Posted by Simeon Stanford
Last updated 5th February 2020
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One of our founders was having a meaningful conversation with a client a few days ago. During this call, the participants were discussing how they could improve (check W in our PAWS methodology). It was clear that whilst the client was generating fantastic lead volume, the percentage of those turning into paid work was less encouraging.
It became apparent pretty quickly that many of these lost opportunities were being closed off prematurely as a response wasn't received after the first attempt or two of contact.
Now, we all know how cumbersome and disheartening the process of chasing leads and quotes for work can be. Nonetheless, it's the businesses that go the extra mile who reap the rewards.
The key reasons why your follow-up might be failing you (TL;DR for the time-poor)
We all know that the one thing that most people in business would wish for (if money were not a choice) would be more time. Time to work on projects, time to spend with family and loved ones, times to plan and forecast for the future. It is this same hurdle that drives the smartest SMEs and Startups to make use of email automation chains as part of their follow-up process with leads and prospects alike.
There a range of benefits to automating your steps after quoting for work.
Firstly, you'll be able to build on your successes and reuse this ad nauseum. If there is a specific message that helps to get more prospects over the line and into the paid customer column, then surely you'll want to use this repeatedly for all future propsects.
Another benefit is that automation is scalable - as you grow your sales team and company, you can have the same chains in use for each sales rep. This adds a layer of consistency and prevents the risk of deviating from your brand message and sales process.
In a similar vein, you can upgrade your chains en masse as you have new value propositions you can put forward to prospective clients (for example when a new case study or testimonial is provided).
Alongside automation, you should be making active efforts to personalise your response chains where possible. This does not mean you cannot still automate your follow-up, but just requires a layer of creativity in the wording of your messages.
Some great examples of this in practice:
This really falls into two brackets:
The honest answer is that there is no one size fits all approach. You'll need to pick a schedule or two (or more), trial them and see which deliver the best results. You can then apply the winning formula going forward.
That being said, there are some common-sense rules we try to apply when looking at automation chains:
With the points above, be ready to pause or stop an automation chain if you get a specific type of response i.e. can you please follow up in 1 month or on a specific date. You'll need to show that you are listening and accommodating to these points.
How many messages is too much?
There are only really 3 responses following your quote/estimate/demo/sales call:
Stay
The prospect is fully engaged and ready to go. It's now on you to complete the close and get a deposit/payment/contract signed.
Delay
The limbo we all tried to avoid in our sales process. It is made up of complete radio silence, continual requests for more time to decide and things of a similar vein. It is definitely important to note - ignored emails fall comfortably into this category.
Go Away
The prospect has confirmed (for whatever reason) that your offering isn't a good fit for them. Certainly, listen to the responses you get in this area - this can provide invaluable insights into whether you're value proposition is correct and aligned with your market.
Even more so, it might be the sign of a clear objection that you understand and can assist with (for example pricing issues may be counteracted with an incentive-based discount).
As businesses, we should really only be focussed on the "Stays" and "Go Aways" as firm indicators of a prospect's interest. The on-the-fencers in the "Delay" category should be followed-up with until they can provide a decision one way or the other.
The reality is a prospect will let you know if you've followed up too much by telling you they aren't interested. This is always preferable to indecision (you can close lost opportunities with confidence, but silence doesn't let you know one way or the other).
What you say in each step of your automation chain can be equally if not more important than when you send it. One of the biggest mistakes we see in this space are automation email messages that say little more than "I haven't heard from you, are you still interested?"
What if I'm repeating myself?
If you have a concern about being too repetitive in your email sequence - don't be!
The likelihood is your email sequence isn't being read back-to-back in one go. What is most important is that a single link or value proposition in the chain of emails is all that is needed to encourage, engage and convert a potential prospect into paid work.
What should I include in my messages?
Alongside a gentle nudge to see if the prospect is ready to make the purchase (include a link or steps to sign that contract or make a payment), be sure to include some value-add in each follow-up email you provide. This can take many formats including:
We hope that you've found the suggestions in this article useful for your own sales process and are ready to start boosting your sales results!
Remember, automation is imminently more sensible that manual work, but a little layer of human touch to compliment this step is always recommended. If you get a specific response from a lead or prospect that breaks the flow of the chain, be ready to answer with your unique message (this is still going to be much quicker than having to create/send a chain of messages in real-time).
Are there any steps in your automation chain that we've missed, or any suggestions here you'd challenge? Let us know in the comments below, we'd be excited to know your thoughts.
Simeon is a founder at Sites Done Right and heads up the company's sales and partnerships. His experience across business intelligence, data and websites make him a force to be reckoned with.
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