I am guilty of being a tease.
I have often gone browsing for a service or a product, gotten all the way up to the part where I’m supposed to give them money, and backed down. Usually because I realize I can’t afford it just then.
When I do this, it’s not because I want to give this person a hard time. It’s also not because they did anything to put me off. It’s because their advertising worked. I wanted to buy something that I previously had no intention of buying (which is why I didn’t have the money already set aside for it when I started browsing their website). So well played to them for great marketing.
Now. How do they get me to make the purchase?
Sadly, there’s really no way they could get me to make the purchase right then. If I derail from my train of desire-induced shopping, it is because the conductor found out I didn’t have a ticket. If I don’t have the money, I don’t have the money.
However.
Since their advertising is clearly working wonders on me, making me consider selling my TV just to buy the Kool-Aid they’re promising, they do have the opportunity to make me plan on the purchase in the future.
When I want something – a website design, say – I start putting money aside for it. I know approximately what it’s going to cost me, so I save up enough money and then I start putting out queries. They give me a price, I say that’s great, and we do our little exchange-for-goods-dance.
If I haven’t saved the money, your objective is not to make me buy right now, because that’s impossible. Your objective is to make me PLAN to buy in the future.
Which means you have to follow up on my initial interest.
One client of mine only became a client after – wait for it – FOUR years. She always meant to get around to the project, but she never got around to having the funds allocated. She really wanted to work with me, and meanwhile she was sending me lots of other clients, but she was stuck.
So I kept showing up. I sent her an email every month or so, not a sales email (she already knows who I am and how awesome I am) just to say hi. I asked how the project was going, without ever referencing my part in it. I was interested. I was genuinely thrilled when she decided to move forward with it, for her sake.
She told me later that the only reason she was finally able to move forward with the project was that she’d gotten a windfall. And a little later that week, she saw my name in her inbox and thought, “That’s what I’ll spend it on.”
Now then. What do we learn from all this?
If I hadn’t kept showing up, if we hadn’t become acquaintances who sent a brief note back and forth now and then, she would probably have forgotten all about this project in the space of four years. She would have gotten that windfall and spent it on a trip to the Bahamas or a custom-made detail-perfect replica of Han Solo’s costume in the first Star Wars.
I would have been long forgotten.
So follow up. Be interested in your clients. At the very least, it will make them think of you kindly, and you will probably get referrals out of that fact. At the best, they’ll start setting aside money for the service you provide, because they keep remembering that this is something they really want to do.
There are many methods of follow-up. Email is my chosen route, but some people send out newsletters or use the phone. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but it does matter THAT you do it.
Remember that client you had awhile back who said he might have some work for you in the future? Go ask how he’s doing. Don’t ask about the work. Just see how he is. It’s entirely possible that he’s fine, but he’s been needing what you do.
He just needed to be reminded. And that’s your job.
Excellent article! When your efforts show you truly care about how someone is doing, marketing-wise or not….it will always leave a very positive impression on that person. I usually use followup autoresponders as part of my customer-care service; keeping track with a to-do list online also helps me remember as well.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..I’m quoted in the LA Times about Twitter, Scams, Buyer Beware, and Reading the TOS =-.
Tei,
Great reminder. There’s lots of research out there that says follow-up like this can increase short-term (I didn’t have time or inclination to complete the purchase) and long-term (I didn’t have money, etc.) sales. I love your 4-years story!
Another point is that in your first follow-up it can be *very* helpful to ask why they didn’t go through with it. Sure, no money is one reason, but there are other reasons that can be a great help in growing your business. You may be off the mark in ways you don’t even know.
Regards,
Kelly
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..How NOT to Woo the Customer =-.
I’m in purchasing, and one thing I keep noticing is that the sales rep who contacts me just when I happen to be looking for the thing he or she is selling is the one who gets the job. It’s a crap-shoot, to be sure, but if you make enough phone calls you eventually hit the right person at just the right time.
I have made just such follow-ups an important part of my marketing plan for my freelance writing field. However, I realize that I’ve done less of it over the last few months, so your post is giving me the kick in butt I need.
.-= John Soares´s last blog ..Complete Text of My Recent Interview about Writing College Textbook Supplements and Ancillaries =-.
