|
Article Directory
|
+ Authors
+ Articles
|
|
|
|
The Importance Of Effective Follow-up
Copyright (c) 2007-2012 Kate Smalley
Marketing experts say that following up with clients is crucial to successful selling because most prospects do not buy the first time, according to Aweber, a leading autoresponder company. People must encounter a marketing message multiple times before making a purchasing decision.
The frequency and amount of follow-up needed depends on the complexity of what is being sold to the customer and its "life span." "You should check in probably once a quarter or once a month if the product or service is more complicated.
Types of Follow-up
Sales follow-up is one of the most common and important types of follow-up situations. This type of follow-up positions you away from the competition, so you can generate more business from your existing customers. It shows that your company has its act together and really cares about satisfying customers.
Sales follow-up can result in a positive experience-even if customers were slightly displeased with your product or service. It also makes good sense, financially speaking. Getting business from existing customers cost a fraction of what it takes to obtain new business.
Another typical follow-up method involves placing call-backs to prospects after submitting a bid or proposal. During follow-up, it's important to ask open-ended questions and then shut up and listen.
To make an open-ended question, just put an adverb at the beginning of the sentence-but don't ever ask 'why' because it's antagonistic. You could ask: "What did you think of the quote?" or "How did you feel about what was included?" Asking open-ended questions gives you an opportunity to gather more information from the prospect to accurately pinpoint their needs.
Using eNewsletters can greatly enhance your follow-up efforts with prospects and customers. Because of their inherent tracking technology, eNewsletters can tell you which topics and what part of your Website are most interesting to your readers.
Tips For Following Up
Follow-up isn't just about selling; it's about building relationships that can ultimately lead to increased sales. Here's some important follow-up advice to keep in mind:
* Do what you can. Don't take an all-or-nothing approach to following up. Doing something is better than nothing, so follow-up as frequently and as best as you can.
* Don't ever ask yes-or-no questions. Ask who, what, when, how many, etc. to get prospects talking. Before you pick up the phone to make that follow-up call, write down three open-ended questions to ask prospects. If you start your call with an open-ended question, you'll be amazed at how easily the rest of the conversation flows.
* Make sure the right person follows up. The person making the follow-up call should be the person who has worked with that company. Also keep in mind that there are certain calls that are more appropriate coming from inside customer service, an outside salesperson or the boss.
* Space out your phone calls. Don't slot a long, uninterrupted time to make calls because your approach can become dull. Instead, place a call here and there to keep things fresh.
Follow "The Phantom Writers" on Twitter
(@phantomwriters)
to be notified when new articles are made available.
VOTE ON THIS ARTICLE
Needs Work >>
0 -
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5
<< Excellent Article
Tell our authors what you think about their article.
|
Top-Level Category: Business Online Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Kate Smalley
Are you Master of your Own Domain?
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-12-07 |
Word Count: 489 |
Page Views: 1106
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 2.14
Who owns your domain name? Oftentimes customers will approach me
after they have already chosen a domain name. What I investigate
first is who actually owns that domain name. I no longer ask the
customer directly, because 99.9% of the time the response is
always "I do" when in fact many of them unwittingly do not.
Considering the Importance of Corporate Culture
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-11-07 |
Word Count: 465 |
Page Views: 2405
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 2.90
When it comes to sizing up job candidates, cultural fit is just
as important to consider as qualifications.
The Secret To Making Successful Business Connections
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-10-11 |
Word Count: 672 |
Page Views: 1661
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 4.00
If you have a hard time making successful business connections,
don't despair. Anyone can be good at meeting people-if they use
the right technique. The whole secret to making a positive
connection is knowing how to attract people and inspire them to
want to give you a chance.
Web Content Is Vital To Having an Effective Web Site
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-09-13 |
Word Count: 603 |
Page Views: 1227
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 3.00
An appealing design will pull people into your web site, but
it's the content that will make them stick and become buyers. In
other words: Pictures tell, but words sell. That's why your
content is one of the most important elements of your web site.
Benefits of Working from Home
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-07-06 |
Word Count: 427 |
Page Views: 1297
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.89
If you've ever dreamed of working from home in shorts and a
T-shirt, you're not alone. There are more than 50 million
Americans working at least part-time from residences, enjoying
convenience, tax deductions and other valuable benefits. But not
every business is suited to operate at home, experts say.
