I'm So Glad You Called

by Joan Friedlander

When in the midst of writing my planned article for this issue, "How Do You Value Your Services?," two women in one of my Get Clients Now! classes independently reported what their prospects (now clients) said to them, "I'm so glad you called." I had to change direction. These women had the insight of a lifetime. They realized that they would probably have lost the business if they waited for these people to call them. They also got the message: people interested in their services want to hear from them.

Most people I know would prefer to do anything but make marketing calls. They mention reasons that include:

• a disdain for those who call them (that they don't want to hear from)
  
• a fear of being rejected
  
• not wanting to bother people
  
• not knowing what to say

To avoid dealing with these feelings their marketing action plans include all sorts of tactics that they hope will inspire prospects to call them. Unfortunately, with this approach they inadvertently put the future of their business into the hands of the prospect. They'll send emails until the cows come home or post blog entries to their heart's content, but ask them if they'll follow up their email with a call and the reasons come tumbling out.

Though marketing is a numbers game it doesn't have to be impersonal.

As a matter of fact, it shouldn't be. It just means you have to get in front of enough prospective clients to talk to those who might actually say, "I'm so glad you called."

What are the numbers? According to marketing experts,

• You have to personally and directly make contact with 10 qualified prospective clients to get 1 sale.*
  
• It takes an average of 7-9 contacts with you before the average prospective client is ready to sign on the dotted line.
  
• If you send a direct mail (not personal in nature) to 100 people, 1-2 people will become a client or sign up for your offer.
  

Believe it or not you can get to 4 contacts with one prospect pretty quickly. Here's how it can work when you meet someone at a networking event.

1. Say hello at a networking event. Chat a bit. Get permission to follow up.
2. Call the next day. If you get voice mail or reach a person's assistant, leave a message.
3. Send an email or personal note. Mention your voice message.
4. Call again in a few days to ask if they received your email or note.

Keep in touch and add value when you can.

You can get more mileage with your follow up whenever you can add value to your communications. this way, you're not "bugging" them with your focus uncomfortably aimed at getting the meeting or closing the sale. Instead, you're likely to think more creatively about what you can send to a prospect that would be meaningful to them. Here are a few ideas.

• You might send a link to an article you read on-line, or an article or free report you personally wrote.
• You might ask your prospect if you can interview him or her to help you understand what's going on in their lives. (This is an especially good tactic when you are still getting to know your target market.)
• You can invite him or her to join you at another event, or to post to your own blog.

The list of value-added follow-up activities is limited only by your imagination.

You might be lulled into passivity by the exceptions

I'm willing to bet that some of your clients moved quite quickly from that first connection to becoming a customer. This is more likely to happen when someone calls you rather than the other way around, or when they are already looking for someone who offers your services, or they've been referred to you by someone they trust.

Without knowing what the marketing numbers are, you might think that this is the norm. You might take their "no" today as a "no" forever. Rather than coming up with a way to stay connected to those who say "no" to you the first time around - for example through a newsletter or periodic mailing - you let them go. You don't call to check in, with faith that some day they might actually say, "I'm so glad you called." Without realizing it, you have become who you said you didn't want to be, the person focused only on the sale. Not intentionally, of course.

Everyone is busy, even the people who want to hear from you.

Anyone who would truly benefit from hiring you, and is the kind of person you want to work with, is someone worth contacting. It's not your place to decide that they don't want to hear from you or are too busy to talk. Practically everyone is busy. When you pick up the phone, the person who has thought about contacting you is relieved that you took the action, not annoyed by it. If he or she can't actually talk when you call it's ok. If it isn't a good time make an appointment that works for both of you. Wallah! Done. Onto the next call.

It's possible to get stuck in the contracting phase too. One of my clients diligently followed up with someone for 2 straight weeks once he told her he wanted to use her services. She didn't give up just because he hadn't signed and returned the contract right away. She just stayed in touch. She assumed his yes was really a yes, and stayed with him while he worked out what he needed to work out. She continued to answer his questions as needed, too. She never got frustrated, only did what her instincts told her was called for.

You do not need to be that script-reading telemarketer you don't enjoy hearing from. You get to be just the kind of sales person you'd like to hear from: polite, interested, respectful, professional, intentional and focused. And, by no means do you need to have the perfect script. Just keep your attention on the person on the other end of the line, stick to business and act appropriately.

 

by Joan Friedlander, © 2006. All rights reserved.