Why?

There are a multitude of reasons but ultimately it comes down to the fact that they haven’t yet made it a priority.

The reality is that these days we live very busy lives and there are a million things that need doing, many of which have little to do with generating revenue or adding value to our business or organization. Yet because these things often appear urgent and time sensitive they tend to rise to the top of our priority pole and get done first. Interesting.

Unfortunately, this leaves little time for important but not urgent activities, activities that bear significant fruit further down the road. Following up, staying in touch with clients, prospects and others, is one of these.

In his book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ author Stephen Covey talks about the 4 quadrants that our daily activities typically fall into and he identifies the quadrants in which most of us tend to spend much of our time. Very enlightening. If you haven’t read the book, or have read it but not recently, I strongly recommend that you revisit it and do a lot of highlighting or note taking. It can change your life!

But let’s say we do get our act together and make it a priority to block out time for follow up. Where do we go from here? Who is it that we should even be following up with?

During the very early years of my sales career I thought it was just prospects. They hadn’t bought from me yet so it seemed obvious that staying in touch would probably be a good idea until they did. Then later I came to understand that it was also important to follow up with them after they had bought from me … what a novel concept.

But that was only the beginning. Through a combination of time, experience and learning from others I gradually came to see the value and importance of staying in touch with almost everyone in my life. I came to understand that people know people who know people.

The person you meet at a networking event that doesn’t appear to have any potential of becoming a customer may have a friend, family member or associate that could become your most important client if they only introduced them to you. The prospect that chooses one of your competitors today rather than you could become a solid client down the road if you made even a modest effort to stay interested and connected. And the fringe client that currently does business with you only occasionally could, with nurturing, develop into a referral generating machine.

Despite the obvious benefits, following up effectively and consistently may seem a daunting task initially but in today’s world we have many wonderful tools that can help. So maybe it’s time to deliberately push it up your priority pole. Block out time for it in your calendar on a regular basis. Do a little homework. Seek out people that are already good at following up and pick their brains to learn what they do and how they do it. Experience has taught me it’s an investment well worth making.

And what is follow through? Follow through is simply ensuring that what we said or implied would happen, happens. This applies equally to promises made to prospects, customers, associates, and even friends and family.

And how does this impact relationships?

To help explain I’ll defer to Stephen Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. He suggests that with each of our relationships, whether professional or personal, we establish “Emotional Bank Accounts”.

To quote Stephen, “We all know what a financial bank account is. We make deposits into it and build up a reserve from which we can make withdrawals when we need to. An Emotional Bank Account is a metaphor that describes the amount of trust that’s been built up in a relationship. Its the feeling of safeness you have with another human being.”

Stephen states that deposits made into an Emotional Bank Account through courtesy, kindness, honesty, consideration and keeping commitments build up a reserve. Trust then becomes higher and then even with mistakes, that trust level, that emotional reserve, will compensate.

The other side of the coin is that a shortage of deposits and too many withdrawals results in the account being overdrawn and eventually closed out.

So what does this really mean in practical terms? It means that every time we enter into a relationship there are in effect two accounts being opened … we with them and they with us. And from that moment on both parties are making either deposits to or withdrawals from these accounts.

Not surprisingly, accounts in long standing relationships with a history of a surplus of deposits will take much longer to become overdrawn than a relatively new relationship.

So what does this have to do with follow through? Everything.

For example, if you and I have a business relationship of any kind then by default we have emotional bank accounts with each other and from that point on whenever I say, or even imply, that I will do a certain thing then whether or not I do it, and even how I do it, will result in either a deposit or withdrawal from that account.

In other words, the more deposits I make the stronger the degree of trust you will feel for me and the more likely it is that you will want to continue doing business with me and the more likely that you will feel comfortable in referring others to me. Should my deposits become smaller or less frequent however and my withdrawals greater, my account will be at risk and I may begin losing the above benefits.

And what of new accounts? Well, if you and I were in the early stages of our relationship, as in not even actually doing business yet, then all it might take would be a single withdrawal instead of a deposit and it could be game over … I may not even have a chance of getting to second base. Important stuff, yes?

So, how would you describe the health of your accounts? Have you checked lately? Perhaps it would be wise to objectively evaluate each one to determine its status and, if in doubt, to ask the opinion of the account holder. That way you’d have an opportunity to refocus on replenishing any deficiencies that might exist.

After all, as long as the account is still open it’s probably not too late to make new deposits.

Happy depositing.

Networking today is easier than ever before and it can be a highly effective way to expand your circle of influence through accessing the circles of others … if you do it well that is. If you’re interested we’ll expand on this subject in future posts.

Today however we’ll touch on a followup related subject relevant to anyone who is out there in the community connecting and getting connected.

Personally, I am always actively expanding my network and one of my great pleasures is connecting people whom I believe will benefit in some way from knowing each other. In fact, I have a designated ‘Resource’ file in which I store the contact information of people I have come to know and respect so that I can quickly and easily pull up their info and share it with another when appropriate, and I do this quite regularly.

Has anyone ever done this for you, connected you with someone in their circle that might benefit you (and the other) in some way? If so, did you followup appropriately? With both parties?

