Sales Follow-up Strategies and Statistics

Follow-up Statistics

• 48% of salespeople give up after the first attempt
• Only 12% make 3 or more follow-up calls (4+ calls total)
• 80% of sales require at least 6 attempts
• 42% of people are more likely to buy when the salesperson calls back at a pre-arranged time
• The average salesperson only makes 2 attempts to reach a prospect
• 60% of customers say "yes" after saying "no" 4 times
• Only 11% of salespeople ask for business every time
• 57% of customers prefer a low-pressure sales approach
• 70% of salespeople only send a single email to prospects
• It takes an average of 8 cold call attempts to reach a prospect. In 2007, this average was 3.68

Follow-up Statistics (Continued)

• 65% of salespeople say they cannot find enough content to engage prospects
• Only 13% of customers believe a salesperson can understand their needs
• Retaining active customers is 6 to 7 times less costly than acquiring new ones
• 48% of salespeople struggle with effectively communicating value to customers
• Continuous training generates 50% higher net sales per employee
• Salespeople average 94.4 daily activities, including 36.2 emails, 35.9 phone calls, 15.3 voicemail messages, and 7.0 social media touches
• 42.5% of salespeople take 10 months or longer to become productive enough to contribute to company goals.
• 71% of salespeople say they spend too much time on administration tasks

Why Follow-up?

• Show accounts you care
• Show you understand their circumstances
• Express gratitude
• Improve customer experience
• Address unknown or unresolved issues
• Re-open engagement
• Boost sales, keeping interest alive
• Increase conversion rates
• Increase competitive advantage
• Have better customer retention
• Build trust and credibility for a long-term relationship

Best Practices (In General)

• Do's:*

• Keep accounts educated and networked with other accounts

• Try different approaches if one doesn't work.

• Use Salesforce as a guide

• Identify pain points

• Have a primary topic with backup topics

• Be yourself; stand out from the crowd

• Clarify unclear points

• Offer free advice and resources

• Be persistent, patient, and polite

• Keep messages short and on point

• Express gratitude

• Be positive

• Don'ts:*

• Be overly pushy

• Chase short-term relationships

• Overpromise and under-deliver

• Follow-up too early or late

• Be around too much; find balance

• Focus on being better than competitors

Best Practices (In-Person)

• Do's:*

• Visiting in-person is most effective

• Use primary and backup topics

• Set follow-up meetings

• Ask for referrals and warm introductions

• Identify best times to visit

• Establish a follow-up schedule

• Be in the office as little time as possible

• Don'ts:*

• "Show up and throw up"

• Waste time with people who can't help

• Keep engaging with dead-end contacts

• Show up when the staff is not in the office (e.g., at lunchtime, already gone)

Best Practices (Email)

• Do's:*

• Confirm referral meetings, defining next steps

• Send emails Tuesday and Thursday (or if urgent, other days)

• Wait 2-5 days before following up

• Use interesting subject lines (humor or referencing pain points often work)

• Schedule emails between 10-11 am or 1-2 pm

• Provide value in each email

• Proofread emails carefully

• Close emails with a question

• Don'ts:*

• Send emails on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (unless urgent)

• Send emails within a day of an unanswered email

• Use subject lines like "checking in" or "following up"

Best Practices (Texts, Social Media, etc.)

• Do's:*

• Use preferred communication methods

• Prepare for the communication

• Use the proper tools (e.g., phone number, email, linked in)

• Engage on LinkedIn

• Use handwritten notes (if appropriate)

• Use creative devices to engage (e.g., a clever technique and a letter to VITO)

• Don'ts:*

• Give up

• Abuse cell phone numbers

• Be vague regarding needs

• Chase accounts indefinitely

• Engage in "hot-button" topics

• Have "tunnel vision"

Pain Points (Medical Providers)

• Phone calls from patients
• Dealing with prior authorizations (often unnecessary)
• Poorer patient outcomes due to noncompliance
• Need more staff
• Phone calls with insurance carriers
• Negotiating contracts with payers
• Employee morale/staff frustration
• Employee tendency to switch jobs
• Employee turnover
• Staff education
• Patients not having funds to fill meds
• Lack of knowledge about Workers' Compensation (WC) in general
• Understanding when a prior authorization is necessary
• Lack of knowledge about WC meds
• Patient medication adherence
• Doctor shopping/hopping
• Drug shortages
• Meeting patient demand for services

Pain Points (Law Firms)

• Consistency of medical care
• Client phone calls
• High case loads
• Chasing down medication invoices
• Spending time on non-billable activities
• Need for more new clients
• Employee satisfaction
• Attorney work-life balance