I'm pretty sure I've asked this question before in a blog post awhile back, but I thought it merited asking again.
In business, how many times do you follow up with a prospective or current client before you decide to leave it alone? I'm not speaking of someone you met once at an event and are pitching your services to blindly.
I'm talking about a client that you already worked with on a project with the hopes of doing more work with them if the initial project went well. So you already have an established working relationship. Or the potential client who you met with in person and then presented with a formal proposal. But despite followup calls and voice mail messages, you don't get a response of any kind.
I run into this problem often with existing client or potential clients of all kinds. After meeting with them and presenting a proposal, they stop communicating completely. I usually follow-up with them three times and after that I assume it's dead.
It's frustrating not to get a response at all, even if it is bad news. But I guess non-response as a form of turn down has become standard operating procedure today in business.
So how many times do you followup with a client or potential client before considering the lead dead?
7 times! First two email, next five phone, after that just put them on your mailing list.
ReplyDeleteWow, seven times sure sounds like a lot to me, Justin. You don't worry about bugging them like I do, I take it?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm afraid I don't have a client mailing list as I don't do mass or group mailings. Thanks for your comment!
If you work is based on projects, then the need, and your ability to meet the need, must match up in both time and space. That means you have to be in front of them (although not in person) when they realize they have the need. Therefore, the answer is probably forever. The better question isn't how many times, but how frequently.
ReplyDeleteJamie - that's a good point. You always want to be top of mind with a current or potential client for when they have the need for your services. So staying in touch on an ongoing basis makes sense.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, I was asking about following up with them on one particular project or potential project, not in general per se. I wanted to know how many times to attempt to connect with them regarding a given estimate for proposal for one piece of work before leaving it alone.
I don't want to beat a dead horse if the client isn't ultimately interested in working with me on the project, and there I am harping on it with call after call. It's a good way to lose a client or distance yourself from them by not taking a hint! Know what I mean?
So how many times do you attempt to connect with them and have a follow-up dialogue about a particular project that is on the table before leaving that proposal/estimate alone and moving on to something else?
Sometimes it feels like reading the tea leaves when interpreting the lack of response- is it lack of interest, lack of time, or just priorities have changed for the time being...
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy is to follow up as many times as you would want someone to follow up (intuitively, what feels right?) and beyond that know that often the planets align and pop, they call you!
I had this with a client who it felt like dropped of the face of the earth then out of the blue called. My follow up had been frequent (4 times in a month).
I think ultimately is the answer is what makes sense to you?
Thanks for the comment, Kaybee. You make several good points. I think that is what I try to do - use my own judgement as to how many times I like to be followed up with someone trying to sell me something. My rule of thumb tends to be three attempts over the course of a couple weeks or months, not in a row.
ReplyDeleteBut I too have had it happen where someone I pitched on my services and presented a proposal with costs to never responded to me and then called me out of the blue one day. Sometimes it's for the work you proposed and other times it's for another project altogether.
A lot of what I do in running my own business is about gut instinct. So I guess I will continue to do what feels right to me. Thanks!
Interesting post, Tracey. I think that people inherently move away from things that make them feel uncomfortable. It's a gigantic drawback of the way we process information in our heads so if they for some reason were not happy with the first go round, they'd rather not call then call and say "I'm not happy," or whatever.
ReplyDeleteRight thing to do? Probably not. Will they do it anyway? Probably. I definitely agree with Kaybee too, it could totally seem like they're blowing you off, and then boom, they hit you up one day. Too busy? They didn't need you until then? They wanted to call you when they felt like calling you?
Lots of variables. Trust your gut. I don't follow up much at all, I try to play the other game. The game of being incredible, and attracting business.
Great post.
Thanks for your comment, Ryan. A lot of what we do in small buisness and self employment is gut decision based. I'm getting better with listening to my gut and trusting it more. But there are still times like these that I want to see what other business people do and recommend.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head with people not wanting to participate in the awkward conversation of having to turn you down. But that's just part of being an adult in the business world in my opinion.
Plus we've all had those interactions with an aggressive salesperson that just won't take no for an answer and then you can't shake them no matter what you do. No one wants to subject themselves to that in a turn-down phone call just in case you might secretly BE that kind of person. So often they just hope you will eventually stop calling and they can avoid the uncomfortable situation altogether!