Category: Email & Voice Mail

Seriously, This Is How You Leave a Voicemail?

by mike

Actual voicemails I’ve been receiving lately:

“Hi Mike, this is Megan. Can you call me back at (phone number)? Thanks!”

And what do I do with these voicemails?

Delete.

This is one of the oldest poor sales techniques in the world, and it just SCREAMS: I’m cold calling and trying to trick you into calling me back!

Doesn’t work.

Here’s what’s better:

First, you have to let the caller know what company you’re calling from and the reason for the call. We’re all too busy to call people back for no reason, and too many of us have called back just to be pitched (poorly, too) by an unprepared sales people.

Use this sample as a template and adjust to your product or service:

“Hi, this is _______ _________ with XYZ company. I’m calling about how you handle your (product/service/process) and have some options to save you (time/money/etc.). When you get a second, give me a quick call back, and I promise I’ll be brief. If we can help you, great, if not, I won’t waste your time. My call back number is (leave number SLOWLY AND REPEAT). Once again, this is (repeat your name), and I look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks!”

Obviously, if you have their email address, you should also email as part of your prospecting cadence. A great subject line would be: “{first name}, just left you a VM.”

Change the above voicemail and adapt it anyway you want; just make sure and script it out and say it confidently & sincerely. You’ll get more call backs this way than by trying to trick people!

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

How to Handle the Email: “We’re Going to Hold Off for Now”

by mike

When following up with a prospect after delivering a presentation, does this kind of email sound familiar?

“Thanks for contacting me, but I’ve checked with the powers that be, and we’re just not going to do anything until (Fall, 2020, OR next year, 2021, OR maybe even 2022).”

Disappointing, isn’t it?

There is one burning question that should be at the top of your mind:

What is behind this stall?

Remember a truth in sales: Behind every stall or objection, there often lies the real objection. Stalls like the email above are often called, “smokescreens,” because they hide that real objection.

The first thing you need to do is get behind that smokescreen and find out if your prospect is even sold first.

In other words, you should be thinking to yourself, “Well, when that times comes, were you impressed enough with what I presented to you that you’d either recommend this to “the powers that be,” or would you be inclined to move forward with it yourself?”

Now remember: I said: This is what you should be thinking.

Your next step after you get an email like this is to either:

A) Get them on the phone and ask them, or

B) Structure an email response which gets them to reveal this.

Why? Because if they aren’t sold, and this is just a smokescreen, then you’ll get nowhere using any other approach.

Here’s your script for this:

By Phone: (Note: Call the prospect 5 to 7 times without leaving a voice mail. Your goal is to catch them live on picking up the phone if possible):

“Hi ________, this is _______ _______ with ________, how are you doing?”

[Listen to their response here. Are they receptive to you?]

“I got your email and no worries! The timing has to be right, of course….

“Quick question: Just out of curiosity, when things do get back to normal for you, based on everything we went over—you know, on what you know about what we offer—did we sound like the solution you think would work for you?”

OR

“Did the “powers that be” give you an indication of that they thought about our service?”

Again: You must get buy in first to see if they are even interested in your service/product.

By Email: (If you can’t reach them by phone, then use this):

Hi…

Thank you so much for getting back with me!

No worries on timing—I completely understand.

Quick question: What were your thoughts on the presentation itself and what we offered?

In other words, when things do get back to normal, would you be recommending us to the powers that be?”

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Signed….

Finally: Remember, even in this time of Covid-19 when stalls are coming to us fast and furiously, you must stick to sales fundamentals.

These responses will help you do just that.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

Covid-19 Email Responses to Use Now

by mike

In my continuing blog series on how to handle the stalls, objections, and real-world situations in sales caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, below you’ll find some suggested email responses to situations you may be running into.

