So You Got The Sale, Now What?
The hardest part is over! You got the sale and now you're coasting on a big happy high. That's great, but it's time to get your head out of the clouds and back into the game (unless you're on vacation).
First step:
Congratulations! You just made an amazing sale for yourself or your company. But what do you do now? Here are some steps to help make sure that this client sticks around for a long time.
1) Deliver on your promises: Do everything in your power to make sure that this customer is as happy with their purchase as they were when they bought it from you.
Whenever you make a sale, keep following up with the client to make sure that they're happy.
Always deliver on Follow up on any promises and always dot your i's and cross your t's.
2) Always be available:
This is basic sales 101 stuff, but even though you sold the client some amazing product there's no reason why the relationship has to end after that sale.
And there's a lot of reasons why it shouldn't end suddenly. Important things happen in life all of a sudden, which can lead to needing you or your product again quickly. By staying in touch with this customer you'll be at the front of their mind when they see something or need something else.
3) Don't be pushy: This is a delicate balance and you'll have to learn how to walk this tightrope as you go. You want to be helpful, not annoying. Asking how they're liking the product or if there's anything that you can do for them is great, but if they don't call or contact you at all that's fine too.
Never badger your client or be pushy about getting in touch.
4) Follow up after the sale:
An important tip from sales guru Keith Ross is "Always follow up with a happy customer." It sounds simple, but in practice it can be difficult. Sales people and business owners are usually so busy that taking time to follow up with a happy client is something that can easily slip through the cracks. But when it comes to making sure that the sale sticks, it's important that you make the time.
But for want of a nail:
A great way to ensure these clients don't leave is to cultivate them into a loyal fan of your product or company. If you get on a customer's good side early it will make it much easier to sell them something later on.
I'm not saying you need to buy your clients gifts or go out of your way for them. That sort of behavior says "I only care about this customer because they spent money. I don't care about them!" Instead, take the time to thank the customer for their business.
And wait until next month to sell them again:
Done right, these sales are incredibly sticky. If you properly cultivate your clients into loyal fans you can enjoy repeat sales for a long time.
The article above is a great start to your follow up process as it doesn't just focus on what you should do but how you should act, who you should be and how much time it will take. In the end though its about doing what's right for your company, not just for YOU. Be professional, friendly, engaging and absolutely make sure to follow up with your client (I would suggest a monthly follow up email to start). P.S. I've made the article above into a pdf that you can download and send to your clients. Click here to download the So You Got The Sale, Now What? Sales Follow Up Summary
Posted by Justin at 12:59 PM
Thanks for sharing this information. It is helpful in making business development process that much easier. Most people tend to rely too much on sales. But that can cause a lot of problems once the customer has purchased from you, especially if the customer decides to go with another provider in the future. Thanks for sharing this information. Reply Delete
Great article. I have been using your blog for some time now and it's really useful for me to come and check out your thoughts about business development. Keep it up! Reply Delete
Easy to read, makes sense and contains the golden rules on how to develop long term relationships with clients. This is important information if you want people who will refer you to others and so forth as it makes a big difference in how well your business gets off the ground. Reply Delete
This is a great article. It offers so much information in one area, to the point that it is easy to read and absorb. I am sure this will help me immensely as well as other small business owners who are looking for something like this. Reply Delete
Nice post about developing long term relationships with your clients:) You will learn a lot from your clients and once you have invested in them they need to feel that you have their back. Reply Delete
Thanks for sharing this article. This is a great piece of advice that I will definitely follow. How important is it to keep in touch with your clients after the sale? Reply Delete
I really like your blog, it provides excellent tips a lot of small business owners don't know about. Reply Delete
Very useful information to know. Thank you for sharing this post. Reply Delete
Very important for any small business owner to understand the importance of developing relationships with your clients. Reply Delete
Great article and very helpful in my business development efforts. Reply Delete
I appreciate the advice in this post, as it definitely applies to my needs Reply Delete
Thanks so much for sharing this write-up. It's very informative and useful information. I'm always up on everything strategic that works, as well as what doesn't work when it comes to building a solid base of customers, and I appreciate the great tips from you and your comprehensive advice on how to approach each one of them. Reply Delete
I have been reading your blog for a few months now and am very happy to see that you are always providing us with new useful information. This post is full of useful tips, which I will follow on how to develop relationships with my clients. Well done! Reply Delete
Investing time in developing relationships is one of the best things you can do as a business owner. There are tons of ways to do it, but it's important to remember that building long term relationships with your customers and clients is what will make or break your company in the long run. For most business owners, making sure their sales are successful is what takes up most of their time and energy.
Conclusion: This is a very powerful article for anyone who wants to start developing relationships with their clients. The authors have included a lot of useful tips from their experience, which can help you achieve what you've been looking for. If you're going after clients who are as loyal to you as possible and are willing to refer other people then your business could grow into something amazing.
The one thing that would improve this article would be to include an example of the final sales email that the reader might send out to their client.