From Pitch to Profit

CHAPTER 9STEP FIVE: FOLLOW UP

Many companies are doing sales by accident, and their approach to follow up is no different. They seem to send a proposal, and then cross their fingers and hope it converts. As I mentioned, hope is a terrible business strategy.

Did you know that in professional services, 90 per cent of new business contracts are converted after the point of sending a proposal? 90 per cent — that's almost all new business. But here's the disappointing news: only 44 per cent of people follow up proposals more than once.

So according to these numbers, the upside is that a whole lot of new business is out there for you to get, if you're willing to (surprise, surprise) follow the process, be disciplined and put in the effort.

Here are the three biggest reasons people do not follow up proposals:

1. They don't want to risk being annoying.
2. They don't know what to say.
3. They become caught in client delivery.

Let's be honest — who really likes to do things they aren't good at? No-one, surely! Once you know how to do follow-up correctly and collaboratively, this becomes an enjoyable experience for both yourself and your prospect.

The methodology I share in this chapter will help you shift the way you conduct your follow-up, so it becomes an activity you not only do, but also enjoy. This is because you're about to learn how to do follow-up in a way that doesn't make you annoying, but does allow you to serve and help others.

Knowing what not to do

Before I get into the guts ...