July 19

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Phone follow up with potential customers

Phone calls create conversations – create a phone follow up system this week and win business!

Phone follow up with
potential customers

The effectiveness of phone follow up with customers and potential customers is being minimized in modern business. We aren’t utilizing one of our most commonly available tools – a phone. Yes, you heard me correctly. People still use phones to speak to one another. 

Small Business Owners, you need to know this: Your sales and your customer experience will improve if you actually speak with each other. This one approach to relationship building is a game changer for your business’s performance.

Phone follow up during the sales process

Phone follow up Persistence

According to InsideSales.com, more than 50% of sales occur after the 5th contact or touch-in. 

Once upon a time, I was a premier recruiter within my specialty and my experience confirms the above stat. Since we had invested in a great CRM, I was able to easily track my reach outs. Over the years. I called one gent 42 times. It was call #42 that was a money maker! I asked him why he responded to my voice mail that time. He said, “I knew you’d be calling me again if I didn’t.”

Do you reach out more than 5 times to secure a sale? What’s your average number of reach outs before you give up?

Critical Phone follow up Timing

According to RingLead.com, the best times to make phone calls are on Wednesday and Thursday, between 6:45 to 9am and 4 to 6pm. 

The old recruiter in me knows these times are when people are most likely to be available to answer their phone. It’s not the beginning of the week, nor the end, and it isn’t during their prime time of conducting their business.

RingLead.com also reveals the worst times to make phone calls are Mondays from 6am to noon and Fridays in the afternoon.

My decade of working sales through phones totally agrees with the Monday morning concept. Everyone is too busy building their momentum and putting out any fires during this time.  

Yet, depending if you are conducting B-B or B-C business may determine if the same is true for Friday afternoon. Confirmed appointments excluded, over the years I found I could actually get potential customers picking up my call on Friday afternoons (if the weren’t taking the time off), and they were much more cordial than any other time during the week. This was great because I was able to build strong relationships on Friday afternoons.

Are you making prospecting calls at the best time? If not, what do you need to do to capitalize on these more favorable times?

Phone follow up is a numbers game

Research from Hubspot.com, reveals two important stats about phone calls and what you must be prepared to discuss:

  1. Nearly 6 out of 10 buyers want to talk pricing during your first call.
  2. More than half of prospects want to see how your product works on your first call.

Preparation to shine brightly during your first call is essential. Since I trained many people on phone sales, I know this isn’t a natural thing to do. Yet, it’s your first impression. If you are prepared, you are most likely to capture the sale. Additionally, you are the one who plants the seed when they are ready to make the purchase. Be prepared!

What do you need to do to to create less stress and stellar experiences for first calls?

Phone follow up works

Phone follow up is very effective – if you are prepared and don’t give up too soon! Most people will say, “It doesn’t work.” Clearly it does, but only if it becomes a continuous activity with a prepared process for you to deliver. 

In today’s modern business we have many options for our approach to attract customers. As Small Business Owners, you are responsible for every aspect of your business. Without sales, your business withers. One of the best business leadership decisions you can make is to have a strong sales process.

Tip: Phone follow up works because we are all human. Humans buy from other humans. We still prefer to communicate and buy from people. Your voice and interactions are favorably welcomed by many. Go find who will appreciate you and your offerings. They are your future customers!

Feel free to ask any questions or make any comments you have regarding your business’s strategy to generate revenue.

Brilliant Breakthroughs, Inc. 
Making it possible to Simplify, Transform, 
& Optimize Small Business Success!
For a 40 minute no-cost consultation,
go to: Let’s Shine Brighter!

Maggie Mongan, #1 Bestselling Business Author 
Master Business Coach & Trainer
Brilliant Breakthroughs, Inc.
Direct Dial: 262-716-7750
LinkedIn: MaggieMongan

P.S.:  Create brilliant outcomes through making better decisions in real-time.

Copyright: Article is copyrighted by Brilliant Breakthroughs, Inc. The internet is about sharing. Please share this post in its entirety with full attribution to BrilliantBreakthroughs.com.


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