Podcast Episode

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, and welcome back to the sales show. I'm your host, Maree Kirkpatrick, and today I want to talk about the art of follow up. Now I see a lot of businesses that let hot leads go cold, and it's a big burner when it comes to money. So you know that moment where someone says to you, I'm really interested, or they act like, yep. They're all in. You. Send over all the information. Maybe you spend a little bit of time putting together a proposal or a plan, as I like to call it. And then you hear nothing like absolute crickets, and you're sitting there, and you're wondering what happened. Should I follow up? I don't want to be annoying. I don't want to send too many emails. Maybe they're just thinking about it. Maybe it's Mercury retrograde. I want to stop you for a second. If you do not have a follow up process. then you are losing sales. I can guarantee it unless your close rate is 100. And if you've been listening to the podcast for a little while, you know that if your close rate is 100. We need to change things up because we don't want to have a hundred percent close rate. We want to be able to have people that aren't right for us, and we want to make sure that our pricing is not for everyone as well.

So if you don't have a follow-up process. Keep listening because I want to take you through that today. Follow up isn't annoying. It's not desperate, and it's not pushy. If it's done the right way. If it's done the right way, it's professional, it's strategic and it's incredibly powerful. I want to share a story with you. So back in 2023, I started working with Tafe, New South Wales. I loved working with them. We helped build out their women in business program. Some of the sales modules in there to help women grow their business. and I was building out some content for her sales club. And I thought, Wow, I think that this would be a great addition to women in business in the Tafe program, and so I reached out and I got in contact with the ladies. And I was like, hey, would this? Do you think this would work for the women in business program? What would that look like? And I didn't hear anything. and I was like, Oh. and guess what happened. My head kicked in. I was like, maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe I was hard to work with. Maybe my stuff's not as good as what I think it is. Rah, rah! Rah! Rah! All the chatter, and so I was like, No, stop!

Let's follow them up. So I sent through another email, hey? Just checking in, would this be something that you would be interested in? They came back and said, Yes, we're just scheduling in in 2025. I was like, great. And then it kind of went quiet again. And I was like, Okay, this is, this is something that I need to work on. I really want to work with them. I really think I can give a whole heap of value into these women. And so I followed up again. And I still didn't hear anything back from another email. And I thought, Okay, I'm going to send through a text message. So I sent through a text, and they're like, Yep, absolutely. Let's start that conversation again.

But what I want to emphasize to you is, what if I didn't do that? Follow up? What if I just kind of let it happen? Okay, I did in a really professional strategic way. But it's so powerful when we've actually got a plan behind us and we let go of the monkey noise in our brain. Okay, so today's episode, I want to make it all about, follow up, but make it feel simple, simple, follow up effective, follow up and completely aligned with how you want to sell. Okay? So we're going to go over. Why, most business owners overthink it. Exhibit a or they completely ignore. Follow up. I want to go through how to follow up without triggering the oh, not this again. Reflex on the other end of the people that you're following up with. And then I want to. I want to look at the secret to pre framing. So people are actually ready to buy when you call, or they're ready to make a decision when you do follow up. and I'm going to give you a freebie with the exact strategy that you can take absolutely free. It's mareekipatrick.com forward slash! Follow up. But let's dive into it.

So let's start with a really hard truth, sales doesn't usually happen on the 1st call. It does sometimes, but not usually okay, we get things like, I need to think about it, or I need to check in with someone. And so if that happens, that is not the end of the sale right? It is the middle of the sale. So this, the front of the sale, is that initial conversation. The middle of that conversation is that I need to think about it or send me through some information. And yet so many people stop here. They think that if someone was really interested they would reach out. If someone really wanted to work with me, they would touch base if someone really wanted to work with me, and I was the right fit and the right price. Then they would come to me. But what tends to happen is it doesn't work like that in today's world. We are so busy. Okay, so we don't want to just present the offer and get an objection, or they need a little bit more time and then quietly disappear into the background right? There's no next step. We're not adding any value, and there's no real plan to follow up. And this is what I teach inside her sales club, right? And it's as I said to you in that story with Tafe. It's what I live by in my own business. Okay, if someone doesn't want to come and play today. That is okay. You need to invite them to come again tomorrow. Okay? So it doesn't. That sale doesn't just end with the first.st Not now, or I'm not ready, or I need to chat with someone, or it's not the right time. It needs to continue with connection, and that's where follow up kicks in right? And when it's done right, it doesn't feel like pressure. It feels like service. It feels like we're reaching out to them. It's a i'm thinking of you. And I genuinely want to help. Okay, we're not chasing the dollar sign. We're connecting with a human.