Couple of things to remember about this challenging time:

  1. Don’t pressure people right now. The challenges your prospects are going through are the same ones you are. If now isn’t a good time for them, respect that! Be concerned about how they are doing and ask them how they are getting along.
  2. Respect the time frames they are giving you—and then schedule a call “just to check in” at the time they suggest.
  3. Gently remind them this situation is temporary, and point to the progress countries like China, South Korea and Japan are making in reducing the spread of the virus.
  4. Suggest, again gently, that you will reach out again in the upcoming weeks…

Here are some emails you may be getting, and some suggested wording for your responses to them:

Email from Prospect #1:

Dear…

“I have no updates on your proposal because our offices are closed, and we are all working remotely. Frankly, this isn’t a top priority for us right now…”

Response:

“Thanks for getting back to me during these rough times! I hope you and your family are staying safe…

“I’ll check back in with you in a couple of weeks just to see how you’re getting along.

“Until then, be well!”

Email from Prospect #2:

Dear…

“Sorry about my lack of response, but it’s been crazy here!

“For the time being, we’ve decided to focus on our current market and aren’t going to be looking into different markets right now.

“While I really liked what you had to offer, our board has made the decision to wait on anything new until the coronavirus plays itself out.

“I will keep in touch as things change…”

Response:

“Thanks for keeping in touch with me. Yes, this is an unfolding and unfamiliar situation, so I completely understand your company’s decision to concentrate on the local market for the time being.

“Things will change, as you know—for example, China has already been able to stop the spread of this (as has South Korea), and I feel this will continue (hope so!).

“Let’s touch base in a couple of weeks just to compare notes. How does next Tuesday, April 7th sound to you?”

Email from Prospect #3:

“Dear…

“I have received your emails…

“We have looked into your company before—and other vendors like yours—and we just haven’t seen your type of solution working for us.

“In addition, we are in full crisis mode here, as you can imagine, so we aren’t considering anything new like this for now.

“Hope you understand.”

Response:

NOTE: The Red Flag that they have “looked into your company before” and “we just haven’t seen your type of solution working for us…”is something you need to weigh heavily in deciding whether or not this is a true fit for your company or service…

My response would be:

“Thanks for your email and I completely understand that these are crisis times. I hope you are coping well.

“I will check in with you next month just to assess how your company’s situation is progressing in general, and how you are doing personally.

“Meantime hang in there and wash your hands. (insert smile emoji if you like.)”

Email from Prospect #4:

“Dear….

“This is a terrible time for people in our market to make any kind of buying decision as they have to travel to work with us. So, we aren’t interested at this time…”

Response:

“Thanks for your email and I hope you and your family are doing Okay.

“Interestingly, our market research shows us that people are going online these days even more than usual. I guess they have a lot of time on their hands at home. (insert smile emoji if you like.)

“Anyway, hopefully this situation will pass as governments get a handle of testing and quarantining their populations—much like China, South Korea, and Japan have done. The spread there has slowed considerably.

“As things begin getting back to normal, I’d love to reconnect with you to assess your plans for the third and fourth quarter. Would next month be a good time to reconnect?

“Let me know and be well…”

The thing to remember with all these emails is that you are acknowledging the situations they are dealing with (we all are dealing with), and yet you are also suggesting timeframes to get back in touch with them. In doing so, you remain in control of the sales situation.

As always, adapt these responses to your product, service, and company, and make sure to be empathetic yet do use the core selling skills that help you further the communication and the sale.

And stay safe out there!

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

5 Email Secrets to Get a Response

by mike

Is email dead?

Of course not!

But if you want to get a response, you need to remember that people get hundreds of emails each week—some per day! —so you better make sure your email stands out and is easy to read.

Use the check list below to make sure you’re doing everything you can to not only get your email read, but to get a response as well:   

Email Secret #1: Use the prospect’s first name in the subject line. Again, people get hundreds of generic emails each day, so by putting your prospect’s name in the subject line, you’ll be sure to get their attention:

“John, here’s something for your lead gen program”

“Cathy, this is an easy way to improve your….”

