The Side-Hustle Dad

Ep22
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Bryan Steele: Recently, we've talked about our sales process, the conversations which we have with people when they're expressing an interest in our services. And many times, even though you may apply the strategy which I recommend is never leave a conversation without having set up the next appointment, the next meeting, the next conversation, sometimes that doesn't always work, doesn't always pan out the way you would expect.

Somebody cancels the meeting, or they wanna get some more information before they schedule, and you're left in follow-up purgatory. You want to reach out, you know there is some interest, but you can't tell [00:01:00] whether or not you should say something, because you don't wanna come across as pushy, icky, salesy, just trying to get in front of them again, and you're just not sure what to do next.

You're not sure what messages to send. So that's what we're gonna talk about today is the importance behind the follow-up, because following up with leads is the surest way to get more business. Because let's be honest, most people are not thinking about you all the time. We may think, "Oh, they reached out, they talked to us, they wanna work with us," and then they don't respond.

They don't give a clear yes. But they're busy. I mean, they're like us, and I feel that same way all the time that I've got so much going on, it's hard to keep everything in front of me that, that is important that I need to be working on. And so honestly, you have to first reframe the follow-up for yourself.

Whoever expressed an interest [00:02:00] in working with you or buying your services, buying your product, is somebody who thinks you could help them. And if you really believe in your product and your service and the value it creates, you're providing a service to maintain that contact.

Yes, it benefits your business, but yes, it helps you grow, but it also benefits them in achieving their goals and their ambitions. You really have to reframe the approach, and the follow-up is similar. Now, one of the things to remember when you're following up is you never just wanna say, "Wanted to check in.

Just following up, see how things are going. Did you make a decision?" Those things just get buried. They don't get the attention they deserve, and yet you still know you need to follow up. There's a saying I always hit-- amusing with people is I, I follow up until it's a clear yes, a clear no, or one of us are [00:03:00] dead because that's really the only definitive thing.

You're trying to remove ambiguity, and if you've got all these maybes out there, all this potential opportunity that's not going anywhere, it's gonna feel overwhelming. And so a no is a good thing. Getting somebody to say, "No, I don't wanna work with you right now," or, "No, this isn't a good fit. I, I just don't think it'd work out," those are great things because it removes the ambiguity.

It makes it obvious and clear to everybody involved what's happening next. Okay? So that's, that's a good thing. We don't necessarily want to get all yeses or all nos. We want to just get clarity. That's what we're aiming for with our follow-up. We don't wanna leave things to chance. Now, how do you do an effective follow-up?

What should that look like? How do you do it so that you don't send those awkward just checking in emails? So [00:04:00] today, we're gonna talk about that framework and how many times should you follow up? One time? No. Two times? No. The numbers say you need to create seven touch points oftentimes before somebody is willing to say yes or no.

It seems like a lot, but we're gonna cover what each touch point can potentially look like and how you can build that into your sequence, how to space them out so you're not just overwhelming people, but also keep it manageable for yourself. 'Cause to be honest, this is a side hustle, so you don't have a ton of time to work on this.

Okay, so the first step of the follow-up goes back to our earlier episode about sales conversations. We want to set that next engagement. So when are we talking to them? What information do they need? What is that meeting going to be? And this can be done right after the sales call. So if they said, "Yes, let's meet on this day," or, "Yes, I want this information," you go prep that [00:05:00] immediately after the meeting and schedule that follow-up to go out.

But you should be leaving that meeting with the clear next step and what they want the follow-up to be. So that's going to be the first step to take on your follow-up sequence is use whatever's defined there. So maybe it's a next meeting.

You send out the calendar invite, set the time, the location, where that meeting is gonna happen or what's coming next. So we want to remove ambiguity so they know what to expect.

Your next point of contact is going to be an email after your meeting. This is something where you're gonna throw some gratitude in it, some thankfulness.

Really appreciate you giving me the time to meet with you today to talk about what's going on. I found XYZ really interesting. Some pieces about that meeting, but just creating a touch point, just expressing some gratitude for the time that they took out to meet with you. You'll recap information from the meeting that was important.

