Avoid Hard Selling on Follow-up Sales Leads

Posted by Cat Virca in Tips, Trends

There’s plenty of advice about how to close a deal, but surprisingly little information about taking your trade show sales leads from not-so-hot to the end of the sale. In his article, How to Follow Up on Sales Leads Without Hard Selling, Matthew Pavli shares 7 strategies for following up on sales leads without becoming that pushy, hard-selling person nobody wants to hear from.

1. Inbound leads are those that contact you vs. those you generate. With inbound sales leads, it’s important to follow up as soon as possible to take advantage of their interest. Customers equate quality service with a quick response.
2. Learn about your leads before you call them. Calling on someone without doing any research into their business and how you could help them usually means you’re approaching them with a standard sales pitch. Get to know your lead first, and your call will require less selling.
3. Use social media to connect with prospects. Instead of pushing your sales message using LinkedIn or Twitter, have a conversation with potential customers by sharing their content and liking their posts.
4. Pavli suggests strengthening your brand with a Facebook Ads campaign before you make calls. This will help establish trust in the minds of your prospects – one of the hardest parts of following up on a sales call.
5. Offer solutions, don’t just sell your product or service. People post information about what they’re doing on social media, including sometimes sharing the challenges facing their business. A good way to frame your sales call is by suggesting a way to solve their problem.
6. Create a reason to follow up with warm sales leads. When you meet someone at a trade show or event, provide a reason to get back to them before you ever make the call. For example, you can offer to send a list of special discounts – it’s less awkward than calling to “check in.”
7. Remember that you’re talking to a real person! When sales reps think of sales as a numbers game, it can start to affect the way they deal with prospects. Instead of focusing on closing a deal, think about connecting with someone on a genuine level. Ask about their business and show that you care.

Read the full article.