Dear Voornaam,
Last week I shared a story that demonstrated the importance of follow-up in business development. Well, I made a mistake.
I should have provided a little more detail on HOW to follow-up along with FREQUENCY of follow-up.Â
How do I know this is necessary? Hereâs some of the feedback from my email:
âDave, youâre way off. After I meet someone I immediately ask them if I can help them with <insert service here>. Thatâs pretty direct follow-up. They always say. No.â
âI send an email to everyone I meet at a networking meeting. Nothing ever comes from that.â
âWhen I read an article that mentions one of my prospective clients, I write them a note congratulating them. About half the time, they ignore the note.â
Please allow me to correct my mistake by sharing a specific follow-up process with you.
Step Zero: The Meeting
When you meet someone in a business setting there are a few rules you need to follow to be certain this person is a qualified prospect or referral partner.
Rule 1: Talk only 20-25% of the time. Your job is to listen and discover ways you can help this person. Stop talking so much. Rule 2: Ask good questions. This goes hand-in-hand with Rule 1. You need to uncover areas of struggle or goals the other person is looking to achieve. Rule 3: Smile, be entertaining and interesting. When you do speak (and it should be infrequently) tell stories and be someone who is an object of interest. Be self-deprecating.Â
Step One: Handwritten Note & Email
Immediately after the meeting ends, reach out to people with whom youâve had conversations, and send a handwritten note and a follow-up email. Both of these correspondence have the same message. You enjoyed getting to know them and you look forward to seeing them again. Send both on the same day. Include your contact information in both correspondence.
Step Two: Connection or Referral
After about one week, connect this person to someone who can 1.) Use their services or 2.) Refer business to them. Here is the process:
Find the ideal client/referral source. Call the party you are referring to (the person you just met). Ask if this is a good intro. Call the second party (the person you have known for a while). Ask if this is a good intro. Make the introduction in person or on Zoom. Only do an email intro if both parties are fine with that method.Â
Why do the intro in person or on Zoom? You are referring people the way you want to RECEIVE referrals. I like to be introduced to people in person. It is more memorable. Thatâs why I try to do as many Zoom or in person introductions as possible.Â
Step Three: Weekly Email Newsletter (On-going)
This is the most important part. You need to send these folks valuable information each week. Â
Yes. Weekly.
There are several reasons for the weekly email but the main one is that FREQUENCY of COMMUNICATION builds TRUST.Â
And donât tell me that nobody reads weekly email or that YOU unsubscribe from those things. None of that matters. This works. Iâve been doing it for 30 years and teaching my clients to do it for 15 and people who follow this program make more money than people who donât.
Weekly email newsletters are a must. Thatâs non negotiable.
If people unsubscribe, youâre boring them. If people donât open them, you have a deliverability issue (and we can fix that).Â
It's All About the List
If you use this system, youâll be building a list of people who know you, like you and trust you. For every 100 people you put on this list, 10 will do business with you or refer you. But it will take at least 6-8 months for that trust to build up.Â
This isnât a âget rich quickâ strategy. There is no such thing in professional services. But this is a way to get 10 new referrals each month, once you have a list of 1,000 people and youâve followed this protocol for at least 6 months with all 1,000.
Now, Iâve just given you a guide to business development. What are you going to do with that information? It involves follow-up and patience. But it works and Iâm a convert of my own system (youâre reading this arenât you?).
Have a great week.
Warm regards,
Dave Lorenzo (888)444.5150
P.S. When it comes to my business I do 3 things:
ð I help lawyers, professionals and business leaders shorten the sales cycle and deepen relationships with existing clients. Want to go from 6 figures to 7 figures? Iâm your guy.
ðªÂ I also help professionals start, grow, and revive coaching and consulting practices.
ð I develop customized sales acceleration academies for Professional Firms and FORTUNE 500 companies.
P.P.S. Youâre receiving this email message because I value our relationship and I want to stay in touch. I only send one email each week and I respect your privacy. If you unsubscribe, I will never be able to email you again.Â
You can reach me by calling: (888) 444-5150.Â
P.P.S.S. I am âopening the booksâ on a new coaching program. Want a sneak peak? Visit: http://HeyNowDave.com It is a one-on-one program with one call directly with me each month and unlimited email access. Dave Lorenzo & Company Int'l 1442 SW 155 Court Miami, FL 33194 USA | Unsubscribe |
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