Cool Post! From reminders, there is this aspect called “repeatability” of a product or a brand name in front of clients tht would make them consider it whenever they would be making a decision to buy in that particular genre.
.-= write a writing´s last blog ..Elements of a Good Thesis Statement =-.
This is really great advice. I sometimes worry about being obnoxious or pestering people, but I think as long as it’s done with some personal care, just being around is great.
.-= Catherine Cantieri, Sorted´s last blog ..Freedom and organization: does it have to be either/or? =-.
Barbara – Autoresponders are great. I need a little robot that just follows me around like a manservant reminding me of all the stuff I need to do. “You meant to take a shower this morning, Miss.” “Did I? So I did. Thank you, Jeeves.”
Kelly – That’s true, but it makes me nervous. I call James up for that sort of thing. He’s better at the direct approach. King of the Hard Sell, Jamie is.
Cindy – This is why they tell me to cold call. But then I explain that cold calling gives me hives, and they’re usually very sympathetic and don’t ask anymore.
John – ::BOOT!::
write a writing – repeatability is indeed key, and it complements reminders nicely.
Catherine – Yeah, I try to be personal about it. Usually if I’m really interested in working with someone, it’s because I like them, so it’s no big burden to just communicate on a nice informal level.
.-= Tei Lindstrom – Men with Pens´s last undefined ..(Enjoy 10 returned posts for 2 weeks) =-.
I use Aweber and send out regular newsletters to my subscribers, but I also keep in touch with people who have contacted me for help. I just send them a short personal email and ask how they’re doing every once in awhile. Occasionally this will drum up some business.
.-= Cassie – MamasOnTheWeb´s last blog ..Adding a Tweet This graphic to WordPress =-.
Many of my clients are people who were first hanging out on my blog for months as lurkers or commenters. Sometimes they’d refer friends to me first and then finally bite the bullet themselves. They’ll always joke “Someday, I’ll hire you, really…” I just keep on posting and being my usual friendly self and eventually they come around.
.-= E. Foley | Geek’s Dream Girl´s last blog ..A Letter to E: “Your website, your service, it offends me.†=-.
Totally agree with you Tei! The key here is to be sincere about it. If you’re not sincere with your efforts, that’s when you’ll come off as being obnoxious.
This is a good post and I think the important thing to note is that you didn’t try to sell every time you emailed. Once they know you, there is no need to force your product down their throat. If they can bring you business in the process, even better.
.-= Nathan Hangen´s last blog ..The Problem with Guest Posts =-.
Existing customers are 7x’s more likely to buy again. You should have a regular communication with old customers!
Do you do anything in particular to keep track of your personal follow-ups? I’m not talking about autoresponders, it sounds like you like them, but if you were asking about this person’s projects and such, it seems like you were being more personal with her.
Do you normally keep the follow-up on such an individual level or do you use a mix of individual and autoresponder type messages depending on the client?
I don’t have prospective clients to follow up with yet, but I hope to soon, and haven’t decided how to approach the concept. Thanks for reminding me to keep it on the to do list.
I learned this in my organizing business, which people delayed up to two years on not because of money but because of a variety of fear, procrastination and embarrassment.
As long as I kept providing them with useful information through my newsletter, I found that eventually most people who showed initial interest contacted me about working together.
The next hurdle for professional organizing is the client who signs up and then backs out. Now that I’m out of the hands-on “oh my god someone’s coming into my house” type of organizing and moved into “oh wow, I can do this on my own time in my pajamas in front of the computer” type of coaching, I don’t have canceled appointments to worry about.
.-= Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog ..Not Getting Started: Introducing (the rest of) the New Lab Rats =-.
Wow, four years! How great is that? Just goes to show how persistence, follow-ups, and building a good working relationship with potential clients are essential in a business. On follow-ups, sometimes it can get frustrating, but it really pays off! What’s great with follow-ups is that you are able to build a lasting relationship with potential clients, which shows them that you are not in it just for the sale, but that you are genuinely interested in their projects, their activities, in them.
.-= UPrinting´s last blog ..What to Look for in an Online Print Company =-.
Four years? Wow, that’s awesome. But how can you tell whether a client is the kind who might hire you someday, or one who’s just canvassing and/or negotiating with a bunch of different freelancers?
.-= Madeline Ong´s last blog ..10 annoying web problems (and how to solve them) =-.