The Importance of Follow-Up

One of my personal challenges as a small business owner is following up with new business after providing a proposal/quote. It’s easy for me to assume, when I haven’t heard back from a client, that: they don’t want to deal with me, they’ve got a better quote, my price is too high, I didn’t present the info well, etc. etc.

While occasionally this may be true for the most part it isn’t. And, unless I make the follow-up call, my mind can continue to spin all the reasons why someone hasn’t gotten back to me/doesn’t want to do business with me.

As my business grows follow-up is becoming even more important. Actually, it’s not more important now it’s just more obvious because I have more potential clients.

The value of follow-up was highlighted for me again last week. I had four potential clients that I hadn’t heard back from. Two were new clients that had received proposals. The other two were clients I had done other work for and who had mentioned in conversation other work they might need done.

In all four cases a follow-up phone call resulted in them each confirming their intention to move forward with new business.

Even if only two out of the four had decided to go ahead that still would have been good news. And, here’s why:

• I would KNOW the end result and have an opportunity to ask ‘why’ if they decided to not go forward or to go elsewhere (thus eliminating further stewing and guessing as to any reason).
• I would have an opportunity to EVALUATE my proposal and client interaction to determine if there was anything I could have/should have done differently or if this was simply a matter of ‘you win some and you lose some’.
• I would have information that may prove valuable in PREPARING future client proposals.

All in all, knowing is much better than not knowing.

I’m grateful to my husband who is usually the one that asks me some of the hard questions I don’t always want to hear but need to hear. Questions like, “Have you followed up with… on the proposal you sent to them?”

I know I shouldn’t NEED to be asked but sometimes I do. And, it’s the same question I ask my clients. It may not always be the question we want to hear but it is often the question we need to hear – and then act on.

Not following up with your clients will lose you business because the competition will likely win it from you when they follow up. And even if the competition doesn’t follow up, great plans and intentions sometimes get shelved ‘for another day’ that never comes when no one follows up with us.

A phone call is usually the best way to connect with clients to get an answer or feedback about a proposal. Where that’s not possible email can work too.

So, bite the bullet and make the time to follow-up. In the overall analysis, it’s an important part of taking good care of our clients and provides important feedback, not to mention potential cash-flow, for our businesses.

Sue is the owner of 911SmalBiz, a social media and internet marketing organization with a passion for helping small businesses increase their impact, expand their market share and improve their bottom-line.

Find out more about Sue and 911SmallBiz at: http://www.911smallbiz.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/911smallbiz