If so, congratulations because speaking from personal experience I can say that many people don’t think to do this.

Oh, I’m sure they’re grateful for the introduction, and hopefully they follow through with the person they’ve been connected to, but for some reason they don’t think to also followup with the person that did the connecting. Unfortunately, by neglecting this, they significantly lower the chances of that person ever again connecting them with anyone else. What a shame!

So, how should this followup be done? There may be many ways but here’s what I do.

Let’s say that Bill has just introduced me to Allison because he felt it would be mutually beneficial for us to know each other.

First, I immediately acknowledge the introduction and express appreciation to Bill, either by email or telephone.

Next, I keep Bill informed as the relationship between Allison and myself develops. I let him know that I emailed Allison yesterday but haven’t heard back yet, or that she and I have exchanged emails and are planning on connecting in person, or that Allison and I have met for coffee, had a phone chat, or whatever. The point is, I keep Bill in the loop.

Also, at some point in this process I will typically send Bill a physical thank you card, through the postal system, demonstrating again how much I appreciate and value his thoughtfulness and the effort he went to.

Then, if something concrete develops between Allison and myself, such as the two of us doing business or collaborating on a project, I again let Bill know and once again express gratitude. And if it turns out that the relationship between Allison and I results in profit for me then I for sure will  acknowledge Bill’s contribution in some appropriate way.

Pretty simple isn’t it? Not complicated at all, nor difficult, and it only takes a few minutes. What it does however is acknowledge Bill’s gift of the introduction and lets him know that I value and appreciate it, and him.

The consequence? Well, there’s a good chance that the relationship between Bill and myself will be even stronger than before. The odds are also high that Bill will be inspired to connect me with someone else should it ever be appropriate to do so. All good, yes?

So if you’re not already doing so, stand out from the rest by being thoughtful, considerate and appreciative … you’ll love how it makes others feel and what it does for you.

I’m often asked, “What’s the best method for following up? Is it Email? Phone calls? Text messages? Cards or letters?” Once again, I don’t believe there’s only one answer … simply apply common sense and do it in a way that is meaningful and appreciated by the person you’re following up with. In other words, don’t be an annoying pest and do stand out from the norm by demonstrating thoughtfulness, consideration and professionalism.

I personally like to use more than one method depending on the person and situation. For example, if I meet someone at a networking event and we exchange business cards I will typically followup the next day with a very brief email letting them know I appreciated meeting them and expressing a willingness to stay connected. That same day I will send them a physical greeting card that will then arrive in the mail a few days later. This almost always elicits a response of some kind (either email or phone call), which sets the stage for another step in the relationship building process.

One of the great things about sending a physical greeting card through the postal system is that it really stands out from today’s clutter. All most people get in the mail these days are bills and unsolicited marketing materials, so when a personal card arrives it’s like a breath of fresh air. Greeting cards as a followup tool are great also for anyone that finds making followup phone calls intimidating.

The downside to greeting cards is the cost, inconvenience, and time requirement but I use a method for this that bypasses all of these … if you’re interested in learning more drop me a line at reg@followupguy.com.

During the course of the relationship development process I tend to use several methods including emails, social media, phone calls, greeting cards, and frequently, in person coffee meetings. I try always to be thoughtful, considerate, and respectful, and keep my focus on the other person and how I might bring value to them in some way. My intent is to give the relationship a fair opportunity to develop because through relationships come opportunities for all concerned.

In my business world they may be suppliers, people in a related field, those I have mentored or who have mentored me or competitors I’ve developed a relationship with, to list just a few who might fit into this category.

In my community service world they may be fellow volunteers, individuals in other organizations, and sponsors or any other interested stakeholders I’ve come to know.

These people are very easy to get lazy with from a staying connected perspective (and I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that) because we tend to rely on connecting with them through the course of our normal activities. Because we may see them on a somewhat regular basis we tend to feel there’s little need to do anything else to stay in touch.

The problem is that with some of these people we interact regularly for a while and then they drop off our radar screen for long periods, often years, and what was once a relationship fizzles out to nothing.

But what’s the big deal, why bother making an effort? In my view it’s for many of the same reasons that apply to other groups we’ve identified, reasons such as …

• Shows you have an interest in them as a person, that you care.
• Keeps the relationship alive.
• Enables you to know when things change in their organization or personal situation.
• Provides potential access to their network.
• Makes you memorable because few others do it.

The thing is it takes very little to keep these relationships alive, just a small effort once or twice a year can do it, and you never know when they might be just the person you need in some future situation.

Why would you want to develop a large network?

Well, it’s been said that the most successful people have very large networks, and I believe that to be true. I consider a network to be an asset of tremendous value, and not only from a business  perspective. To help illustrate this point let me share with you a short story.

For nearly 3 years I’ve been quite involved (in a volunteer capacity) as a director with a wonderful non-profit organization called the Kindness Foundation of Canada. The organization’s vision is ‘a kind world’ and our mission in a nutshell is to inspire people to be more kind. Pretty simple really but the results of kind action can be very powerful and have far reaching ripple effects.