So say this with me. The fortune is in the follow-up. Okay, follow-up is fabulous. I can guarantee, if you're doing it the right way. It will be a huge return on your time and energy if you do it the right way. Okay, so you're probably sitting there going. Okay, Maree. Well, I get that. I need to follow up. I get that. It's okay to kind of feel uncomfortable about it in time at times. But how do I actually follow up without feeling weird.

Well, let me walk you through a system that we teach in her sales club, and it's called fabulous. Follow up, and there are a couple of golden rules. The 1st one is, you always want to follow up with a reason. Okay, your follow up needs a purpose, and no. the objection is not the reason for you to follow up. Okay. if they say I need to check in with my partner. you don't call up and say, Hey, Sally, just wondering if you've had a chance to check in with your partner. Have you asked them yet? Okay, that's awkward. Okay, what we want to do is we want to look at ways to check in and share a few ideas that might be helpful for them, or share some ideas that have come through since you've had that conversation, because I don't know if you're anything like me when I talk to someone, even if they decide not to work with me, or even if they're in that, I need to think about it, or I'm sending through some more information.

I will then be going about my day driving in the car doing the dishes. Okay, that's a lie. It's very rare that I do the dishes. But don't tell anyone. But I'm constantly thinking about those conversations that I'm having. And then I'm like, Oh, I wonder if Sally's thought about doing this in her business, or wow! I really think that there's an opportunity for her in this space. And so for me, part of my follow up is in that. It's like, Hey, I was thinking about you after our conversation. Have you thought about doing this right? A beautiful example, one of my VIP clients that's about to come on board. We kick off in April. She spoke to me just before she was about to do a launch, and we were chatting, and she was like, Look, I don't think now's the right time. I think I need a little bit more time after this, like, let's kick in after this launch. And I was like, Okay, cool, no worries. And then, as we're chatting, I was giving her some ideas about what she can do with the launch that she's going to do without me right? And so that for me gave her a whole heap of value. It gave her potential for quick wins, and to show her that just from that small conversation we've had.

she will see results. Imagine what it's going to be like when we work one on one together over the next couple of months like freaking gold right, so that Golden Rule number one have a reason for following up rule number 2 is pre-frame the follow up in that 1st conversation. Now this one's gold set it up before time. So it's not like out of the blue when you're following people up. So something along the lines of you'll probably think of a few questions after our chat. Do you want to organize a time to have a quick follow up, to see if you've got any questions to go through or to. I may have some extra ideas for you that I like to think about after our conversation. Would you mind if I give you a quick call and maybe share them with you right? It's not awkward. There's no chasing people down, and they're expecting me to follow up right.

If someone says to you, Oh, can I come back to you with a few really great ideas for your business? You're not going to avoid that email or that phone call. Right? You're going to want to see what their ideas are. So number 2 pre-frame the follow up in that 1st conversation. and let me add in there as well. If you are the sort of person that can cut off really easily from business and be like, okay, cool business is done. Close the door. Conversation over until tomorrow. Fantastic. But what I want you to do then, is to have a few value. Add strategies that you can use in your follow up process. Okay, so these may be some resources. These may be some things that you can mention in the conversation. It may be about the frameworks that you use like, have a strategy around that value, adding in your follow up process. okay, step number 3. If possible. Set a time and date to follow people up. So be specific, pop it in the calendar. So, Sally, while we're having this conversation, and I want to make sure that I don't catch you at a bad time. What's the best time and day to give you a call back to share my ideas, or any other thoughts or answer any questions you've got right. Wednesday's 10 Am. Great. So just to confirm Wednesday 10 Am. I'll just shoot you through a quick calendar. Invite. So I remember. And you remember, how does that sound? Yep, great, fantastic. Okay. it makes it natural. And it's also going back to Rule Number 2 where they're expecting that. Follow up. Okay? And then rule number 4, for those golden rules is, fill the gap with value. And, as I said before. if you don't already have ideas percolating for that business.

Send through some resources, send through some tools or frameworks that you've got, that you can share with them right. Don't just sit in silence until the follow up stay in their world, send them a tip, a resource, even a client success story, maybe, that relates to their industry, or someone similar to where that they're at in their business journey. You can also share what you're working on behind the scenes, and how that may benefit from them, or even just a Thank you, or like, I loved our conversation. A quick personal note or a video. Any of these sort of things really enhance your follow up. So you want to keep the conversation going. You want to keep showing up. You want to keep them warm and engaged.

