How to Follow-Up With Clients: 8 Tips for Success. Check out more The Journey content at bit.ly/GDTheJourney.
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You have an amazing first meeting with a potential client. You’re excited! It’s going to be a fantastic project, and you know you can deliver exactly what they need, within their budget and timeframe constraints. You email your thanks, including follow-up questions, and then poof! They’ve disappeared into the ether without a trace (and you become painfully aware that you don’t have a strategy to follow up with clients).
Did they not like you? Did they change their mind? Did they find a faster or cheaper solution? Possibly none of the above. Possibly all of the above. For whatever reason, when people don’t respond, you begin to have doubts about yourself, what you said, what you did. But don’t let those doubts or concerns take over. It’s time to follow up, determine what caused the lapse in communication, and get the conversation back on track.
Why don’t people respond in the first place? Remember, it may not be all about you. They could have their own business to run - they’re busy, too. Your email might have been mislabeled as junk. What if they’re not ready to make a commitment? If there’s no response, don’t take it personally.
However, keep in mind, the longer we take to think about something, the more we talk ourselves out of things. So you definitely want to follow up while it’s still fresh in their mind. Set expectations with them beforehand for when you’ll be following up with them. That way, they’re expecting you and you won’t feel like you’re bugging them.
At a loss as to how to follow up on that proposal, invoice or request? Here are some helpful tips to remember:
02:55 - Tip #1: Be pragmatic
Do you really need to follow up right this second? If your request isn’t urgent, will waiting another day or two matter? Check your spam. Is it possible their response got misfiled and has been waiting for you all along?
02:21 - Tip #2: Emphasize your needs with a direct subject line
Perhaps your original request was not clear, or the message was overlooked thanks to a noncommittal subject line. Articulate exactly what you need, and by when. Here are some examples:
Images needed by close of business Tuesday
Signed proposal needed ASAP
Please check on this overdue invoice
03:55 - Tip #3: Give a specific call-to-action
Be specific about the next steps that require action. Clarify the timeframe, and make it one where an extra hour or day won’t negatively impact your progress. For example, if I need something by close of business Friday, I’ll ask for it by close of business Thursday.
05:00 - Tip #4: Keep it short and to the point
Maybe your original request was buried in a long email and they didn’t notice. Keep the reminder short and directly request what you need.
05:30 - Tip #5: Have a neutral tone
Avoid sounding accusatory, irritated, or aggressive. You may have presumed failure or bad intent on their part, but you might be wrong. Give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume their non-response was merely an oversight.
06:03 - Tip #6: Make it about their best interest
When you follow up, position the ask to highlight why it’s in their best interest to give you what you need. Explain why fulfilling your request actually helps them achieve what they hired you to do. Make it all about achieving their goals, not yours.
06:53 - Tip #7: Be persistent but not annoying
If your reminder sounds annoyed, harsh, or snarky, best to take a breather and re-visit your words after calming down.
07:14 - Tip #8: It’s ok to follow-up for other reasons
Following up on a completed project, after the holidays, or just for special occasions are great ways to make sure clients are still happy and don’t have any other needs. Any milestone is a good excuse to follow up proactively, such as to acknowledge special anniversaries of customers doing business with you. If you reach out and demonstrate your willingness to field questions, it could very well remind them why they thought you were the right choice in the first place.
Before your next follow-up situation occurs, consider crafting boilerplate messages you can use as a starting point. Then use these tips to move follow-up activities from stress-inducers to issue-resolvers.
The Journey is what everyday entrepreneurs, like you, need to follow in the pursuit of online success. Our experienced GoDaddy Guides are here to take you through all the steps, both big and small, that you encounter every day.
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15 сен 2020
