Call it what you will: following up, checking in, touching base – you’re trying to turn invested time into profitable time.  If you are selling a product or a service you cannot assume that your first contact with someone will close a sale.

A statistic (from the Sales & Marketing Management Institute) reads:

• 87% of all leads are never pursued
• 48% of all sales leads that are pursued are dropped after the first call/meeting
• AND YET… 80% of all sales close after the fifth contact/meeting

The only two things you absolutely, positively must be doing to successfully close more sales:

Planning and Persisting

1) PLAN. Develop a system and plan for how and when you are going to follow up with your qualified prospective customers.

2) PERSIST.  The systems are only as good as people who have the courage and persistence to use them and follow through on their prompts.

While it’s easy to get overwhelmed with tools and technology,  ultimately the responsibility always comes back to us and we know this.  Persistence can often lead to being rejected. And that can mean having our confidence and belief in ourselves that we are good, smart, and competent people shattered because someone says “no.”

Give up having to “look good.” Give up on the facade and put yourself on the line. And when you do this – you’ll become one of those statistics… the good ones.

Comments? Please let me know your thoughts. And if you liked this post, please share! – AW

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