define Next Steps – always define next steps – if someone asks for time to discuss an offer with their team, let them know you will follow up a week or two later, but be specific. Give a date and time they can expect to hear from you.
Keep it Brief – prospects are busy people. Cut to the chase and keep your follow-ups short and sweet.

Follow-ups can be scary, but it does not have to be. You may be afraid to hear a ‘no’ or that you are annoying the prospect. (source 3) Failing to follow-up is one of the quickest ways to lose up to 80% of your potential sales.

Reframe it in your mind – you’re not following up with the prospect to annoy them, pressure them, or spam them, instead you are following up because you have a product or solution that can solve a problem they have!

Happy Saileing!