Best follow-up tactics without pissing-off your prospects?

What is working best for you??

📈 Closing
✌️ Growing Pains
😎 Sales Skills
1
HarryCaray
Notable Contributor
1
HMFIC
Instead of just "checking in", lately I've been trying to follow up with some market insight or relevant data that I think they'd be interested in reading about.  That way they still keep me at top of mind, but I'm not just bugging them about next steps
rekled
Opinionated
1
Strategic Account Executive
yeah, this is definitely a great approach. and the content does not even have to be specifically related to something produced / sold by your company. 

another tactic i use is to layout out a list of steps that customers go through during a typical software evaluation and ask for them to review/comment. i also provide a statement along the lines of "i know our software is not the right solution for everyone" giving them an out as well. this has been quite successful to keep the conversation moving forward - OR better yet to get an early no.   
HarryCaray
Notable Contributor
0
HMFIC
Great point about the "early no".  As we all know, sometimes it's just not the best fit and we don't want to waste our time as much as they don't want to waste theirs.
Savagedoge
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
2 things: Humor and market insights. 
Since I sell to salespeople, I also crack a joke about how we're all checking (not) in with people lol. Gets me a response every time 
MaoMao
Fire Starter
0
SDR
I like to make a joke like, "I hope you're ok and not stuck under a rock somewhere! In that case, I'll send help but if not hopefully you're alive and well getting ready to reply to my last email.

MMMGood
Celebrated Contributor
0
Senior Account Executive
Follow up shouldn’t be unexpected. Establishing agreed-upon “Next Steps” during every live interaction is critical to keeping the sales motion moving, at any stage, and establishes mutual accountability. Then, follow-up isn’t annoying, it’s expected. 
DHP
Contributor
0
CEO/Director of Sales, Client Success
Follow up is core to closing the deal. And how to do so without being annoying is always the key. I find myself, even now, waiting on a customer I worked my ass off to complete a proposal at their request - "because it was urgent, and they want to move fast to complete by Q3". Yet, after delivering a beautiful, time-intensive proposal that took a lot of work, still crickets. 

I followed up on a side thread with an advocate and got "they are going back and forth with management to limit scope". 

But the actual stakeholder is dead silent. 

All I can do I send a weekly note and ask if they need any help or that I appreciate an update. Anything beyond that I think could be annoying or invasive (eg asking someone else, going around). 

So this is more of a vent post, bc I know the answer is basically patience and if it's meant to be, it will be. 

But people in general show their true colors in how they treat people, and unfortunately in sales we get so see some of the worst sides of people in terms of consideration and rudeness. 

Rejection makes us stronger! Embrace the suck!

Phatter commission checks on the way. 

Cheers. 
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