I was sitting with a client who is in the Renovation business, and we were discussing how he was finding using Infusionsoft in his business. For those of you who don’t know, Infusionsoft is sales and marketing automation software designed specifically for small business. He told me that he loved the things it can do for his business but, more importantly, customers keep complimenting the increased communication that Infusionsoft provides. When I asked him what his prospects were saying, he told me that they loved getting an agenda before meetings. They also appreciated reminders the day before and the morning of an upcoming meeting. To me, it came as a bit of a surprise that prospects would think of a series of email reminders as impressive … but the more I think about it, it is.
People want to be kept in the loop; they want to be provided with information throughout the sales process. If you say you will provide information, then you must do it. Let me give you an unfortunate example of what is becoming the norm in business. I was looking to hire someone to do a video for an event I am running in October. We contacted two local professionals, both with great reputations. Both promised to send quotes, but neither sent them when they promised. In both cases, we had to send a reminder email to check on the status of the quotes. When we got the quotes, we went back to both companies to ask for samples of their work. Two weeks later, no samples … no reference accounts … no testimonials – just the sound of crickets.
Want to increase your sales? How about you sharpen your communication skills and your response time? Does it really matter when you get back to someone? In our e-book, “10 Sales Statistics That Should Keep You Up at Night,” there are two statistics that should guide your reaction time.
- If you follow up with a web lead within 5 minutes, you’re 9 times more likely to convert them. The majority of organizations take longer than 24 hours. (Source: InsideSales.com)[spacer height=”10px”]
- 50% of sales go to the first sales person to contact the prospect. (Source: InsideSales.com)[spacer height=”10px”]
Getting back to a prospect on a timely basis and keeping them apprised of what is happening should be the bare minimum any business would do. However, if you can do this consistently and also provide great products and services, you will receive more than your fair share of opportunities.
Want to learn more about what Infusionsoft can do for your small business? Click this link and see a demo of what Infusionsoft can do for you.