The Selling Power of Customer Testimonials
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-06-20 |
Word Count: 512 |
Page Views: 1282
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.11
Customer testimonials can provide a positive and compelling
endorsement of your products and services. They can add power to
your claims about your product because they come from an unpaid,
unbiased source: a customer. And they're a key strategy to
building consumer confidence and sales.
Hiring the Right Candidate for the Job and Your Company
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-05-07 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 1
Increasingly, companies are evaluating job candidates on how
well they fit their corporate culture - not just the job.
It's an important consideration, as shrinking budgets and
economic uncertainty put a squeeze on corporate environments
and demand smarter hiring practices.
Being Self-Employed Brings You a Whole New Level of Stress Management
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-05-07 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 1
Being self-employed, or freelancing is a truly unique
environment in which to work. Basically, you wake up every
morning and *reinvent the wheel.* That means that you begin
every day knowing that you'll be required to provide your
customers with something they feel that they can't live
without. That's not an easy thing for your stress level to
handle.
10 Key Strategies for Maintaining a Positive Attitude at Work and Home
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-05-05 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 1
Having a positive attitude is an important component of business
productivity. When we view ourselves positively, we accept who we
are and enable ourselves to soar to the greatest heights. Here are
10 essential strategies for maintaining a positive attitude at
work and home.
Five Steps to Successful Online Selling
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2006-04-11 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 1
Each year, Internet users purchase billions of dollars worth
of products and services online, according to Web researcher
eMarketer. Is your business getting its share of the pie?
You can capitalize on the power of the Internet, if you follow
these four important steps to successful online selling.
All of Author's Articles on this site: Kate Smalley Articles
Most Recent "Business Online" Articles
Sell Yourself, Not Your Products or Services
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2012-01-02 |
Word Count: 989 |
Page Views: 2755
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 4.00
Sell yourself, not your products or services. The point we
need to make is that your products and services will change
over time as your business adapts to the realities of the
marketplace.
Work From Home - Make Money Online With EBay Store
Written by: David Miller |
Distributed: 2011-12-12 |
Word Count: 2105 |
Page Views: 354
| Votes: 1 |
Rating: 2.00
Find out how to present your items, as well as other key factors
to profit from your eBay Store.
Bring Your Photography To Life With Stunning Video
Written by: Adam Harding |
Distributed: 2011-12-12 |
Word Count: 684 |
Page Views: 459
I want to let you in on my little secret. It is about how I bring
photographs to life by creating professional video slideshows
that look like they cost hundreds of dollars.
Leveraging the Social in Social Media
Written by: Enzo F. Cesario |
Distributed: 2011-09-21 |
Word Count: 907 |
Page Views: 395
| Votes: 1 |
Rating: 1.00
Social media marketing is about the conversation, not the
pitch. Having conversations with people is nice, but the
goal of a brand is ultimately to get people interested in
spending their time or money on the brand, after all. What
does having this conversation accomplish, and just how does
a brand use that conversation to get the critical conversion
from conversation to customers?
Blog Writing - Finding the Right Person
Written by: Enzo F. Cesario |
Distributed: 2011-09-21 |
Word Count: 884 |
Page Views: 630
There are a host of articles and sites covering advice on
how to address various topics, but one area that doesn't
get a lot of attention is what "person" to write the blog
in. Each linguistic person has its own strengths and
weaknesses, depending on the message that needs to be
covered. Ultimately, most will simply write in whatever
person is most natural to them, but there is some merit in
taking a bit of time to think about the implications,
advantages and disadvantages of each.
That First Impression: Title Considerations
Written by: Enzo F. Cesario |
Distributed: 2011-09-19 |
Word Count: 860 |
Page Views: 355
While it certainly isn't as much work as crafting the body
of a superior article, selecting a title for a piece is
definitely an important element of the entire process of
content creation. Here are some thoughts on crafting a
perfect title.
5 Tips For Writing Great Content For Your Blog
Written by: Lee Dobbins |
Distributed: 2011-09-16 |
Word Count: 987 |
Page Views: 405
If you want people to come back to your blog over and over
again, then you need to provide great web content. This may
seem like an impossible task if you aren’t a natural born
writer. Here are 5 tips that will help even the least
experienced writer create blog content that will entice even
first time visitors to become frequent readers.
Understanding Cloud Computing for SMBs
Written by: Audre Hill |
Distributed: 2011-09-16 |
Word Count: 449 |
Page Views: 513
| Votes: 2 |
Rating: 5.00
The buzz about cloud migration, or taking your business to the
cloud, is all over the internet. But the geek speak and sales
hype make understanding the cloud difficult for small and
mid-sized business owners. Read this to clear up your cloud
confusion.
