Follow up, but not too soon after the sale

From: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/1996/11/25/smallb3.html

Friday, November 22, 1996

Follow up, but not too soon after the sale
Sacramento Business Journal - by Bill "Guerrilla" Gallagher, Ph.D.

I'm often asked when should a salesperson follow up with a new customer for future sales and referrals. The guerrilla rule is: When you've sold something, when you have the signed check or signed contract, get the heck out of there.

Of course, thank them for their confidence in you and in your company. Tell them, honestly, that they've made a good decision. Then leave.

Do not have another cup of coffee and chat about the poor season the Giants are having and, maybe, pick up a referral or two. Go. Leave.

Making a decision to buy anything of value is stressful. Give your new customer the peace and quiet to think about that good decision to do business with you, without your presence.

So, when do you call back for referrals and future sales? There are two occasions when you must follow up.

The first is when the product or service is first delivered or first received. Your job is to make sure that it is being delivered as ordered and as sold. This is your only job. Do not ask for referrals or mention future selling opportunities at this first follow-up meeting. Just make damn sure the product shows up the way it was bought. Should there be any problems offer to fix them, at your expense, today. (Period!)

There are no exceptions to this. If this gets too expensive, you may need to represent another firm. Seriously.

The second follow-up opportunity is more than one week and less than one month from the date of purchase. Sometime in the first 30 days after buying, but not in the first seven days. Got it?

This period of time, according to my marketing mentor, Jay Conrad Levinson, is called "the time of supreme customer satisfaction." This is when they are the most pleased. This is also the time when they'll be showing it to friends, family and neighbors. After a month or so, as with anything else, they get used to it, or bored with it, or a bit tired of it. (This may be true of our new relationships as well?)

So, call them back a few weeks after the sale, "just to make sure everything's A-OK. Our Model 2 is due out next year, can I keep you on my list?" And, "By the way, have you had a chance to show this little baby to someone special?" And "Tell me about that..."

I think you can pick up the conversation from here. But just in case you're stuck, here are a few suggestions to get some referrals. Memorize the following sentence. "If you were me, who would you call on next?"

Here's another winner for referrals. "Who do you know who...?" The space is filled in with descriptions of people who typically buy from you. "Who do you know who just got married, just bought a new home, just had a baby, just won the lottery...?"

This line of questions will help people recall others when "Can you give me a few referrals?" doesn't bring anyone to mind.

Follow up. It'll pay big dividends.

Bill Gallagher is head of Guerrilla Sales & Marketing in Diamond Springs and co-author of "Guerrilla Selling." For more information on the topics and ideas in this column, call (800) 800-8086 or send e-mail to bguerrilla@aol.com. Send marketing questions to The Business Journal, 1401 21st St., Sacramento 95814.