You get the idea.

Email Secret #2: Customize the first few lines of your email as much as possible. Most people preview your emails by reading the first sentences, so make them appealing and intriguing:

“Hi Barbara, I just left you a voice mail and am looking forward to speaking with you…”

OR

“John, I know you’re always looking to improve your…”

Again, keep it short, use their name, and make it specific to what they do.

Email Secret #3: Keep your email short and easy to read! 

Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs. Their eyes will glaze over!

Break up your sentences into paragraphs to make them easy to read and accessible.

I say no more than 3 sentences per paragraph.

Email Secret #4: Ask for a return response—whether they are interested or not.

This is a great way to end your email and a good way to get a response. Give them a way out by letting you know this isn’t for them, and then end your email by thanking them in advance for a response.

 This is a great way to boost your response rate.

Email Secret #5: Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond. 

Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that out of consideration if you don’t hear from them, you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two.

This really increases your response rate and don’t be upset if you get a “not interested” response. These prospects just disqualified themselves and saved you a lot of time and energy in chasing an unqualified lead.

On the other hand, there will be others who don’t respond, and they become your follow up leads…

These 5 email secrets work. Take a few minutes right now to adapt your current emails to this formula and watch your response rate go up!

“Can You Email That to Me?”

by mike

What’s the number one blow off/stall prospects use these days?

“Can you email that to me?”

They aren’t saying no, but they are still getting rid of you, aren’t they? And unfortunately, chasing down busy professionals—especially people who don’t want to be followed up with—will make reaching these prospects very frustrating…

The solution? Be prepared with a good script and a good strategy. The one I like most is to prepare an initial email in advance (it can be generic or it can include an initial quote of services) and have it ready to send at the touch of the send button.

And then when a prospect blows you off with, “Can you email that to me?” use the following script from the bestselling book of phone scripts: Power Phone Scripts:

“I’d be more than happy to do that—where would you like me to email that?” 

[Take their email down and then send your information right away.]

“O.K., it’s on the way to you. What I’d like to do right now is take just two minutes to get an idea of what’s important to you, and then I can direct you to that part of the information when you get around to it. Let me ask you:

“How do you get involved in ordering/handling/working with the XYZ?”

OR

“From a needs standpoint, how motivated is (your company/department/are you) to change/fix/replace/buy XYZ right now?”

OR

“What would you need to see in the information I just sent you for you to become interested in learning more?”  

If you follow this strategy, you’ll be ready to side step the email stall and get right back into qualifying. How great will that be?

Try this technique yourself and watch as you begin qualifying more buyers, or disqualifying those who just want to get you off the phone…

And if you’d like more scripted rebuttals to this and many other objections and selling situations, then pick up a copy of Power Phone Scripts. You’ll get over 500 word-for-word scripts, questions, and phrases to help you open and close more sales starting today!

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

The Only Black Friday Sale that Matters

by mike
black friday sale

It’s that time of year again–the time when every company has a black Friday sale.  

I’m going to make this easy for you: We’re offering just one product on sale–the best product we have at the lowest price it has EVER been offered. 

It’s my bestselling 5-CD Series: “How to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone,“ and this audio series (available as in MP3 instant download as well), has made many sales professionals more money than they thought possible.  

By following this proven blueprint for success, you can double or even triple your income in the next 12 months. That is what happened for me and many others. 

Just think of what that would do for your career and your life… 

In addition (I did say this is the only Black Friday sale you’ll need), I’m also throwing in my bestselling ebook of scripts: The Complete Book of Phone Scripts. The regular price for this proven program is $249 + $49 for the script book (previous sale price for both $149), but for this sale, you can get both of these invaluable resources for just $79! 

Just use the coupon code: “Black” during checkout and you’ll be on your way to prospecting better, overcoming objections easier, and making more money than anyone in your office.  

How’s that for a Black Friday sale? Order Now 

Note: This sale begins now through Sunday, December 1st, Midnight.  