Dynamic Content: Using Analytics to Write Your Blog
Written by: Enzo F. Cesario |
Distributed: 2011-09-16 |
Word Count: 873 |
Page Views: 425
The role of web analytics in setting useful metrics for a
site has been discussed in-depth in any number of places,
but this is far from the only useful function that web
analytic practices can offer. As in any field, a little
thinking outside the box can offer extensive rewards to the
creative researcher. Perhaps most usefully, creative
cultivation of web analytics can help conquer blogger's
block and help a good writer come up with some unique angles
for content they thought they had peaked out on.
Social Media Marketing Tools – Putting Your Finger on the Pulse of the Web
Written by: Enzo F. Cesario |
Distributed: 2011-09-14 |
Word Count: 856 |
Page Views: 343
Social media marketing is the home of successful brand
promotion, and finding the right mix of tools to take
advantage of it has become the defining issue of the modern
brand. Knowing the focus of each of these tools and the best
way to use them is the key to bringing all this power under
control and using it to help promote a brand to its full
potential.
Most Viewed "Business Online" Articles
Attracting Readers to your Book
Written by: Alastair Hall |
Distributed: 2006-05-18 |
Word Count: 708 |
Page Views: 42520
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.11
One of the common and obvious ways to market a self-published
book is having your own website. The harder part is how to
attract your target audience and then convert the sale.
How To Make Visitors Bookmark Your Site
Written by: Cheryl Miller |
Distributed: 2006-10-10 |
Word Count: 536 |
Page Views: 34815
| Votes: 13 |
Rating: 2.38
When visitors bookmark your site it is a sign that you have built
a great website and are pleasing them. Visitors think highly
enough of your site to want to return and possibly tell others
about it. You are not only increasing traffic from your existing
clientele you are encouraging new traffic by means of viral
marketing.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 27199
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.76
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
How I Got 70,000 Useless Visitors To My Site In One Day! (One Internet Marketer's Analysis of Social Bookmark Traffic)
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2007-11-06 |
Word Count: 1545 |
Page Views: 23763
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.13
Is social bookmark traffic useless? Is it even worth cultivating
for your site? Can it be used from an online marketing
perspective? Read to discover one Internet Marketer's analysis
of social bookmark/media traffic...
Successful Article Marketers Help Readers Solve Problems
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2008-10-29 |
Word Count: 816 |
Page Views: 18814
| Votes: 23 |
Rating: 3.26
Every week, I have the opportunity to speak with people about the
benefits and challenges of using article marketing to promote an
online business. Article marketing is about getting your sales
message in front of potential customers and to get links to your
website. Many interpret this to mean that an article should
directly promote a website within the article, but that approach
is wrong and will reduce one's success using this methodology.
Tips For Building Your First Website
Written by: Benny Tsabba |
Distributed: 2007-05-30 |
Word Count: 1511 |
Page Views: 14636
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.00
New people are coming online everyday. And many of those people
desire to turn their spare time into spare cash. So begins their
journey.
Successful Forum JVs and How To Get Them
Written by: Diana Barnum |
Distributed: 2006-06-15 |
Word Count: 648 |
Page Views: 6635
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.18
The forming of common alliances, also referred to as a joint
venture (JV), happens nearly every day in the business world.
One of the most popular means of linking people up online of so
that they can work together on their projects is via forums,
where people of all levels of business and expertise post in
common threads.
Increasing Productivity In Your Online Business
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2006-06-14 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 4327
| Votes: 32 |
Rating: 3.72
Running an online "empire" of approximately 1600 websites and
blogs, selling a variety of products, services and ideas, I
have to be much more productive than the average person in a
"regular job."
Who Else Wants to Know How-To Write an Effective Advertisement?
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2011-08-25 |
Word Count: 1431 |
Page Views: 4296
| Votes: 22 |
Rating: 2.59
Webmasters struggle everyday with the question of how they should
advertise their website. There are so many advertising venues; it
is hard to know which is the right venue or the right combination
of advertising venues.
A Recent Issue Of Playboy Revealed...
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2010-01-19 |
Word Count: 1658 |
Page Views: 4217
| Votes: 1 |
Rating: 4.00
If you have ever spent money trying to use article
marketing, and you failed to generate any measurable success
with your articles, then this article will show you why you
most likely failed to see your articles generate a solid
return-on-investment for your online business...
