During the past three years or so, I’ve been getting the royal treatment from a consultant who I nicknamed the “Queen of Follow-up”.
Her follow-up and stay-in-touch strategies are so effective that, in a short period of time, I went from not knowing who she was . . . to hiring her for several projects . . . to recommending her to many of my clients.
Here’s the story.
I first met “the Queen” when she phoned me to introduce her PR consulting services. She was polite and friendly, asked about my PR needs, and then offered to send me a complimentary copy of her special report.
I said I didn’t have time to talk but, sure, send me the report. I was probably the most disinterested-sounding prospect she had called that day!
Yet, a few minutes after hanging up, I received her email with the special report attached. Frankly, I expected that email to be written from a basic template she uses over and over again. (Hey. I’m not above doing that myself!) Instead, her email seemed like it was written just for me, referring to specific details of our brief phone conversation. Nothing “cut and paste” about it.
A few days later, I received a thank-you card from her in the mail. The message inside, and even the envelope, were handwritten.
A couple of weeks after that, she called again. For a fleeting moment, I was concerned that she was going to pester me to use her services. (“Do you need a PR consultant yet?”) Instead, she simply asked if I found the special report helpful, and then offered to send me an article she had come across with related information.
Over the subsequent months, she would check in regularly by phone, email, and even snail mail. Never a pest, she always seemed to have something valuable to offer — a tip, a helpful article, a new resource.
Slowly, but surely, through her consistent follow-up, I started to get to know — and like — this consultant!
Finally, after about nine months, I needed the kind of PR help she provided. Guess who I called? Well, the “Queen”, of course!
And since that time she has done several projects for me. I’m now a regular client.
The thing is, during that same period, I was contacted by dozens of other consultants who offer a similar type of service. But she took the time to follow-up and stay in touch. And, as a result, she was clearly on my radar screen when I finally needed the type of services she offers.
Take a close look at your own follow-up habits. Do you follow up regularly with prospects and others who could help your business? Could you do a better job in this area? If not, make some improvements.
My consultant isn’t the only one entitled to the throne. Be the queen — or king — of follow-up. You’ll attract more clients and referrals if you do.
——————-
Steve Slaunwhite is a regular columnist for this blog and the author of several popular books. His latest is The Wealthy Freelancer, which is available March 2nd. You can find Steve here or at his main website at www.SteveSlaunwhite.com.
Photo courtesy of T’eresa (Flickr)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article, Steve.
We can all learn something from this smart lady. (I wanted to call her the Queen of FU but that didn’t sound right!)
Great article! Good description of how consistency solves the trust and timing issues that are the inherent reality of business development and sales.
Great article. I could certainly relate to what you said : “Slowly, but surely, through her consistent follow-up, I started to get to know — and like — this consultant!”
Actually here’s a supplementary article that kind of relates to this. Might be helpful to freelancers out there: http://freelancesupermarket.com/news/2010/2/3/freelancers-and-contractors-helped-by-recruiters-and-clients.aspx
Being able to follow up regularly has led me to change my prospecting approach. Last year, I was trying to mail/cold call to a much larger list of potential clients, but it was nearly impossible for me to follow up in the way you describe above. Last fall, I changed my tactic to focussing on 100 or so truly ideal clients in my niche and finding a meaningful way to stay in touch with them roughly once a month. It has already paid off in both projects and strong leads, and hopefully will continue to do so.
Thanks for the inspirational reminder, Steve.
When I started out, I doggedly worked my way through the medium-sized employers in my area. Whenever I got a friendly (albeit disinterested) response, I would add them to a shorter follow up list.
Even though I was just ‘checking in’ (having yet to discover golden advice on thewealthfreelancer.com), I got some seemingly random inquiries from people outside of my list. Turns out, the good folks I’d been calling had referred me on without even using my services!
A strange but inspiring demonstration of the value of following up!
Cheers.
-Mike
Who is this mysterious “Queen of Followup”, & how can I contact her?