The Art of the Sales Follow-Up: 7 Ways to Keep the Conversation Going

The Art of the Sales Follow-Up: How to Keep the Conversation Going and Close More Deals in 2024

Most of your business‘s prospective customers will not buy from you right away. In fact, research shows that 80% of sales require an average of five follow-ups in order to close the deal. However, a staggering 44% of salespeople give up after just one follow-up attempt.

The reality is, your prospects are busy. They have overflowing inboxes, packed calendars, and countless demands on their time and attention. Just because they don‘t respond to your first outreach doesn‘t mean they aren‘t interested – it simply means you haven‘t done enough yet to earn a spot at the top of their priority list.

This is where the art of the sales follow-up comes in. By strategically keeping in touch with prospects over time, providing value, and making it easy for them to take the next step, you can dramatically increase your chances of turning them into paying customers.

But there‘s a fine line between persistence and pushiness. Follow up too little and deals slip through the cracks. Follow up too much and you risk annoying your prospects and damaging the relationship.

To help you master this crucial sales skill, let‘s dive into some proven techniques and best practices for following up effectively in 2024 and beyond:

Use Multiple Channels, But Don‘t Overdo It
These days, there are more ways than ever to stay in touch with prospects. In addition to phone and email, you can connect via social media, video, text, and more.

The key is finding the right balance. If your first couple email follow-ups go unanswered, it may be time to pick up the phone. If you have a great phone conversation but the prospect still seems hesitant to move forward, try sending a personalized video message recapping your discussion and next steps.

Pay attention to the prospect‘s preferred communication method and meet them where they are. But resist the urge to bombard them on every channel. Connecting on 2-3 platforms is plenty.

Find the Right Frequency
Timing is everything when it comes to follow-ups. Wait too long between touchpoints and the prospect may forget about you or move on. Follow up too frequently and you become a pest.

So what‘s the sweet spot? It depends on factors like your industry, sales cycle, and the prospect‘s unique situation. In general, aim to follow up every 3-7 days in the early stages, then adjust your cadence based on the prospect‘s engagement level and timeline.

The most important thing is to space out your attempts and have a legitimate reason for each follow-up (more on that next). Following up every single day or multiple times a day is almost always too much.

Always Add Value
Here‘s a hard truth: your prospects don‘t care about you making quota. They care about solving their problems and achieving their goals. Every interaction should be focused on them, not you.

Before reaching out, ask yourself: How can I provide value to the prospect in this follow-up? Maybe it‘s sharing a relevant case study, article, or benchmark report. Maybe it‘s offering a complimentary audit, trial, or demo. Maybe it‘s simply providing an outside perspective on a challenge they mentioned.

The more you can educate, entertain, and help your prospects (without asking for anything in return), the more responsive they‘ll be to your outreach. You become a trusted advisor and go-to resource, not just another salesperson pushing for a deal.

Get Crystal Clear on Next Steps
One of the biggest reasons follow-ups fizzle out is a lack of clarity on what should happen next. Never end an interaction without agreeing on a specific next step and timeline.

For example:

"I‘ll send over that case study by end of day and let‘s plan to reconnect early next week to discuss. How does Tuesday at 10am look for your calendar?"
"Thanks for the great conversation. I‘ll work up a custom proposal based on everything we discussed and get it over to you by Friday. Once you‘ve had a chance to review, let‘s schedule a quick call to walk through any questions. I‘ll send a calendar invite for next Wednesday at 2pm."

Be as specific as possible and get commitment from the prospect on the next touchpoint. This makes your follow-ups purposeful and keeps the ball rolling.

Craft Compelling Email Subject Lines
With so much competition for prospects‘ attention, a generic subject line like "Following up" or "Checking in" won‘t cut it. Your email follow-ups need to stand out in a crowded inbox and give the recipient a reason to open.

A few ideas:

Personalize it with their name or company
Pique curiosity by alluding to something you discussed
Create urgency with a limited time offer or upcoming event
Ask a direct question
Use a numbered list or how-to promise

For example:

"John, quick question about our conversation"
"3 ideas for [solving XYZ problem] at Acme Co."
"60% off licensing ends Friday – should we talk?"
"Did you see this case study?"
"How [customer] achieved [result] in [timeframe]"

Keep experimenting with different subject line approaches and see what works best for your audience. Just don‘t resort to crazy ALL CAPS or misleading clickbait.

Keep It Short and Sweet
Prospects are skimming, not studying, your follow-up messages. Aim to get your point across in 5-7 sentences max.

If you‘re following up via phone, keep the conversation to 5-10 minutes unless the prospect clearly wants to talk longer. Respect their time.

