Sales Check In Don'ts: How to Follow-up With Prospects (& Get a Response) [+VIDEO]

Do you have a problem with prospects going dark after you send them a proposal?

How many fruitless check-in calls have you made? How about unreturned voicemails?

Unresponsive prospects can eat up tons of your valuable time and get super frustrating.

Plus, it makes you look really, really desperate.

Just stop! There’s a better way.

If you want to turn more prospects into clients, you need to stop “just checking in.”

It all starts with understanding the prospect's 3 I's:

• ISSUE:What's the biggest issue they're having? 
• IMPACT: What's the impact this issue has on their business?
• IMPORTANCE: What's the importance of solving this issue?

In your initial meeting with your prospect, get really clear on their 3 I’s.

Allow them to define the Issue, Impact, and Importance by asking specific questions and taking note of the words and phrases they use.

Then, when you're calling to follow up on your proposal, you can use their words to better resonate and remind them of why they came to you in the first place.. This strategy will create a sense of urgency and give them a reason to respond.

For example...If your prospect has a problem with lead generation, in your follow-up call you can say something like:

“Hi John, I’m following up on the proposal I sent you to help with your lead generation issue. I know this was important to solve in Q4 and that solving it could bring in an additional $100,000 in revenue. Give me a call back so we can discuss accomplishing your goal.”

You can see how a voicemail message like this might elicit a better response than just a general “just checking in” kind of message.

“Just checking in” is vague and vanilla.

Anyone can check-in… old friends check-in with you when you haven’t talked in a while. Your dentist office checks-in if you forget to schedule your six-month cleaning, but if you’re serious -- really serious -- about doing business with someone you have to follow-up in a strategic and purposeful manner.

Also, if your prospect has gotten more than one proposal for the same issue, your follow-up call has to stand apart from all the others.

When you know the impact this problem is having, you can direct the conversation in that way and actually strike a chord. When you know the importance level and impact on their business, you can be very specific in your voice message -- and if you get lucky enough that they actually pick up the phone, even better! :)

By reminding your prospect of the specific Issue, Impact, and Importance, you’ll also be reminding them to take action.

You’ll also be demonstrating your authority and level of commitment to helping them -- and that is how you will turn more prospects into clients.