Follow up! Follow up! Follow up!

Three different cases. Which one reminds you of your business?

How often have you gone to a Company’s website and wanted more information than it provided?

There is always a “Contact us” tab, and because you desperately want the answer to your query, you fill it out and hit the “Send” button.  It disappears off hopefully, to a real person who has the answers you require.

And, almost instantly, you get an email or a web message advising you that “Your enquiry has been received and we will respond shortly!”

And then… nothing. Nothing… forever and ever, amen!

I just wonder how much potential business companies are losing because nobody regularly checks to see that a real, live human being is receiving and answering web enquiries.

And I wonder how many companies do answer the enquirer promptly and see it through to a sale,or to a conclusion that it is a dead lead.

So what’s your system?  Do most of your leads fade into the wide blue yonder, or do you have a water tight system to see those enquiries through to a conclusion?  Because if your competitor does it better than you, guess who’s going to get the sale!

I have often touted the benefits of a follow up contact of some kind after a sale.  This example uses a document destruction company who contacts customers to remind them that they were still there post Covid19.   Whilst those customers may not need to call on their services straight away, it may well remind them that they know of somebody else who has a need and prompt them to pass the information on.

“ Hi Graham,

I’m just getting in touch to let you know that we are still operating at this time as an essential service.  So if you are still looking to have a clean up of your documents or electronic waste please get in touch.  I’d love to help out.

I have also enclosed a $20 discount voucher which you can either use yourself, or pass on to a friend who may need our services.

Kind regards”

Contrast that with the complete absence of follow up from the bike dealer who sold me my e-bike about 3 years ago… and from whom I have heard absolutely nothing. In fact I’ve forgotten the dealer’s name.

I like my bike and can only tell people who enquire about it that I got it from a Motorhome national rally from a guy who trades up north. I have nothing to remind me of the dealer’s details. I’ve never heard a word from them, haven’t got a business card, not even some referral cards. Nothing asking how I’m going with it.

 Haven’t even had a follow up phone call or a reminder that the bike is due for its first service. Absolutely nothing!   The potential business I could direct his way is not huge… but they sold over 300 bikes that weekend – so multiply that potential out. 

All it needed was some follow up and a referral voucher.  The lesson is obvious.