You just knew the sale was yours.
The prospect was engaged, you built a great rapport, they needed it, they could afford it, they acknowledged what your solution would help. Heck, you were already thinking about how much you would make off the deal…
….Until they told you they couldn’t move forward today.
“%&#$!”
Don’t beat yourself up to much. It’s rare that a prospect will buy day one and research show it often takes multiple touches before they are ready.
To bad we all HATE the follow up game because anyone who has ever sold anything will agree:
- “Touching base”
- “Checking in”
- “Sending proposals”
- “Calling back in a few days, weeks, months”
Oftentimes leads to dead end deals.
Why?
Eventually you stop being a priority. The emotion dies down, the sales cycle loses momentum and the prospect stops returning your phone calls and emails. There is nothing like the frustration of KNOWING you’re being ignored.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
The secret to an effective sales follow up process is to keep the prospects attention until they are ready to buy. To accomplish that you must become irresistible.
Today I’m going to show you how building your own email list will keep your prospects anticipating your next touch…
Still with me?
Good, let’s dive deeper.
Why Building an Email List Crushes “Old School” Sales Follow Up Strategies
There is no tool out there more effective at building a local following, selling your products/services, and following up with leads and customers then an Email Autoresponder. It will let you build a list of prospect emails and send them messages on autopilot.
If you are not already building a list you are legitimately leaving money on the table.
Research shows Email Marketing gets double the return on investment over cold calling, networking and trade shows.
Selling homes?
Provide high end professional services?
Want more wallet share from high net worth clients?
Big ticket deals take longer to close…so you already KNOW you have to nurture them for a while.
Instead of you following up on every single lead via phone the old fashioned way, plug each lead into an email autoresponder that sends them valuable information and addresses common obstacles on its own.
Now you are only calling the HOTTEST leads. Everyone else is nurtured until they become hot.
Your emails will:
- Keep in contact with clients for repeat purchases
- Automate follow up so you can focus on other priorities
- Be forwarded…so you get unsolicited referrals
- Build credibility and trust over time
- Eliminate rejection
- Catch your prospects the moment they are ready to buy
If you own your email list, you own those relationships. Leaving the company? Your list comes with you. Working with a new broker? Your list comes with you. Have a new product or service to sell? Your list is right there for you.
Imagine this.
You have your own email list with hundreds (or thousand) of subscribers.
No middle man just your message delivered right to your prospects and clients.
First thing in the morning you email a new article from your blog to everyone on your list. Within one hour, someone you never contacted emails you.
They were forwarded the article from someone on your list and want to know if you can help them?
“Of course!”
Then, you notice that lady you talked to a month ago that wasn’t ready then also replied. She is ready now and your email caught her at the perfect time.
“Hell yea”
A few minutes later, the prospect you met on LinkedIn but didn’t get anywhere with was so impressed with a resource you sent him a few days ago that he wants to work with you directly.
Funny thing is this… you created that resource 4 months ago and just plugged it into your email list autoresponder. Which sent it to the prospect automatically.
You are still benefiting from work you did months ago.
How is that for ROI?
If you haven’t tapped into the power of building your own email list, you’re missing out on sales, referrals and easy wins.
Next, lets get on the same page about a few things…
3 Common Email List Myths Exposed
I need blow the lid off a few myths you might have heard real quick.
1. “Email is dead”
Why would it be dead?
Because of spam filters? Busy decision makers? Some social media guru told you everyone is on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin now?
Numbers don’t lie. In a study conducted by the marketing firm Merkle 65-78% of people (depending on age group) said email was STILL their preference for business communication.
The truth is this. Email will die when you stop checking it first thing in the morning.
2. “Setting up an Email List is complicated”
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Services like Aweber make set up simple. If you can type in Microsoft Word then you can set up your own email list in minutes.
The email sign up forms are drag and drop templates. You can easily copy and paste them into your website.
The emails themselves?
You can write them in advance, decide the order you want them to be received, schedule when you want them to go out and…. Done. Go get email addresses and start plugging people in.
That’s actually easier than tracking and following up with leads on your own.
Later on in this post I’m going to show you how to build your first email list in under 5 minutes.
Speaking of time…
3. “Building a List takes too much time”
Please stop…
How much time does it take to:
- Call through a lead list?
- Go to networking functions?
- Send messages on Social Networks?
- Keep track of who you need to follow up with and when?
Think of your email list as your own employee. Just tell it what to do ahead of time and it will work for you.
It will SAVE you time on your follow ups so you focus on more immediate things.
Like creating more BAIT and closing prospects ready to BUY NOW
Now that we have cleared that up…
How to Create an Effective Sales Follow Up Process Today
Setting up your first list can feel overwhelming because there are a lot of options. In my opinion Aweber is the best.
- They are the easiest to use
- They have tons of email templates that look great on smartphones
- They provide free email marketing training
- The support is top notch
- They are low cost (they have a 1$ trial for 30 days)
That’s why I have used them from day one and will continue to do so.
Check out the 4 minute video below and see how you can start your first email list today.
On a budget?
An alternative is Mail chimp. Though not on the same level as Aweber your first 2000 subscribers are free.
“What kind of emails should I send?”
If you want to remain a priority in the minds of your prospects the emails you send must touch on things that are important to them RIGHT NOW.
- Resources that solve burning problems
- Answers to Common Questions
- Content that overcomes objections
- Stories about people in similar situations
When emails like these are combined with subject lines your prospects can’t ignore, that is when your follow ups will become irresistible.
Here are a few resources to help you get rolling right away:
1. The Buyer Telepathy Technique will help you find out exactly what your prospects are looking for and their most common objections.
2. Here is a great Introduction to email marketing from Hubspot
3. In this article from Smart Passive Income you will find tips on the specific kinds of content to send
4. If you’re still paying for lead lists then this article will help you stop
5. This article from Entrepreneur magazine will show you 5 proven ways to build your email list fast.
The TakeAway
Most prospects don’t buy immediately, it takes multiple contacts to make the sale.
You can make your sales follow ups irresistible by sending your prospects useful resources and helpful content.
You can make your life easier by plugging every lead into an email list that will send them that content on autopilot.”
That sure beats playing the “follow up till you drop” game right?
Today we exposed some common myths about building email lists, went over the benefits of using one and even covered how to start yours today.
It’s a new era, a digital one, you don’t have to use the same tired strategies from the past. Following up with your prospects is easy if you work smart instead of hard.
Stop trying to touch base and being ignored.
Start building trust and proving value on autopilot.
That’s the secret to becoming irresistible and winning more business.