The Kindness Foundation has experienced significant success and accomplished incredible things in it’s almost 11 year history but as a board we recognized a couple of years ago that in order to ensure sustainability and remain relevant, we needed to embark on a major internal restructuring process. We’re just coming out the other end of that tunnel now and it’s hugely exciting because we’re now poised to accomplish even more amazing things over the coming months and years.

Why do I mention this here? Because it has everything to do with our topic of networks.

You see, at various times during this transition we had a need for knowledge, experience and skill-sets not possessed by any of us on our current board, yet vital in terms of us getting from where we were to where we wanted to be, and were able to successfully recruit that talent primarily by tapping into our individual networks.

Our networks have connected us with some amazing people and by utilizing simple ‘followup’ practices we were able to develop these connections into relationships and commitments that have served our organization extremely well.

Important reasons to follow up with your network:

• Develops and strengthens new relationships.
• Nurtures and strengthens existing relationships.
• Keeps relationships alive that may not appear to have much value now but might one day provide you with exactly what you need in an unexpected situation.
• Provides you with access to the networks of others.
• Enables you to connect other people for their mutual benefit … establishes you as a valued resource.
• Leads to referrals.

We’ll explore ‘how to’ methods around this subject in upcoming posts, so come back often and please feel comfortable in commenting or contributing along the way.

Interesting topic, don’t you think? We all want our friends, associates and clients to refer other people to us and of course we’re grateful when they do, but then what? Oh sure, we may have some kind of rewards plan that hopefully makes it worth their while, like providing cash, gifts, gift certificates or some other incentive, but is that enough?

It may be for some but having been both the giver and receiver of referrals over the years I’ve come to see that in many cases it’s not. There’s another ingredient that when added to the ‘getting more referrals’ recipe produces even better and more consistent results, and that is to simply keep the person who did the referring informed of what’s happening.

We’ll get into the ‘how’ of this in a future post but in a nutshell it simply means expressing immediate verbal or written (preferably both) appreciation for the referral and then keeping the referrer informed of how the process is developing until it comes to some form of conclusion.

Think about it. Have you ever referred a friend or associate to someone and then heard nothing more about how it all went? How did that feel? Did you feel your referral was appreciated? Did you wonder if the person you referred was actually being well looked after? Did you feel inspired to go out of your way to refer someone else? Hmmm.

Based on my experience, here are a few important reasons to follow up with referrers by keeping them informed:

• Demonstrates you value their referral gift.
• Validates their confidence in you.
• Suggests that the person they referred is being well looked after.
• Solidifies your relationship.
• Sets you apart from the vast majority of your competition.
• Inspires them to continue referring others.

As I mentioned earlier, in a future post we’ll discuss some specific methods for keeping the referrer informed in a meaningful way … so watch for it. In the meantime, please contribute to this discussion by posting your questions, comments and suggestions.

Are you a product or service provider? Do you followup (at least on a periodic basis) with your clients? It’s nothing short of amazing to me that many don’t … but here are some reasons why I believe YOU would want to:

• Shows you care.
• Shows you value their business.
• Allows you to maintain and further develop your relationship.
• Allows you to address minor concerns or issues before they become major ones.
• Provides opportunities to ask for referrals.
• Provides opportunities for additional sales.
• Provides opportunities for gathering valuable information (either positive or negative) about their satisfaction with your product, service, sales process, and company.
• Provides opportunities for collecting testimonial letters.
• Sets you apart from the majority in your field … makes you memorable.

Personal experience has taught me that following up with customers on a periodic basis certainly does pay and aside from simply being the right thing to do, yes, it is also financially well worth the time and effort.

Based on my experience there are several reasons for wanting to stay in touch with prospects, at least some of which are:

• Shows you care.
• Demonstrates you value them as a prospective customer.
• Allows you to continue building relationship, which leads to increased trust, confidence, and perhaps even obligation.
• Allows you to continue gathering information pertaining to who they are as a person, what their practical and emotional wants and needs are, and what motivates them.
• Keeps you in the loop … allows you to stay informed of changes regarding their situation, wants, needs or budget. You need to be aware of this if you’re going to stay in the game.
• Enables you to continue providing relevant ‘credibility building’ information, additional perspectives, or testimonials pertaining to your product or service.
• Provides an opportunity to introduce other options that may be appropriate.
• Occasionally  leads to ‘on the spot’ referrals during the course of the conversation.
• Sets you apart from the majority of your competitors.

Perhaps one of the first challenges facing most of us regarding followup is who we should followup with in the first place.

During the very early years of my sales career I thought it was just prospects, they hadn’t bought from me yet so it seemed obvious that staying in touch was important. Later I came to understand that it was also important to follow up with customers after they had bought from me … what a novel concept.

But that was only the beginning. With time, experience and learning from others I gradually came to see the importance and value in staying in touch with almost everyone in my life.

We’re going to discuss this in upcoming posts, beginning with the most seemingly obvious people to followup with and then moving out to those that perhaps we hadn’t considered as being that important. So stay tuned … it’s going to be fun, informative, and beneficial in many practical ways.

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