Follow up and stay ahead

If you want to beat your competitors, 'showing up' is a good start

Monday, December 12 2011 || Status Update || BY Duncan Shand

Have you ever heard that Woody Allen quote, “Eighty percent of success is just showing up?”

It’s an often neglected business lesson, but if learned it will put you ahead of your competition.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review said companies that respond to queries within an hour are seven times more likely to engage in significant sales conversations.

You can’t argue with the results. Quickly and effectively following up with all prospective clients can mean the difference between being the company at the forefront of people’s minds and being one that elicits the hazy reaction, “Oh, I think I might have heard of you.”

Following up shows you care, you listen and are worth doing business with. Let’s say a manager has 500 job applications on her desk. One candidate calls to check if the recruiter has received their CV. The recruiter sifts through the stack, finds the CV and brings it to the top. They’ve now heard the candidate’s name twice, 100% more frequently than the other candidates.

It’s not just job seekers who need to be on the ball 100% of the time, it’s also businesses. Make your customers hear your name more frequently. Put your CV on the top of the pile. If you prioritise, automate and monitor online activity, you’ll start ‘showing up’ more frequently and will reap the benefits.

To make this process less daunting, here are three practical tips for being responsive in your business relationships:

Be social: Set up a Twilert account (twilert.com) so any time someone mentions your company on Twitter, you’re immediately notified. Responding to that tweet, whether it’s a question, comment or complaint, is an easy and fast way to ‘show up’.

Manage leads: Use good lead management software to constantly monitor potential clients. This means keeping track of names, contact information, meetings, problems and even birthdays.
The first step in an effective follow up is managing those details so it’s a breeze when you call a potential cusotomer.

Take notes: Always keep the next follow up in the back of your mind when speaking with a potential client for the first time. Did they mention a problem you can fix? Has their son just been ill? At the end of your conversation, tell the prospect you’ll be in touch on a specific day.

As soon as you’re finished talking, write that day and any extra details in your calendar. That way you can write a personalised follow up note exactly when you said you would. I love Woody Allen’s quote because showing up — and showing up on time — is easier than most people think.

If you’re organised and keep the client’s needs in mind, you’ll quickly turn prospective clients into real ones.