Here’s to making more money than you’ve ever made before! 

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

The 5 Secrets to Get Your Email Returned

by mike
Cold calling, Prospecting, sales tips, emails returned, best practice, sales technique, Frontline Reps, Phone Sales,

Tired of your emails not getting returned?

If you’re a sales rep who is sending emails and waiting….and waiting for responses that never come, then why not use some best practices that will give your emails the best chances of getting a response.

Here are 5 things you can begin doing right now:

Email Secret #1: Use the prospect’s first name in the subject line.

Putting your prospect’s name in the subject line (first name) will immediately distinguish your email from the hundreds of others your prospect gets. Because we’re all trained to respond to our own name, and this will draw your prospect’s eyes like a magnet.

Email Secret #2: Customize the first few lines of your email as much as possible. 

Many people preview emails by reading the first paragraph in Outlook, and the beginning better be short and have immediate value to your prospect.  Something like:

“Hi Barbara, Mike Brooks here with HMS software. I’ve got some ideas about your networking issues for your new office that’s opening in Houston next month. 

Again, keep it short, to their point, and provide immediate value.

Email Secret #3: Keep your email short and easy to read! 

Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs.  Their eyes will glaze over! 

Break up your paragraphs into sentences if possible to make them easy to read and accessible. 

Just like I’m doing right now…

Email Secret #4:  Ask for a return response – whether they are interested or not. 

This is a great way to end your email and a good way to get a response. Simply thank them in advance for their consideration and that you’re looking forward to their response—either way—on this.

Email Secret #5: Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond. 

Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two if you don’t hear back.

This really increases your response rate, and if you get a “not interested,” that’s okay! This prospect just disqualified themselves and saved you a lot of time and energy!

On the other hand, there will be others who don’t respond and they become your follow up leads…

These are the 5 secrets to emails work.

Take a few minutes right now to script out some of the outline of your emails and then fill in the details as you need to per prospect. And then watch your contact, response and success rate skyrocket!

If you or your team would like even more proven inside sales techniques, then consider signing up for our upcoming, online training program. See it here.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

5 Quick Secrets to Compelling Emails

by mike
how to write sales emails, best email writing secrets, emailing tips, how to draw attention on your emails,

Want to get your emails returned? Who doesn’t…

Many of us would settle for just getting our emails read!

Let’s face it: prospects get hundreds of emails per week and there is a slim chance they are going to read – let alone respond to – an email from a sales rep.

Luckily, there are 5 quick secrets to help your emails stand out and give you the best chance of getting them read and returned. Here’s what they are:

Secret #1: Put the prospect’s first name in the subject line.

Everyone is drawn to their first name, so if you make your subject line something like:

“John, just left you a VM…”

Your email will stand out in their inbox and they will open it.

Secret #2: Personalize the first sentence of your email.

Draw your prospect’s attention to something that is happening now and current in their situation. This will snap your prospect out of his/her rote reading of emails. Things like:

“Hope you’re staying warm on this winter day!”

OR

“I’m sure you’re buried in your new project, so I’ll keep this brief…”

By taking the time to personalize your first sentence, you’ll draw your reader in and that will give you the best chance to get your email read.

Secret #3: Break your paragraphs up into sentences.

Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs.

Their eyes will glaze over!

Break up your sentences into paragraphs if possible to make them easy to read and accessible.

I say no more than 2 sentences per paragraph.

Just like this example is written – easy to read, isn’t it?!

Secret #4: Ask for a return response – whether they are interested or not.

Give your prospect a chance to “op out” of further communication with you.

Thank them in advance for their consideration and ask them to let you know if they’re interested – or not.

And let them know you’ll remove their name if they aren’t.

Special Hint: Also give them the option of referring you to the right department or another person who might be more appropriate. This also gives them an out – and you an in.

Secret #5: Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond.

Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that out of consideration if you don’t hear from them, you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two.

