FACT: Humans still but from humans.
Our clients are not SaaS clients. In the SaaS world, everything is about speed and immediate satisfaction. Its goal is to send clients through the funnel as quickly as possible and get them to convert without ever talking to a human.
We don’t play that game.
For us, it’s the question of, “How do I get you so interested?” or “How do I intrigue you with my thought leadership?” enough to get you on the phone with me to hear about what we’ve built or a solution we can provide.
In our world, sales is the starting line.
Years ago, Inside Sales and Harvard Business Review did a study that found if you talked to a human who showed buying signals within five minutes of them expressing interest, there was a 900% increase in closing them than if you waited ten minutes. Combine this with the new frequency model, where a prospect needs to have 77 touches before buying, and you’ll see why nurture programs are belabored, and sales cycles are getting longer.
If you don’t follow up quickly with someone showing buying signals, they’ll move on to find someone else to solve their problems.
Think about it: in a prospect’s busy day, they might have a small window of time when they want to get it done. If they’re interested RIGHT NOW, following up with them immediately makes sense.
Unfortunately, follow-up is a lost art.
When did we decide clients would buy from us without speaking to us first? You have to have a conversation.
The best follow-up is:
- Immediate
- As personalized as possible
- NOT done at scale
Like most things that matter, follow-up takes practice. There’s an art to it, a unique cadence to one’s approach to follow-up.
Consider a now nearly-extinct behavior: the handwritten thank you note. Can you email your thank you? Sure. Can it be automated? Of course. But will those time-saving shortcuts have the lasting impact of a handcrafted message? Not a chance.
At a time when AI and automation prevail, I’ve never regretted writing or sending a handwritten thank you note to a client. After all, it’s the first step in building your “know, like, and trust” factor with them, the foundation for a successful relationship.
The difference in effective and meaningful follow-up often comes down to one thing: intention.
Follow-up done for follow-up’s sake means nothing. And remember, follow-up at scale is a fallacy. At the end of the day, nothing beats human-to-human interaction, and that starts by being intentional with your follow-up.