With so many things going on, how can your company\u2019s sales process<\/a> stand out? By having an effective sales follow-up strategy. This type of strategy shows your company is willing to go the extra mile<\/b> to win people over. Following up also gives your business the chance to receive feedback from leads<\/b> about what\u2019s winning them over or turning them away.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Now that you know why<\/i> following up is so important, it\u2019s time to learn how <\/i>to put your sales follow-up plan into action. Fortunately, there are several popular and effective ways to follow up with sales leads<\/a>. We\u2019ve broken down the most effective ways to follow up with clients using the helpful tips below.<\/p>\n Considering how much online work people do, it makes sense that email remains one of the most popular sales follow-up methods. One study found that 86% of business professionals<\/a> chose email as their preferred method of communication. This doesn\u2019t mean you should start sending out emails<\/a> every hour to all of your leads.<\/p>\n Now that you know when to send emails, you\u2019ll want to learn how to make them stand out. Here are tips to help you create the perfect follow-up email<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable to wonder what to include to create engagement with your follow-up emails<\/a>. To solve this problem, use follow-up sales emails as a way to share your company\u2019s content. For example, including videos in your emails can increase click-through rates by up to 96%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Besides embedding videos, there are many ways to provide value-packed emails<\/a> for your leads. Before sending your next follow-up email, take a moment to include one of the following:<\/p>\n You likely have lots of things you want to tell leads to win them over. With that said, it\u2019s much more effective to keep your follow-up emails relatively to the point. Lengthy emails are going to come across as just that, lengthy. No busy employee wants to read a long-winded email. By keeping things short and sweet, you\u2019re far more likely to get a response.<\/p>\n After providing valuable information, it\u2019s also important to keep the next steps of your lead\u2019s sales journey in mind. It\u2019s understandable to want to avoid having this come across as being \u201cpushy.\u201d For help with how to pull this off, it\u2019s wise to take a page out of KISSmetrics\u2019 playbook.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n In its follow-up emails, KISSmetrics urges leads to try a 1-on-1 demo. By calling leads \u201cpotential VIPs\u201d and informing them there are only a \u201cfew slots open,\u201d they\u2019re selling the client on the next steps of its sales follow-up process with exclusivity and urgency.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to include social media as part of your company\u2019s sales follow-up strategy. Research shows that 75% of senior and influential B2B buyers<\/a> use social media to help them with purchasing decisions. To reach these individuals, it\u2019s a good idea to utilize the power of social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following up with leads on social media isn\u2019t for everyone. But, if social media is a part of your sales follow-up process, learning a few tips can make closing clients here easier. Here are a few proven tips to help you succeed at following up on social media.<\/p>\n As you likely know, there are many popular social media platforms. One study found that 56% of C-Level and VP Executives<\/a> use LinkedIn to make B2B purchasing decisions. However, it\u2019s not wise to limit your company to only one social media platform. By creating a multi-platform social media marketing<\/a> strategy, your company will likely start showing up almost anywhere your social media leads are.<\/p>\n If you want to have lots of B2B followers, provide lots of social media content<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to create original posts each day. Link to older website posts, recent studies you\u2019ve seen, and anything else your industry\u2019s audience might enjoy. You can further increase interactivity by having followers take part in polls.<\/p>\n Many companies have their own social media pages. However, not many companies are wise enough to create groups on social media. Fortunately, your company can capitalize on this opening by creating groups themed around your industry. If you spend time and effort creating a decent library of content, you might be surprised to see how many people join your brand\u2019s community<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Sometimes, it\u2019s a good idea to take the road less traveled. Since your clients are likely bombarded with emails, social media messages, and phone calls, why not give something else a try? To do this, think about including direct mail into your sales follow-up strategy.<\/p>\n Sending direct mail can provide a personal touch. It\u2019s also a method most of your competitors aren\u2019t using \u2013 meaning less competition. If the situation isn\u2019t urgent and you\u2019re looking for an effective way to follow up, check out these direct mail follow-up tips.