This really increases your response rate, and don’t be unhappy if they ask to “op-out.” Those prospects who do have just disqualified themselves and saved you a ton of time.

And for those you don’t hear from – start calling! Suddenly, when they do pick up, they’ll be a warm call.

Try implementing these 5 secrets today and watch as your emails suddenly become relevant again.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then give them access to our On Demand 7-Session Training today! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Now

5 Quick Secrets to Compelling Emails

by mike

Want to get your emails returned? Who doesn’t…

Many of us would settle for just getting our emails read!

Let’s face it: prospects get hundreds of emails per week and there is a slim chance they are going to read – let alone respond to – an email from a sales rep.

Luckily, there are 5 quick secrets to help your emails stand out and give you the best chance of getting them read and returned. Here’s what they are:

Secret #1: Put the prospect’s first name in the subject line.

Everyone is drawn to their first name, so if you make your subject line something like:

“John, just left you a VM…”

Your email will stand out in their inbox and they will open it.

Secret #2: Personalize the first sentence of your email.

Draw your prospect’s attention to something that is happening now and current in their situation. This will snap your prospect out of his/her rote reading of emails. Things like:

“Hope you’re staying warm on this winter day!”

OR

“I’m sure you’re buried in your new project, so I’ll keep this brief…”

By taking the time to personalize your first sentence, you’ll draw your reader in and that will give you the best chance to get your email read.

Secret #3: Break your paragraphs up into sentences.

Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs.

Their eyes will glaze over!

Break up your sentences into paragraphs if possible to make them easy to read and accessible.

I say no more than 2 sentences per paragraph.

Just like this example is written – easy to read, isn’t it?!

Secret #4: Ask for a return response – whether they are interested or not.

Give your prospect a chance to “op out” of further communication with you.

Thank them in advance for their consideration and ask them to let you know if they’re interested – or not.

And let them know you’ll remove their name if they aren’t.

Special Hint: Also give them the option of referring you to the right department or another person who might be more appropriate. This also gives them an out – and you an in.

Secret #5: Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond.

Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that out of consideration if you don’t hear from them you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two.

This really increases your response rate, and don’t be unhappy if they ask to “op-out.” Those prospects who do have just disqualified themselves and saved you a ton of time.

And for those you don’t hear from – start calling! Suddenly, when they do pick up, they’ll be a warm call 🙂

Try implementing these 5 secrets today and watch as your emails suddenly become relevant again.

And if you’d like more current and effective tips, check out 500 more questions, phrases, and word-for-word scripts that will help you open and close more sales by picking up a copy of my new book: Power Phone Scripts.

See it here.

How to Follow-Up with Prospects and Win Business

by mike

A while ago, my wife and I renovated our new home, and as part of this grueling process we had to get many quotes from all different kinds of people. This ranged from window replacement people, plumbers, electrical contractors, painters, tile companies, contractors, fine craftsman, window treatment companies – the list seemed endless. After they finally showed up and saw the work, their next job was to deliver a quote (usually by email). As a sales trainer, the next part seemed pretty straight forward to me – and that’s for them to follow up on their quotes, right?

Would you believe that over 90% of these people NEVER followed up on their quotes? I am absolutely amazed by that! It makes me understand and believe even more in a card I once saw on sales:

SALES STATISTICS
48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect
25% of sales people make a second contact and stop
12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop
ONLY 10% of sales people make more than three contacts
2% of sales are made on the first contact
3% of sales are made on the second contact
5% of sales are made on the third contact
10% of sales are made on the fourth contact
80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact

Interesting statistics, aren’t they? I always follow up with prospects – and many, many times as well – and that practice alone has made me more successful than 90% of my competition. And after my recent experience with these contractors, I’m even more convinced that just following up regularly gives you a significant edge over your competition. Here is a sample follow-up campaign (emails and phone calls) I use that you can adapt to your sales cycle:

Email #1:

After my initial phone call with a prospect – whether they want information or links to my website – I always send a separate email thanking them for taking the time to speak with me:

Dear (Prospect’s name),

Thank you for taking a few minutes today to tell me a little about your company and what you are trying to accomplish. It sounds like if I can help you (repeat their specific needs here), then there might be a fit between our companies.

