The Fortune Is in the Follow-Up | Donald C. Kelly - 1983

You probably thought following up on a deal would be easy, but many sellers struggle with it. I’m sharing a simple way to make the process easier and stop assuming that no response means something negative.

The Data Behind Effective Follow-Up

1. Let me share a few statistics that might change the way you think about follow-up.
2. About 85 percent of sales require five or more follow-ups, yet 44 percent of sales reps stop after just one follow-up. On top of that, only 2 percent of sales happen during the very first contact.
3. What does this mean for you? It means persistence matters. If you are giving up after the first attempt, you could be walking away from deals that simply needed a few more conversations.

Why Many Reps Avoid Following Up

1. Now the question becomes why do so many sellers avoid following up in the first place?
2. In many cases it comes down to psychology. Some sellers worry about being annoying. Others fear rejection. Sometimes pride gets in the way and we think the buyer should be the one reaching back out to us.
3. Another issue is the lack of a system. When you do not have a clear follow-up process, it becomes easy to forget to reconnect with prospects or to rely on hope instead of a plan.

What Strong Follow-Up Looks Like

1. When you do follow up, avoid sending messages that simply say “just checking in.” That approach does not add value.
2. Instead, focus on sharing something useful. You might provide a helpful insight, remind them about the next step you discussed, or share information that supports the conversation.
3. I also recommend planning the next follow-up before you end a meeting. When the next step is already scheduled, it becomes much easier to keep the deal moving forward.

“No response isn’t a no. It’s often an invitation for professionalism.” — Donald C. Kelly

Resources

Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.

Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.

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Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

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Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.