So if this is blowing your mind, and you're like, where has this been on my life? Why is follow up so easy when Maree talks about it. As I said, go and grab that free. Follow up framework, Mareekirkpatrick.com forward, slash! Follow up! It's all there for you, and it's absolutely free. It'll give you a step by step. Guide, plus some messaging prompts that you can use, so that you never stuck in that follow up stage. Okay? And I also want you to consider and to be really clear that

I want you to have a follow up system. It's not just an afterthought, right when I talk to my beautiful VIP clients, and even in her sales club we talk about follow up a lot of the time. It's like when I have time. or when things are quiet, or when I'm needing more money or cash flow into the business. Okay, this is where most people go wrong. They treat follow up like a when I remember task rather than a priority task. Okay, just like you have content plans and launch plans and sales, processes and strategies. You need a follow up plan and strategy.

So to systemize it. You want to have a regular time in your calendar to follow up, and here's a tip. Don't make it a Friday afternoon. Okay, I don't know what it is, and if anyone's listening to this in the real estate industry. I get calls constantly on Friday afternoons. I will look at my phone. It'll be mobile number, and they'll be like Hi, Maree! It's such and such from such and such real estate, and I think, oh, God! Here we go! Follow up Fridays like on Friday afternoons, are people switched on to their business, or are they kind of winding down for the weekend. if in some cases Friday afternoon afternoons may work really well. But if you're dealing with busy, busy people, business owners, or any other professions that are winding down on a Friday, I would highly suggest, change your follow up day from a Friday afternoon. Okay, I said it. Some people may be frustrated with that, or may disagree with me. That's my experience. Okay, so set a regular time in your calendar. To follow up this needs to be a recurring task within your business.

The next thing you want to do is you want to track your leads. So you know who needs what? Okay? Where are they at in the follow-up process? How many times have we followed them up? What have we said in previous follow-ups? I get calls from businesses that are like, Hey, I just want to follow up. And I'm like, Yeah, I spoke to you last week or 2 weeks ago. and they go. Oh. sorry! I'll just update that in the system, or they'll have someone else from their business. Call me, and there's been no note on my file, or whatever it is to say that someone's already followed me up. Okay, it makes you look unprofessional and makes you look like you're not across what it is that you're doing okay. So track where your leads are at. we want to also automate what we can. And when I say automate, it doesn't mean make it robotic. It means just automate the process of it. So still have it connecting still have it relationship focused. But automate what you can. So automate reminders, automate invites automate, some connected emails, maybe an email series or a sequence that triggers on and off, depending on where people are at in that follow up process and where they're at in the buying cycle.

And then what we want to do is we want to choose your channels wisely. So, as I mentioned in the Tafe story. If I had just followed up via email, I may not have followed up to the best of my ability the ability to send through a text message or a DM or even old school. Pick up the phone. I know, right? that can change the way that our follow. Up goes, okay. So don't just rely on emails. If your email inbox is anything like mine, you get a whole heap of like, I get hundreds of emails a day. Okay? So if someone's trying to follow me up, and it's only my emails when I'm going through my emails, I'm looking for the highest priority, and they a lot of the time, are my VIP clients, my whole sales club members my team. So people following me up for things aren't in my top priority.

So choose your channels wisely. If someone picks up a phone and calls me, they're going to get a different response from me. Okay? And most importantly, keep showing up and keep that connection. It's not desperation. Do not do follow up from a desperation point of view. Okay, we're not pushing. We're not hustling, we're not chasing, we are connecting, we are building that relationship, we are adding value. And we want to add value at every single touch point where we can. I am one of those crazy, weird people that can talk about sales and business for hours and hours, even talking to my mom this morning my husband came out, and he's like, What are you doing, Babe? And I was like, oh, we're talking about business, you know, like this can go on for hours. So I want you to add value everywhere. You can. Okay. and give them a really great experience and a journey. I know some people hate the word journey, but give them a really good experience and a feel and vibe of your business. Okay, we're not just a product. We're not just a service. We're in the people game. Okay?

And this is exactly what we do in her sales club. Right? We build out these processes. We build that connection. We look at ways to serve our clients and our customers in a really great, effective, profitable way. Okay? And it all works beautifully. So if you need some help with, follow up, or you need some help with building out your business, check out her sales club, and find ways to make more sales without the stress. So that is a wrap of today's podcast. Talking, all things follow up and keeping our leads warm and connected so that we are gaining that cash when we need to. And we are not letting our leads go cold. If you have any questions for me, please reach out podcast at Maree Kirkpatrick. send us an email. We are more than happy to help in any way. We can make sure. You grab your free follow-up framework at mareekirkpatrick.com forward, slash follow up. And I would love to hear any insights that you've got from this Podcast tag us in any of your Instagram or Facebook @MareeKirkpatrick until next week. I cannot wait to hear about your wins and keep following up in a really great way. Chat to you soon