Let’s call my client Sandy. She was first referred to me by an instructor in the professional training program she was taking. (Hint #1: Develop referral partnerships with other businesses and professionals who serve your audience.) Sandy called me to inquire about becoming a client. (Hint #2: Clients who are referred to you typically result in sales conversations right away.)
I asked Sandy about her situation and what she needed, then told her how my services could help. (Hint #3: In a sales conversation, listen more than you talk.) We discussed the cost. (Hint #4: Communicate the benefits of working with you before quoting prices.) Sandy thought she would be ready to get started in three months, so I asked to follow up with her then. (Hint #5: Get permission to follow up with prospective clients.)
I mailed Sandy a printed copy of a relevant blog post I’d written, with a handwritten note summarizing our conversation. (Hint #6: Maximize every contact by following up promptly.) I called her at the three month mark to see if she was ready to become a client. (Hint #7: Follow up when you say you will.)
Sandy returned my call and left a voice mail message. It was the wrong time to get started; maybe six months from now would be better. But could she order a copy of my book? (Hint #8: Capture your expertise in a format that allows clients to sample it before hiring you.) I mailed Sandy the book with a personal note of thanks and also sent her an email, suggesting we talk again in six months. (Hint #6 again.)
If I thought I could reach Sandy by phone, I would have called her instead of emailing, but she was a busy professional who sent every call to voice mail. (Hint #9: Use any available channel to make your follow-up contacts.)
One month later, I sent Sandy another email, asking if I could subscribe her to my email newsletter. She responded by email saying yes. (Hint #10: Get permission before adding prospective clients to your email list.) Three months after that, I called her again. (Hint #11: Find a way to follow up with prospective clients at least once per quarter.)
Sandy replied by voice mail that things had changed for her, and she was no longer interested in working with me. She thanked me for keeping in touch. (Hint #12: Consistent follow-up makes you appear professional.) I left a voice mail reply thanking her for her interest and asked her to keep my services in mind for her colleagues. (Hint #13: Ask for referrals when prospects don’t buy.)
I continued to send Sandy my email newsletter each month. Three months later, Sandy referred me a colleague of hers, who became my client. I emailed Sandy a thank you note for the referral. (Hint #14: Always thank your referral sources.) Later that same year, she referred me another colleague who also became my client, and I thanked her by email again.
Several months went by, and a third person in the same field contacted me, and became my client. My new client named someone I knew of, but wasn’t in touch with, as the person who referred her. I contacted the referrer to thank her, and discovered it was Sandy who had told her about me. (Hint #15: Find out who your referral sources really are.)
I thanked Sandy for the referral once again. It was now two years from our initial contact. At this point, with no prompting from me, Sandy finally decided to become my client. (Hint #16: Following up still works even when no selling is involved.)
The dollar value of my relationship with Sandy — the fees she paid me plus those of the three people she referred — totaled approximately $36,000 over a three-year period.
In addition to the hints I’ve dropped while telling this story, there may be more to learn by asking yourself a few questions. Where in this process might you have given up? Would you have written Sandy off after she told you she wasn’t interested? Might you have considered yourself a failure at selling because Sandy didn’t say yes for two years?
Notice that in all this time, Sandy and I had talked live only once. Do you stop trying when you can’t reach people by phone? Before she became my client, I sent Sandy two handwritten notes, left her three voice mails, sent five personal emails, and twenty email newsletters. I never did send her any marketing materials. Might you have sent Sandy a marketing packet after her first contact, and stopped there?
The next time you get discouraged because a prospective client says she’s “not ready” to get started, or you feel like follow-up is a waste of time, remember Sandy. I contacted her thirty times over a period of two years. Each of the ten personal contacts took less than five minutes, and the twenty email newsletters were sent by an automated system. Fifty minutes of follow-up resulted in $36,000 in revenue. What do you think, was it worth it?
