Follow-up your fortune
HOW MANY of us have managed to close most of our deals in the very first meeting? If you have, you must either be an extraordinary person or unbelievably lucky! Whether it is about getting something done in government offices or striking a good sales deal with a customer or even landing a dream job, it involves endless follow-ups and dedicated pursuit to pull things through. A good many people, though bright and talented, fail primarily because they lag behind in follow-up. Fortune lies in following-up- so here goes!
Be it a job interview that you are following up, or a sales call, the sooner you re-contact the prospect, the better your chances of success. The `thank you' letter is the first step of the follow-up programme. Dash off a thank-you note immediately after the first meeting, when the meeting is still fresh in the mind of the prospect. These should be short, and after first thanking the person for giving you an opportunity for the interview/meeting, reinforce the points discussed during the first meeting and restate your enthusiasm to continue the relationship.
Follow the thank-you letter with a telephone call or call in person. People are generally receptive to a callback meeting if you can suggest a specific reason. Always be polite. If the person is unavailable for a meeting or a telecon, request for a future appointment.
Avoid lengthy literature in follow-up letters. If you have already sent your resume (as in the case of the job interview) or the company brochures (in the case of sales calls), rather than resending the same in every subsequent follow-up, highlight the important points in the letter. Reading the same matter over and over again will prove irksome for the prospect.
Be consistent. Sporadic attempts at following up can do more harm than good. But that does not mean you have to breathe down the neck of the poor soul--- allow a minimum time gap of a week between one follow-up call and the next.
Sheer laziness, impatience or an inability to keep track of a multitude of tasks are the primary reasons for abysmal follow-ups. One has to be organised and maintain accurate records. If you are too busy to follow-up, it is better to delegate the job to another person, specifically assigned for follow-up/ feedback, particularly in the case of sales calls.
Persistence pays, but know when to stop. It is a fine line between persistence and stalking- if the person is not really interested, rather than waste your time and his, quit trying and concentrate on other prospects.
Very few of us are served fortune and success on a platter and unless you have a planned, consistent follow-up programme, they may prove elusive. So dust your boots, straighten that tie and get ready to give success a hot chase!
BINDU SRIDHAR
faqs@cnkonline.com
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