Highest Ranked "Business Online" Articles
What Kind Of Backlinks Are Best At Helping Your Website In Google?
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2009-11-09 |
Word Count: 439 |
Page Views: 1820
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 4.80
I was in the Warrior Forum, and someone asked what kinds of
Backlinks are worth pursuing. This is my answer to that
query.
How to Keep Your Article Content Fresh and Interesting
Written by: Craig Ritsema |
Distributed: 2006-08-29 |
Word Count: 699 |
Page Views: 2156
| Votes: 17 |
Rating: 4.18
Webmasters everywhere are constantly on the lookout for fresh and
interesting content for their website. Along with these content
qualities is the requirement that it be unique. Everyone wants
their website to stand out above the others in the search engine
results. So what is the trick for you to keep a steady supply of
this quality content coming your way?
Is Your Business 'Out Of Site'? Employ The Ultimate Marketing Tool
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-01-09 |
Word Count: 445 |
Page Views: 2200
| Votes: 19 |
Rating: 4.16
With the rapid expansion of the digital economy, the web site is
conceivably the most powerful marketing and sales tool you can employ.
Find out what a web site can do for you.
How To Use Your Race To Get Rich
Written by: Herbert Harris |
Distributed: 2009-07-07 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 2574
| Votes: 40 |
Rating: 4.05
Amid recent news reports that there continues to be an ongoing
and substantial gap between the net worth of Whites and other
racial groups, it is easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by the
raw data. However, I am immediately reminded of a quote offered
by an economic expert from the past... "There are lies, damned
lies, and statistics!"
Secrets of Domain Parking - An Innovative and Easier Way to Make Money
Written by: John Khu |
Distributed: 2009-02-27 |
Word Count: 484 |
Page Views: 1393
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 4.00
Using a good domain parking services to monetize expired domain
names seems to be a neglected aspect with a number of domain
names traders. Domain parking is also an unfamiliar concept to
many inexperienced domain name traders. Read this article to
better understand domain parking and how it can be of benefit to
you.
Expired Domain Gains - Simple Ideas to Create an Income Base
Written by: John Khu |
Distributed: 2009-07-31 |
Word Count: 549 |
Page Views: 3232
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 4.00
You can use a number of simple methods and plans to create a
solid income base that earns a monthly ongoing income base.
For many expired domain entrepreneurs (both full-time and
part time), expired domains offer an opportunity to
supplement their current income with money earned out of
dealing with expired domains.
Sell Yourself, Not Your Products or Services
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2012-01-02 |
Word Count: 989 |
Page Views: 2755
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 4.00
Sell yourself, not your products or services. The point we
need to make is that your products and services will change
over time as your business adapts to the realities of the
marketplace.
The Most Important Ingredient for Info Product Success (is You)
Written by: Judy Murdoch |
Distributed: 2008-04-15 |
Word Count: 981 |
Page Views: 1429
| Votes: 13 |
Rating: 3.92
Last week I was attending a conference and mentioned to someone I
help small business owners create information products. The other
person was very friendly until I said "information products."
Then the temperature in the room dropped about 10-degrees
How To Build A Website That Will Rank Well In The Search Engines?
Written by: Fred Schebesta |
Distributed: 2007-04-23 |
Word Count: 1064 |
Page Views: 2132
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 3.89
Redeveloping your website can be a real challenge when you assume
your web designers and developers understand search engine
marketing. Unfortunately this is not usually the case. Most
designers are great at making pretty pictures and developers are
great at making great technology. But pretty pictures and great
technology don't necessarily give you great search engine
results.
How to Prosper Beyond Virtual Real Estate
Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-10-17 |
Word Count: 1263 |
Page Views: 1593
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 3.86
We explore virtual real estate (VRE) sites as sites primarily
embedded with Google Adsense(tm) or Yahoo Publisher's Network (YPN)
ads.
|
|
|
Article Reprint Rights
|

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License
You are not required to show the creative commons license notice when you reprint this work.
|
|
Article Statistics
|
Word Count: 493
Total Views: 4068
Views This Month: 123
Views Last Month: 181
Article Rating: 3.44 of 5
Votes Cast: 9
Author Overall Stats:
Times Viewed Overall: 13527
Author Rating: 2.83 of 5
Votes Cast Overall: 64
More Articles By Author:
Articles On This Website
Article Title Search:
Widow Search
Right Blinker
Google
Yahoo!
Zuula
Bing
Cuil
Last Distribution Date:
2007-01-15 16:07:00
|
|
|