Let me set the scene: You've connected with a hot prospect and had a high-quality initial conversation. She asked you to send her some information, which you did. Now you can't reconnect with her. She's seems to have disappeared, gone AWOL. But there's a simple way to improve your odds with a prospect like this.
- It starts with your first conversation. During that initial call, it's imperative to establish a day and time that you will follow-up with her. Make sure you do this before you end the call.
- Include the date and time you will be following up in the information you send her: "Mrs. Jones, as discussed I will call you on Tuesday at 11:15 a.m."
- Send your prospect an Outlook invitation to ensure that you actually get on her calendar. (Some salespeople think this is intrusive or pushy, but I have found that most busy decision-makers appreciate it because all they have to do is click "accept" and the appointment automatically ends up on their calendars.)
- Call! It may sound like a simple concept but many salespeople fail to call at the appointed time, and this destroys their chances of connecting with their prospects.
How to deal with voicemail. In many cases, you will get the prospect's voicemail, even though you have a scheduled appointment. Remember that people aren't sitting at their desk waiting patiently to speak with you. They race from meeting to meeting and end up taking unexpected calls.
Here's what to do: Hang up, wait three minutes and call again. If you get her voicemail a second time, leave a brief message, such as, "Mrs. Jones, Kelley Robertson calling as promised. I suspect that you're either on another call or in a meeting so I will call you back in 30 minutes."
Hang up, wait 30 minutes and call again. In most cases, you will connect with your prospect. If by chance you still get voicemail, leave a message similar to the earlier one, but tell her you will call the next day. More often than not, your prospect will return your call by the end of the day.
