How do you follow up multiple times w/o seeming desperate?

One way is By using content,informational marketing like a newsletter
of latest developments, marketing tips and such.
You keep getting your name in front of them while providing value at
the same time.

If they're on the fence, the best thing to do is build brand awareness, and trust in your company. Do research on their marketing methods, and web presence. What can they improve on? Compliment the business owner on what they've been doing right (to avoid insulting them in the next step), while letting them know where they fall short, and what your company/services can do to improve it.

Be as personable as possible, and get to know the business owner, their company, and how they operate behind the scenes.

What I do is go on my mobile device and look for people that need help !~
Example ; If you are at a bagel place and I am on your property searching in Google local for bagels and it is sending down the street!

I go in and show the owner and " Tell Him He Needs To Fix This Right Now!
Not ask him .
Show him you are using GPS to search for his keyword and it's sending me down the street.
Explain to him how will someone find you if they are driving in a car. "Answer"

They want!

Then sell him Google Places service ..
Now you have your foot in the door to sell everything else..

This is my #1 way of finding new clients other then referrals..

With following up multiple times you run the risk of "badgering the prospect" if you must follow up multiple times you should try and make it look like you're just bringing them a new added value update, every time you follow up...if you can!

Otherwise you might come across as too desperate and be seen as a nuisance to be avoided...so your follow up should be more of an update on your services

start by fine tuning your pre-qualification, sales & follow up process.

Its not what you say or ram down their throat thats important.

Its the "kick in the nuts" questions you ask that you know they don't have an answer for....yet (or would like to know the answer to).

(but you could get them to engage with you, and you can demonstrate an answer,a solution or your expertise using a number of digital assets, including....

· Lists
· Articles
· Photos
· Video
· Cinemagraph
· Infographics
· Interactive Infographics
· Video Infographics
· Kinetic Typography
· Graphs / Charts
· Quiz
· Poll
· Podcasts
· Image
· Animation
· Game
· Blog Posts
· Widgets / Gadgets / Badges
· Music
· Apps - Social / Mobile
· Software on CD / DVD or for download
· Books
· Ebooks
· Whitepapers / Reports
· Awards
· Contests
· Testimonials, Case Studies, Reviews or Recommendations
· Menus / Price lists, Data Sheets, Corporate "bumff"
· Press Release
· Email E-Zine or Newsletter
· Presentation
· Financial calculators

And if they wont more detailed help or solutions, then to contact you.

Rule #1 - SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

You need to develop a content strategy as part of a PULL campaign that
both educates, and DISQUALIFIES them. You dont want your happiness
interrupted by people who dont want your services do you?

Your digital assets can be on your site, on your social network profile, on high traffic platforms,
you can email them etc. All depends on your content and engagement strategy....(and the call to action you include in them, in wanting to take the "prospect" to your next stage.)

Hope that helps. I explain more and give step by step instructions in my site below.

Regards


Fraser

Anyone in any business has to deal with constant change. They should be open to new ideas and services to help them stay competitive. Many will listen to your ideas, and will give you a yea or nay. Others are not open--for many reasons they can't, won't or don't want to be hear it. In that case, they are not a good prospect to begin with.

For businesses that will listen but are not sold, keep coming back with new ideas as many have suggested in the thread. Look for trigger events that suggest your solutions are more viable (new acquisitions, new hires, new divisions). Look for new angles or services you can offer.

Don't give up or let them off the hook. Over time you'll often know more about their industry than they do. That's because you've stayed up with developments in their field while they've been too busy working in the trenches to know every new thing. Now you are providing solutions and challenging them to be better than they are.

Thumbs up to pre-qualifying heavily and directly, right up front. That will save you most of your follow up time.

I will call a lead card 10 to 20 times before moving into a "follow up" pile, to be hit on next month. Or I will just show up at their door.

This is a little different than your situation.

its simple.

If they on your "list" they will remain there until 1 of 2 things happen....

1. They Ask to Be removed as theyre not interested.
2. They BUY

If they remain on your list because neither of the above have happened, then its down to 3 things.

Timing. Budget or unanswered (unasked) questions.

Follow em up and find out what they are.

Regards


Fraser

First you have to change your perspective on follow-up.
Instead of seeing it as them giving up on you and them seeing you as desperate see it as you not giving up on them and continuing to build the relationships. That's not weakness, that's strength. You can't control what they think about you, but you can control what you think about them. Some of your most valuable clients will come after they've been on your list for 1, 2, 3 or even more years and already feel like "they know you". Now obviously you can't rely on them to keep your business going because you also need high conversions in the beginning of your salesprocess but it shows that if can gain their trust it will last a long time and you will always have top of mind awareness.
If they don't want to buy just make sure they orbit you regularly and you can build a relationship that way - you never know how information travels and who they can introduce you to...

education base marketing!
you can never be needy if you adding value to them all the time...

Look at it this way.
If you don't follow up, they will think 'Yeh, I knew he was a fly by night set up, glad I didn't engage with him'

When you do follow up, however it's done, they start to realise you are for real, they and you start to join the dots ........an email following a 'personal' letter , then a phone call to 'chat things over' ....
Too many 'marketers' stop at one attempt , letter didn't work, next lead, cold call didn't work, next lead etc .

Providing the metrics add up, how much are they worth to you ,lifetime value, how much effort are they worth putting in to win their business, how up and cross sellable are they? how well connected and influential are they within your target market?
If they are worth the effort then follow up as many times as it takes to win, different methods, different messages, educate, inform, entertain, dine them , close the doors as you go

hayfj,

I really enjoyed reading your comment and it was a very timely read! The point you make about understand first, then be understood is great because most of the time I get calls out of the blue where people don't even say their names or what business they are involved in and just ask "What can you do for me?"

It always throws me off, my sales pitch.

Now I am going to say, wait a minute first, let me get to know you and your business then I will provide you with a solution if possible.

I think you have to treat each lead different although over time you should be able to differentiate between people who are on the edge and people who simply will decide in there own time if they need your service.

The worst thing you can do is keep pestering them, I would also take a little time on each lead to see how they operate currently and how you can improve what they already have... that last thing they want is someone saying they can do everything...

build up each lead slowly even if the first sale is petty, overtime you will start to pull a lot more from each client.

The Google places strategy mentioned above is a great method to get that first petty sale.

Treat them like they are a top prospect until they prove that they aren't.

Most businesses treat people like they are not a top prospect until they prove that they are.

Don't wait until they sign on as a client to treat them like one.