This forces you to be concise and saves the long-winded pitches for later in the sales process once you‘ve earned more of their attention. If you do need to send something lengthy like a proposal, offer a quick summary in the body of your email and attach the full document.

Know When to Say Goodbye
No salesperson bats a thousand. Not everyone you follow up with will end up buying, and that‘s okay.

If a prospect goes completely dark after multiple follow-up attempts, it‘s time for a breakup email. This is a short, final message that aims to get a definitive response either way.

The key is striking the right tone – firm but friendly. For example:

"Hi [Name],

I‘ve reached out a few times now to see if [product/service] would be a good fit for [their company]. Since I haven‘t heard back, I‘ll assume the timing isn‘t right and I won‘t contact you further.

If I can be a resource in any way in the future, please don‘t hesitate to get in touch. Wishing you and the team all the best!

[Your name]"

This type of message often prompts unresponsive prospects to finally reply, even if it‘s to simply say "no thanks." A clear no is much better than endless chasing and wondering.

Face Your Follow-Up Fears
Many salespeople struggle with follow-up because they don‘t want to annoy prospects or come across as pushy. It feels uncomfortable to keep reaching out to someone who isn‘t responding.

The solution is to shift your mindset. Remember, you‘re not following up to beg for someone‘s business or pester them into submission. You‘re following up because you genuinely believe your product or service can help them, and you want to provide that value.

You‘re being persistent, not pushy. It‘s your job to keep the conversation going. Think of each follow-up as an act of service, not an inconvenience to the prospect.

Of course, if someone directly asks you to stop contacting them, respect that. But otherwise, approach follow-up from a place of confidence and helpfulness, not guilt or hesitation.

Make Follow-Up More Human
We‘ve covered a lot of practical follow-up tips and techniques, but never forget there‘s a real person on the other end. The more you can personalize your outreach and build authentic relationships, the more successful you‘ll be.

Little things go a long way:

Use the prospect‘s name in your messages
Reference specific things they said in previous conversations
Comment on their social posts or share content they‘ll find interesting
Send a handwritten note or small gift
Meet up in person or hop on a video call
Learn about their interests, hobbies and personal life (when appropriate)
Celebrate their milestones and wins

Treat your prospects like humans, not numbers on a spreadsheet, and your follow-up will feel less like a chore and more like building friendships (that happen to turn into customers).

Scale with the Right Sales Tools
Following up consistently takes serious time and organization, especially if you‘re managing dozens or hundreds of prospects. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools that can help you work smarter, not harder:

CRM: Automatically logs activities, tracks deal stages, and notifies you when to follow up. Example: HubSpot
Email automation: Quickly send personalized emails at scale and get notified when prospects engage. Example: Outreach
Sales AI: Analyzes your sales calls and emails to provide real-time coaching on your follow-up. Example: Gong
Meeting scheduler: Makes it effortless for prospects to get on your calendar without the back-and-forth. Example: Calendly
Video messaging: Record and send video follow-ups that stand out in a sea of typed-out emails. Example: Vidyard

The key is finding the tools that work for your specific follow-up style and process. Don‘t get bogged down in overly complex systems. Start with the essentials and layer in more advanced capabilities as you grow.

Test, Measure, Optimize
Like any other skill, mastering sales follow-up requires continuous experimentation and improvement. Regularly review your follow-up metrics and ask yourself:

What follow-up methods are generating the most (and least) responses?
What days and times seem to get the highest engagement?
What types of subject lines and messaging are resonating?
How many follow-up attempts does it typically take to get a yes or no?

Use those insights to double down on what‘s working and adjust what‘s not. A/B test different subject lines, calls-to-action, offers, and more. See what your most successful colleagues are doing differently.

Remember, there‘s no such thing as a perfect follow-up formula. What works for one prospect might turn another off. The key is staying agile, paying attention to the signals prospects are sending, and always striving to provide more value with every interaction.

Follow-Up for the Long Haul
Effective follow-up doesn‘t end when a prospect says yes and becomes a customer. To maximize retention, referrals, and revenue, keep the conversation going even after the sale.

Check in regularly to see how they‘re doing with your product or service. Offer ongoing training and support. Ask for feedback and product suggestions. Send customer-exclusive content and offers. Invite them to special events.

The goal is to make your customers feel seen, heard, and appreciated long after they sign on the dotted line. Happy customers become your biggest advocates and best source of follow-on business.

So don‘t think of follow-up as a short-term annoyance on the way to closing a deal. Embrace it as a long-term strategy for building trust, providing value, and nurturing relationships. That‘s how you‘ll win in sales today – and how you‘ll keep winning for years to come.