Five Ways to Make Following Up Easy

“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” – Anthony Robbins

A while back I was talking with a good friend of mine who’d started a consulting business. I’ve known the guy for years, and he’s brilliant, dedicated, hard-working, really cares about results and is an all around great person.  And he’d already lined up some work through people he knew in his industry.

So I was shocked to learn that he had a serious problem when it comes to growing his business…

He was terrible at following up!!!

I had seen hints of this a while back when I recommended him to one of my clients and they’d had a lot of trouble connecting. But I’d assumed it was just bad timing.

Thank goodness I asked him about it because now I know better.

Turns out he was suffering from fear of following up. Now, if we were talking about cold calling, I could totally understand the problem. Fear of rejection when you’re doing that is natural.

But in this instance he’s got someone out there who has held up their hand and said, point blank, “I’m interested in what you do or sell, and want to learn more (or maybe even give you cash today!).”

I can’t help but think, “Hello!?! What are you waiting for???”

The saddest part is, I can’t in good conscience recommend him to anyone else until he fixes this problem. And he’s going to really struggle to get new clients unless he gets past this mental block.

If you suffer from following-up phobia, what should you do? Start with some soul searching to figure out what’s stopping you from taking action. Ask yourself “What are afraid might happen and why?” and “Would that really be so bad?”

Of course, in the meantime, you’re going to have to do more to set yourself up for success. Here are a few simple ways to do just that:

1) Start by calling or emailing them simply to set up an appointment to talk further. That’s easier and less daunting than trying to close the deal right then and there. And you’re less likely to bag out once you’ve made a commitment. If need be, hire a Virtual Assistant, Intern or assistant to call people back and schedule appointments.

2) Set aside one day a week, or an hour a day, to do follow up calls and block out the time in your schedule. Then commit to doing that and nothing else.

3) Draft an email that you can send automatically when people contact you, letting them know you got their message and would like to set a time to chat. That way you don’t have to think about it and it’s less likely to get put off until later.

4) If you’re not sure what to say on the phone, or how to answer certain questions, you need to create a script—something that’s never a bad idea. Then practice it with someone you know. You don’t need to follow it word for word forever. Just use it to help you get your thoughts in order, or as a cheat sheet, so you can speak confidently.

5) Create an automated system for sending thank you cards after phone meetings. I like to have a draft already written, that way I can customize the message quickly and send it out as soon as I get off the phone. A service like Send Out Cards or a Virtual Assistant or Intern works great for this too.

Whatever you choose to do, just be sure you do it every time. I promise, once you get in the habit of following up it will get easier. And your business is sure to grow as a result.

How do you follow up in your own business?  Do you have any good ideas you’d like to share?  Please leave your comment below.