Do you know what the single biggest failure in businesses today is? Failure to follow up. It is so simple but so often overlooked. In my first three years in business, I sent every client I made a call to a thank you note. It didn’t matter if it was my first call or my fifth call, I sent a note. This practice created a tremendous buzz among my clients and aided in building my business by referrals. That is the essence of following up. What do you do to follow up regularly?
Beyond thank you notes, I have shared with clients and friends alike that my reputation is truly based on my responsiveness (my follow up) and if they don’t hear back from me from a voicemail or email within 24 hours and usually within 6 hours, please get in touch again. (The Gods of Technology ate it! Aka Bellsouth, Comcast etc.) What is your response time?
I left three messages for a contractor last week with no reply. While I will finish my existing jobs with them, I had two new jobs to refer and simply won’t do it without prompt response. With business as competitive as it is, there are five other vendors to take their place that I can direct my business to. The same is true of my business, if I fail to follow up, they can go and will go elsewhere.
What is your reputation for following up? What sets you apart?