<\/p>\n When it comes to succeeding at following up, it\u2019s often helpful to do what others aren\u2019t. With that in mind, most companies are sending out standard letters or flyers<\/a> to their clients. To achieve this goal, follow these tips to make your company\u2019s direct mail stand out.<\/p>\n Telecommunication company KCOM pulled all three of these aspects off this with its \u201cAre You Listening?\u201d direct mail campaign. This campaign saw KCOM send out large boxes to its B2B sales leads. By standing out from the crowd, this campaign goes on to achieve an astonishing 25% conversion rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another great way to generate more sales<\/a> is by giving leads something they can hold on to besides a piece of paper. You don\u2019t have to take out a business loan to do this. Consider using branded items you have a surplus of or something else that\u2019s cost-effective.<\/p>\n Another advantage of including physical items is that it skyrockets the chance that leads open the mail you send. It\u2019s human nature to feel or hear something other than a letter inside an envelope and want to know what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n Skoda, an automobile manufacturing company, recently pulled this strategy off by attaching actual money inside of their direct mail. Imagine your company tries this idea and includes a penny in its next direct mail campaign. If you had 1,000 leads on your mailing list, this idea would only cost an additional $10 to implement.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n More often than not, sales are the results of personal connections<\/a> happening between two parties. After all, most people would rather purchase products and services from those they get along with. Fortunately, you can create these same types of personal connections with your company\u2019s direct mail letters.<\/p>\n To make your direct mailers more personal, include information you\u2019ve gathered from prospecting<\/a>. This includes names\/titles, company news, and anything else that adds a nice, personal touch.<\/p>\n Calling leads remains a tried-and-tested follow-up technique. However, many salespeople find it difficult to get results by following up with clients by calling them. Here\u2019s how to start converting sales leads with phone calls.<\/p>\n Out of all the follow-up methods, phone calls are going to be the most intrusive. Generally speaking, you\u2019ll be able to gauge how interested a company is after a few calls and voicemails. If a company isn\u2019t interested, it\u2019s probably best to steer clear of making future phone calls for a while.<\/p>\n By learning a few tips, you can gain much more success from following up over the phone. Here are several tips for getting more out of your follow-up sales calls.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to memorize the time zone of each of your leads. Instead, you can use sales software or a CRM<\/a> program to keep track of your client\u2019s time zones.<\/p>\n Research from Lead Response Management shows that 8\u20139 am and 4\u20135 pm are the best contact times for sales leads to become qualified. Unsurprisingly, anytime near when most adults are having lunch remains the worst time to contact leads.<\/p>\n![\"the](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/the-importance-of-b2b-sales-follow-ups-in-percentages.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n4 essential ways to follow up with sales leads<\/h2>\n
1. Email<\/h2>\n
How often should you send follow up sales emails?<\/h3>\n
\n
Tips for creating follow-up emails<\/h3>\n
1. Send emails packed with value<\/h4>\n
\n
2. Stick to the point<\/h4>\n
3. Have the next step in mind<\/h4>\n
![\"kissmetrics](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/kissmetrics-demo-offer.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n2. Social media<\/h2>\n
Tips for following up with sales leads on social media<\/h3>\n
1. Create accounts on multiple platforms<\/h4>\n
2. Have lots of content for them to enjoy<\/h4>\n
3. Create groups on social media<\/h4>\n
![\"social-selling-strategies\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-selling-strategies.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n3. Direct mail<\/h2>\n
How to follow up by direct mail<\/h3>\n
1. Create something that stands out<\/h4>\n
\n
![\"KCOM](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/KCOM-direct-mail-follow-up-selling.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n2. Include something tangible<\/h4>\n
![\"postary](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/postary-direct-mail.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n3. Make it personal<\/h4>\n
4. Phone<\/h2>\n
How often should you call sales leads?<\/h3>\n
Follow these tips before making follow-up sales calls<\/h3>\n
1. Know when to call<\/h4>\n
![\"lead-qualification-study-calls\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/lead-qualification-study-calls.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n