Follow-Up - Speed and Reaction Counts

by Danielle Kennedy

Helen Gurley Brown Editor, (Cosmopolitan) thinks that phone calls aren't followed up, and business is not seized, because there are many people in the sales field who cannot deal with the freedom.

"You have to be a self-starter. Even if you work for a boss and he or she allocates the amount of time you need to put in for prospecting, it is up to the salesperson to go out there and do it. It takes self-discipline and gumption," says Helen.

When I went out on appointments, I used to call them auditions because the prospects who interviewed me were also interviewing two or three other salespeople before they made their final decision. As a neophyte, I was often the last salesperson interviewed because I was usually the most unknown of the three.

At first I thought this would be a disadvantage, but I quickly found out it was an advantage. By the time I got to the appointment, my prospects would tell me all the mistakes and personality quirks of those salespeople they had interviewed before me. The comment that came up most often was "You are on time. How refreshing."

Then, after the presentation was over, I went to my desk and immediately wrote a thank-you note and made sure it got out in the last mail of the day. If it didn't, I would personally hand-carry the note to the prospect's mailbox so it would be waiting for them the next day.

In the beginning of my career, more often than not, the deciding factor that got me the business was my promptness and my quick reaction time. One of my clients told me later that she had interviewed three very high-powered people before me. By pure coincidence I happened to be cold-calling the area at the time the prospects were on the lookout for a salesperson. Even though these prospects had never heard of me, they figured they would give me a shot at an audition.

Later my newfound clients admitted they had almost decided to use someone else, but out of curiosity wanted to see what I had to say. They were impressed, but the clincher came the following day when none of the other salespeople made follow-up calls or sent notes.

"Your note was in our mailbox first thing in the morning. My husband and I said to each other, 'She's a go-getter. If she follows up like this with us, imagine how fast she will react to prospects.'" They told me they had serious doubts about the other two salespeople, thinking maybe they were no longer that excited about getting the business. One of the other salesmen did call, but not until three days after I got the order.

Adapted from Seven Figure Selling © 1996 by Danielle Kennedy