The Art of the Follow-Up

Most deals are lost in the silence after the conversation, not during it. Tara shares the follow-up timing formula, what to say to reopen a door that seems closed, and how to stay top of mind without crossing into annoying. ConvoControl.com

Transcript

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Welcome back to Everything Sales. I'm Tara, and today I want to talk about something that people know is important, but almost nobody actually does well. The follow-up. Specifically, why most follow-ups fail, what the timing formula actually looks like, what to say in a follow-up that reopens a door that seemed closed, and how to stay top of mind without crossing the line into being annoying. Let's start with the uncomfortable truth. Most deals and most relationships are not lost in the initial conversation. They're lost in the silence after it. Someone expresses interest. You have a great first meeting. There's real energy and real alignment, and then nothing. You wait a little too long, they move on, the moment passes, and the opportunity disappears not because it was wrong, but because nobody followed up with the right thing at the right time. I've seen studies that suggest most sales require between five and twelve touch points before a decision is made. Five to twelve. And most salespeople give up after one or two. There is a massive opportunity sitting in that gap. Not because you need to be pushy or persistent in an annoying way, but because most people are so conditioned to give up early that simply staying present and relevant is a competitive advantage. So let's talk about the timing formula. When do you follow up and what do you say? The first follow-up should happen within 24 hours of the initial conversation. This one is non-negotiable. Within 24 hours, while the conversation is still fresh, while your name and face and energy are still recent in their memory, you reach out and the message references something specific from the conversation. Not a generic thank you for your time. I enjoyed connecting. A message that proves you were actually listening. It was great to talk through the challenge you're having with your team's conversion rate. I've been thinking about what you said, and I actually have something specific that might be useful. Worth a quick call. That follow-up does several things. It reinforces that you were paying attention. It offers value rather than asking for it. And it makes a specific, easy-to-respon to ask. Simple, direct, personal. The second touch point should come about five to seven days later if you haven't heard back. This one should not be just checking in. That phrase is the death of follow-up conversations everywhere. Just checking in says, I have nothing new to offer you. I just want to know if you've decided yet. Nobody finds that compelling. Instead, your second touch point offers something new, a relevant article, a resource, a quick thought about something they mentioned, an introduction to someone they should know. Give them a reason to reply that isn't just responding to your ask. The third touch point comes about two weeks after that. And here is where you are allowed to name the silence directly. Something like, I've reached out a couple of times and haven't heard back, totally understand if the timing isn't right. I'd rather ask directly, is this something worth continuing to talk about or should I give you some space and check back in a few months? Direct, respectful, not needy. And that question often gets a reply when nothing else did because you've just made it easy for them to tell you the truth. Now let's talk about what to say when a door seems closed, but you're not sure if it's really closed. This is the reopen conversation. And it starts with a genuine reason to reach out that isn't about the deal you're trying to save. Maybe something changed in their industry. Maybe you read something relevant to a challenge they mentioned. Maybe you made a connection you think would be valuable to them. Whatever it is, your reopen message leads with that. It's not, I wanted to circle back about our conversation from three months ago. It's I saw this and thought of you immediately given what you told me about where your team is heading, this might be relevant. And then at the very end, almost as an afterthought, you can add, we never did finish that conversation. Happy to pick it up if the timing makes more sense now. The key to the reopen is that it doesn't feel like a reopen. It feels like a genuine touch from someone who's paying attention and actually cares about your world because that's what it should be. Finally, how do you stay top of mind without being annoying? The answer is simple in concept and requires discipline in practice. You reach out regularly when you don't need anything. You share things that are about them, not about you. You celebrate their wins, you make introductions, you give, give, give, and occasionally ask. The ratio should be wildly skewed toward giving. And because most people only reach out when they need something, the person who reaches out consistently to add value stands out completely. Your challenge this week. Reach out to each of them with something genuine and something that's for them, a thought, an article, an introduction, no ask, just presence. And see what comes back. If you want to learn the full ConvoControl follow-up system and how to stay relevant in any relationship, head to convocontrol.com. And if you want to master this at a serious level, the whole system with me directly ask about the Black Belt program. Details at convocontrol.com. I'm Tara Schuller. This has been Everything Sales. See you next time.