3 Reasons Why Salespeople Do Not Follow Up
Posted by completesalesmanagement on October 17, 2008
By Robert Estupinian
There are some studies out there that show that 95% of all salespeople never follow up after the initial contact. The number is even higher for contacts that are gather at trade shows. Even when the contact information is recorded electronically and the data is organized for them they will not follow up with those persons that showed interest.
One of the worst cases of neglect that I witnessed occurred to one of my colleagues who was interested in buying a vacation townhome (yes, in this market), and could not get the real estate salesperson to call him back for over a week. By the time the salesperson returned the call he had decided to buy something else. The level of interest for most contacts is at the maximum 48 hours so following up with interested clients has to be a top priority. So given these facts let’s explore some reasons why salespeople will not follow up.
They are waiting for the customer to contact them
When I worked with salespeople many will tell me that they provide such an exceptional level of service that if the prospect is interested they will call. This is simply a misconception in believing that the only thing the prospect is thinking about is the product or service the salesperson is offering. Truth be told the salesperson is not even out of the door when the prospect is onto something else. We all are very busy these days and for most prospects it is better to procrastinate than to make a decision.
Lack of a system to do the follow up
I have seen many organizations spend a lot of time and money planning the trade show and what will be given away at the trade show to attract prospects to the both. One thing that is often missing is a system for categorizing the contacts and following up after the show. Today, given the economic changes occurring in the economy we cannot afford to simply collect names we need to find buyers. So this begins by designing a booth that helps screen out the browsing public from the buyers. Then you need a organized plan to pursue those prospects within the 48 hour window.
Lack of training
The vast majority of salespeople that I encounter have never been properly trained on how to effectively follow up. They do not have an organized system or procedure to do this very important task. At times it begins by developing some form of contact database system to help remind and schedule these activities. Next, is developing the proper follow up presentation. The follow up call should be a natural progression in the sales cycle and should continue moving the prospect towards a buying decision. These systems and procedures cannot happen by accident and it cannot be left to each individual salesperson to develop their own methodology. As the facts show the great majority of salespeople simply will not do it. The good news is that setting up such a program is not difficult and can be done for any size business. If you have any questions regarding how an effective follow up program can be designed and implemented in your business simply call 408-879-7280 and we will be happy to answer your questions.
