Staying Connected to Your Leads, Prospects & Customer-To-Be with Follow-Up Rule 1-2-3-4-5-X® or System 1-2-3-4-5-X®!

On the short list of reasons most sales professionals do not generate the level of business or sustained business they could, is poor to no follow-up system and discipline. It is easy to become so engaged in daily activities, processing what one believes to be the holy grail of their next sell or digging deep into their next administrative tasks, that at the end of the day the people a sales professional has been hired to engage, facilitate a transaction with, and build a relationship out of is the last thing really being accomplished.

Research for decades shared via performance articles in professional publications such as, Professional Selling Power Magazine and www.ProfessionalPerformanceMagazine.com and articulated among the brightest of brightest subject-matter-experts in the selling industry, consistently reveals that most selling individuals give up after the third to fourth attempt at follow-up, while most sells take place after the 5 th or Xth contact, and the answer is in you know what your number “X” is and having a system to stay connected until at least that point!

So, the need for system that becomes your operational DNA rule is critical, whether you automate this process or maintain it personally and manually.

Here is one I have used for years and it has served me well. I have advocated this to clients for decades and in ‘every’ instance it is applied I get feedback about how once inactive contacts have been brought back to life after number three, four or five of the following model.

And yes, before your negative internal voice kicks in, you can utilize technology to aid you and you can adjust it as appropriate, but here is the general rule of methodology. Have a system, any customer contact data base will work, get smarter and more sophisticated as appropriate. Every contact you get when there is a relevant reason to add into your data base do so. Have all of the tracking fields necessary to enable you to track, explore trends, and search by needs. Have an endless “Note Field” within each contact profile entry for additional notes, copy-paste of texts and emails, etc., so you are always in the know. Then deploy this Model as a system and hard fast Rule for operation on only those contacts you deem as “hot leads”.

Model 1-2-3-4-5-X for Consistent Follow-Up and Follow-Through Self-Management:

• I = First Touch-Point = First day: the #1 represents what you can do within the first 24-hours of getting a contact or meeting a contact, you must (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression/action … If no contact is made push that name forward for follow-up 48-hours (2-days) later.
• 2 = Second Touch-Point = Two days Later: So, each subsequent equates to the number of business days you push that name forward on the calendar for your next professional reach out. If no contact is made within that first 24-hours, then move that contact forward in your Outlook, Data Base, Calendar or Manual Call Report system (etc.) to re-connect 48-hours (2-days later) later via (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression action … Also drop a hand-written note in the mail to them at this time point with a Call To Action comment and a second business card, this will have just arrived by your next/third touch-point.
• 3 = Third Touch-Point = Three days later: If no contact is made within the first 72-hours, then Pendex/Move that contact forward in your Outlook, Data Base, Calendar or Manual Call Report system (etc.) to re-connect 72-hours later (3-days later), this would push the Prospect Name from time of original connection (Day One) now at three touch-points spaced out over a seven day period, do this via (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression action …
• 4 = Fourth Touch-point =One Week Later/Out: If no contact is made within this first 6-7 day window, then again Pendex/Move that contact forward in your Outlook, RZ/BOX, Manual Call Report system (etc.) to re-connect one week out from this third touch-point, and via (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression action … Keep in mind if there was a legitimate reason for you to want to follow-up and connect with them at step #1 of the 1-2-3-4-5-X system, and at this point you don’t have a factual documentable reason to terminate the hunt or eliminate the contact from your call schedule or system, then don’t!
• 5 = Fifth Touch-point = Once Month Out: If no contact is made within this next time sequence, push the lead out five more business days, then again Pendex/Move that contact forward in your Outlook, Manual Call Report system (etc.) to re-connect one week out from this third touch-point, and via (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression action … Keep in mind if there was a legitimate reason for you to want to follow-up and connect with them at step #1 of the 1-2-3-4-5-X system, and at this point you don’t have a factual documentable reason to terminate the hunt or eliminate the contact from your call schedule or system, then don’t!
• X = X Touch-point = Once Month Out: If no contact is made within follow-up “CONTACT 1-2-3-4-5-X Model” then push that contact into your follow-up system for a once monthly follow-up or what forward day sequence is appropriate for you, until you can qualify their status. The follow-up touch-point could be done via (1) Call them, (2) Text them, (3) Email them, or (4) Go See them to determine the next progression action (50 Direct mail them … Also, you may want to enroll them at this point into to any electronic system that automatically mails out, emails out, social media outs any value based non-selling message (content rich blog, articles, white papers, newsletters, digital magazine or digital books, etc.) to them as well. You may at this point explore are there other people you may know that can provide you some intel on this contact and assist you in connecting.

For the past two decades, I have found measurable ROI from following, actively using, and maintaining the discipline to add new names into my system. And then using that system as a hard and fast Rule. Likewise, I have seen within my own teams and every client I have ever served, significant growth opportunities if the individuals and organizations were more serious and diligent in using some sort of structured follow-up and follow-through system.

And always consider, as long as the contact stays “hot lead” status and you have no data to down grade that lead, then also explore all of the differing touch-points in your arsenal:

• Call them
• Text them
• Email them
• Use social media platforms to message them
• Have the source that gave you the lead assist you in reaching them through their connectivity options
• Mail them
• Special delivery them (FedEx, UPS, local Courier Service, etc.)
• Go see them
• Etc., never give up

To accelerate your effectiveness at maintaining market share, market intelligence, and market leverage opportunities you should deploy this model or system with your Top Centers-Of-Influences (COIs) and Top Customers (albeit a shorter more manageable list) as well!