Follow up failure, a curable disease. Increase sales revenue dramaticaly, with little or no additional cost.

Most small business owners  are missing a golden opportunity to increase revenue dramatically, sales they have already paid for…yet have failed to close.

The simple reason is they are forgetting to follow up.

The second most important list you have, are leads of people who have already responded to your marketing programs, who have already shown up, but have simply not bought…. yet.

The point being that they demonstrated their interest but for some reason were not ready to purchase. The key point being that they showed up. They identified themselves as interested, they qualified themselves, they want your product or service, they simply were not ready to close on that day.

Failure to follow up results in no sale  and worse yet  they may end up elsewhere and purchasing when they are ready but not with you.

That is the issue, people buy when they are ready. Shopping includes checking you and your product or service out, but not necessarily purchasing on the first visit.

In fact research indicates that it takes on the average 9 visits  before a purchase decision is made. Visits can be in person, it could be reviewing an ad or a flyer or any marketing piece. Thus if a potential customer comes to visit you on the first or second or eighth inquiry or visit, you may not get the sale despite your preparing him for the close and the sale may go to the next person pitching him the ninth time. There goes a sale you paid for, and failed to follow up on…at least nine times.

The issue is then do you have a system for following up…at least nine times? Probably not, few do. Please understand that averages and statistics are just that, so some may buy on the first or second pass through or on the third or fourth, some on the tenth , eleventh, or twelfth, with the average being 9 times.

Many, far too many small business owners leave the follow up to their potential customer to manage and accomplish, waiting for the customer to buy to call or come or somehow identify themselves, again.

Lets change his concept and view the 90% of the people who come to you and do not buy as the most important source of business available, and lets create a follow up program  that works and converts visits to a purchase event.

You need a systematic follow up program, be it a newsletter, a call back plan, a mailing plan, e-mail, a visit, whatever you determine will work best. The point being you need constant follow up and contact over and over with those who have identified themselves as potential customers just not ready.

Do this or you may be your competitors best marketing program as the customer will buy from someone, and if not you then who? Your competitor.

Thus figure out how to identify, track and communicate with everyone who has shown up but not purchased, they are your best source of new customers. Pay attention to them, they have much to offer and you have already paid for the lead.

One word of caution, do not overdo it, follow up with respect and decorum, not with high pressure sales techniques. You can create animosity instead of a good relationship.

Follow up failure is the problem, identify it and cure it and reap the benefits…