I’ve sent you over the (brochure, specs, job scope, whatever you promised – as well as a meeting request) and look forward to our next conversation on (confirm time for next contact).
If you have any questions before we speak, please don’t hesitate to call me back on my direct dial phone number: (Your number).

Once again, thank you for taking the time to speak with me, and I look forward to continuing our conversation next (week).

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

Email #2:

My next contact comes two days later. It always includes something that might be of interest to my prospect. Here is a sample email:

Dear (Prospect’s name),

I was thinking about you and thought you would enjoy seeing/reading the following article: (Name of an article, company brochure, white paper, something related to them). I think this is in alignment with what you’re trying to accomplish.

Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you. Once again, my direct phone number is: (Your number).

Looking forward to speaking with you next (day and time of appointment).

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

Email #3:

My next contact comes with a phone call on the date we have scheduled to speak next (You DID get a specific day and time for your next contact, right?). Often times before this I will also send out an automatic meeting reminder as well. My opening for this call is very assumptive and avoids common mistakes such as: “I’m just calling to follow up,” or “I’m just calling to see if you had time to read the material I sent you,” or “Did you have time to go through our website?” etc. Instead your opening call should something like:

“Hi _________, this is ________ ________ with (your company), how’s your Monday going?”

You know ________, I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you today. I’m sure you looked over the information I sent and probably have some questions, so tell me, where would you like to start?”

Again, always be assumptive, and obviously vary your opening based on whether you’re doing a demo (re-qualify in this case), or simply assume they’ve done what they committed to doing and then ask a question to get them to reveal what they are thinking.

So, by now – by this second conversation – I’ve reached out to my prospect five times! (The first is the email with my information, the second is the email, “Thanks for taking the time,” the third is the meeting request, the fourth is the next email with additional information or an article, and the fifth is the automatic meeting request. Including this follow-up call, I’ve now reached out to my prospect six times! But this is just the start….

After my presentation, I get a specific day and time to follow up again, and I will send another email article or white paper in-between this. And if my prospect isn’t available when I call back, I call them several times a day during the week until we connect – and, of course, I also send emails.

In addition, any prospect in my pipeline also goes into my Send Out Cards campaign, from which they get a physical greeting card from me in the mail each month until they buy. (See this amazing card system here: www.sendoutcards.com/mrinsidesales)

On average, between emails and phone conversations and meeting reminders, my prospects get between eight to twelve contacts within the first two weeks. And then they get a card in the mail each month as well.

Lastly, if a prospect goes dark during or after this, I always send them my “Should I Stay or Should I go” email which gets me a response over 65% of the time – even when every other method fails to get them to react. Here’s what it is:

Subject line: (Prospect Name) Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Dear _________,

I haven’t heard back from you and that tells me one of three things:

1) You’ve filled the position or you’ve already chosen another company for this.

2) You’re still interested but haven’t had the time to get back to me yet.

3) You’ve fallen and can’t get up, and in that case please let me know and I’ll call 911 for you…

Please let me know which one it is because I’m starting to worry.

Honestly, all kidding aside, I understand you’re really busy, and the last thing I want to do is be pain in the neck once a week. Whether your schedule has just been too demanding or you’ve gone another direction, I would appreciate it if you would take a second to let me know so I can follow up accordingly.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Kind regards,”

If this email made you laugh, then think about getting your prospects to laugh as well. Again, this email gets over 65% of my prospects to email me back and let me know their status. Try it, it works.

As you can see, having a follow up system – and sticking to it – will put you ahead of over 90% of your competition. And if you’ve qualified a lead properly in the beginning, then this kind of perseverance is often enough to win you the business the majority of the time.