Follow Up And Turn Prospects Into Clients

by Angela Booth

How long does it take to get a client? First, the client has to
become aware that we exist, and then that we can solve his
problems with our products or services. That growth of awareness
is a slow process. It takes time.

Let's say you've just sent out a batch of 200 letters,
introducing yourself to businesses in your state.

You wait, happily anticipating at least a few phone calls.

Nothing.

You must follow up on the 200 letters you sent out. They were
simply an introduction.

If someone tells me they sent out 200 letters, I know they should
have managed to collect from two to five new clients from the
exercise. No excuses. Marketing is a numbers game, and worst case
scenario, if you send out 200 letters, and follow up diligently,
you will get at least two new clients.

Where most businesses let themselves down is in the following up
process. They either don't follow up at all, or they follow up in
a hit or miss fashion. They fail to even attempt to build a
relationship with prospective clients. It's amazing that some of
these businesses survive at all.

I'm as guilty of this as everyone else. I get busy too, and let
follow-up activities slip. However, if I send out a new mailing,
I make a real effort to follow the process through, because I
know if I don't, I've just wasted the time and the postage it
took to make that mailing.

=> How to follow up

Here's how to follow up:

1. Have a marketing goal for each month. For example, my
marketing goal this month is to get five new clients, and follow
up with clients I haven't heard from for a year. It's important
to have this kind of over-arching marketing goal each month,
because it helps you to gain perspective. Each mailing, each
phone call and each e-mail message isn't as important as the
overall picture, the amount of persistent marketing you do each
day, week, and month.

2. The process begins. You send out your mailing of 200 letters.

3. A week later, follow up with phone calls. Making all the
calls, including getting back to the people who didn't answer the
phone because they were in a meeting, on vacation, or whatever
will take you another week.

4. Send out material to those who requested it.

5. A week later, follow up with the people you sent material to.

6. A month after the initial mailing, send another mailing to
everyone from the original 200 who expressed any interest at all,
no matter how slight that interest was.

7. A month after that, send out another mailing, or make phone
calls to ALL the prospects who were interested from the first
mailing. This means that you've contacted the responsives from
the 200 you sent the original mailing to at least THREE times.

8. Six months after the first mailing (it's now three months
since they heard from you) follow up with another mailing.

9. Three months later, follow up again.

How many clients will you get from that original mailing of 200?
My guess, over 12 months, you'll get at least TEN. Twenty would
be excellent. (Remember that from two to five is the very least
you'll get.)

Now, let's imagine that over the next two years, each of those
ten clients spends $500 with you. Conservatively, that's $5000
from one mailing to 200 prospects.

It's also $5000 you won't earn unless you work on building
relationships by following up with your prospects. So when you
send a mailing, remember that you need to follow-up. That's where
the money is.

***Resource box: if using, please include***

When your words sound good, you sound good. Author and copywriter
Angela Booth crafts words for your business --- words to sell,
educate or persuade. Free ezines: http://www.digital-e.biz/

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About the Author

Australian author and journalist Angela Booth is the editor
and publisher of Creative Small Biz, a new free weekly ezine for
writers, designers, photographers, artists and other creatives.
Creative Small Biz helps creatives to transform their talents
into a flourishing business.