Losing a lead is something that happens in business unfortunately! It can be expensive and is worth making every effort to avoid. Research from BT Business estimates that SMEs in the UK alone lose a whopping £90 million each year simply from dropped calls and the resultant lost leads.
Following up on your proposal is a necessary step in any sales process and helps to convert prospects to customers.
Here are six ways to effectively follow up on a sales proposal:
1. Send an Email
Unlike cold calls, sending an email following a sales proposal gives your prospect time to reread and reconsider your offer.
To be successful, your email needs to stand out against the clutter of an inbox. Adding a personal touch and the unique benefits you can offer will help grab and retain your prospect’s attention.
It’s important to remember that your first email might not receive a response. For this reason it is prudent to prepare to send multiple emails over a planned period of time. A drip campaign is an example of scheduled emails with the intention to convert a customer. Using a template, emails can be targeted to and personalised for each specific customer.
2. Reach Out Via Phone Call
At any point in the sales process, you are pitching something your prospective customer can’t get from your competitor. Following up with a call helps to immediately form a connection with your prospect, which can build a personal relationship and help you win their business.
Using marketing tools, such as quoting software and estimating software, gives you access to relevant information to answer any questions they might have immediately. This will make your conversation efficient and professional, and will retain their attention. It also avoids wasting time in the sales process.
3. Connect With the Prospect on LinkedIn
Connecting with a prospective customer on LinkedIn puts your name (and company) in their line of sight. LinkedIn is a great platform for personal connection, with business as the focus and forefront of conversation.
If you regularly post quality content, your LinkedIn presence can take on an indirect sales role, which can guide your prospect to take action.
4. Agree on Follow-Up Communication
Wherever possible, leave your discussion with an active commitment to a follow-up. This establishes an ongoing line of communication. If a conversation has gone well, lock in the next step before you end the dialogue.
Actively organising your communication makes navigating the sales process much easier, as it alleviates waiting for the go-ahead for when the next discussion might suit your prospect.
5. Be Persistent, But Don’t Badger Your Customer
To land a sale, you need to be a little persistent with your prospect’s time and attention. But you don’t want to follow up too aggressively and run the risk of scaring them off.
To strike the balance between under communicating (and dropping the lead) and over communicating (and smothering the lead), create a follow up schedule and stick to it. Having sales and marketing software in place can help you determine the best time and frequency to follow up based on your prospect’s location, what you are selling, and the average lead time.
6. Capitalise on Tracking and Data
If your company has a clear record of the proposals that it has successfully won or failed to acquire, use it to pick out patterns and insights. Historical data can be a great tool to pinpoint where things are going well and what worked. It also allows you to figure out where things might be unsuccessful in your sales process and tweak accordingly.
Utilising the right sales and tracking management software gives you the ability to make data-driven decisions and improve systems to follow up on leads successfully.
Follow Up on Sales Proposals With Clarity Software
With Clarity Go or Clarity Pro, use CRM software for sales and marketing to explore easy and effective ways to follow up on sales proposals. Clarity Software tools have features dedicated to open, efficient communication between your sales prospect and sales team.
Speak to Clarity Software and let us help you win your sales proposals.