Maybe [00:06:00] there was a question they had in the meeting that you had to go get an answer, whatever those little follow-up things were, and then give them a clear next step. So maybe it's, "Hey, I sent you a scope of work. Please go review this document, sign this contract, to begin working with me. This is the next step.

This is what has to happen next." Maybe it's a, "Hey, go to this link. Schedule our next, our follow-up conversation, and we're gonna talk through a proposal." Whatever those are for your business, that is what you're wanting to make sure is abundantly clear in the first message, that email message, is gratitude, thankfulness, clear next steps.

Okay? So that is your first email follow-up. That will typically happen one day after your meeting, so spacing it that bit. So you're not doing it immediately after. You don't wanna overwhelm. Just give a little space, let them process what you've talked about, and then send that email the next day. This is something that you [00:07:00] can very easily prepare and schedule, though.

Most emails have a way to schedule an email to go out. You can schedule that to go out the next day and write it so that it's really fresh. Maybe you use some AI tools that are doing note-taking. So let that help you define what goes into that email. That's a great first step. So that is our first email touch point following our meeting the second touchpoint is what I call the objection killer. This is gonna come three to four days after the first email where you provided that information and, and clear next step. This is you putting together some sort of a frequently asked question or answering potential objections that may come up.

So it might look something like this. You say, "Hey, so and so, as you're reviewing everything that I sent over, a lot of people that I work with typically have challenges with XYZ, and here is what I do with that," or, "Here's what's important to know about that." [00:08:00] And give a little bit of like, "This is what some people struggle with, and here is my response to that."

It can be a DM, it can be an email. You could even, if you wanted to get really clever, you send a little video with their name. You just sit down, take 30 seconds, use their name in it, make it personalized, because those personalized connections show that you care and that you're really interested in working with them.

So that's a, a really good one. So three to four days later, you send that objection killer email. And I wouldn't make it like a list of a whole bunch of things. It might be one or two things that are very common for your product or service that you can use during that time to address those

Your third touchpoint following the meeting comes one week later. This is going to be the client testimonial touchpoint. So one week later, you've heard nothing. You say, "Hey, I w- I wanted to share this. I thought you would really be interested. This is a [00:09:00] client who reminds me of you a lot, and this is what they had to say about what we did together.

Some sort of an approach where you're bringing in some of your past work, some of your portfolio, some of your, client testimonials into a conversation. Maybe you directly share that testimonial with them and tell them, "Hey, who's this?"

This person is, why they should care, in a message. Maybe it's just you sharing, a text or something that you received from a client that you worked with. So you, you-- as we've talked about, you need to save these testimonials and be using them in multiple places, on your website, on your Google Business listings.

Those are fantastic things to build, but sometimes people don't go look at that. And so bringing that into your sales process and sharing it directly with them can be like, you know, it reminds them, it gets you back in front of their brain, it shows them how you have been able to help others, and continues to provide some goodwill value that's interesting to them, that, that it would be pertinent for them to read [00:10:00] The fourth touchpoint is the connection or referral touchpoint.

So again, we're adding value. You've, you've given them some information that addresses objections, you've connected them to potential testimonials. This one's one that I like to do to bring them into my wider network. Who else do they need to know? Who else could help them with their journey besides just me?

And this is a purely introduction. This is purely a value add. Maybe it's somebody you know that might need their help. Maybe they need some help with the small business development center.

Maybe they need to talk to the Small Business Administration, you know, and you know a guy there. So making an introduction to them, whether that's, you know, via email, a phone call, a text message, whatever those may be, make an introduction and make it warm. Make it less than, "Hey, you should go talk to so and so."

You [00:11:00] get both parties on the same message and you say, "Hey, Jim, I think you should know Fred, and you guys would potentially really be able to help one another. I think y- you know, so and so could really use, some information from you." Whatever those connections are, but think about that person. Who is somebody they should be connected to?

And always, always, always say, "Hey, I know somebody. Would you be interested in connecting with them?" Ninety-nine percent of the time they'll say, "Yeah, that's a really... That-- I would love that connection," or, "I would love to connect with somebody at that organization," or, "I would love to connect with this person."

And if you've got that to offer, that's an incredible value, and it shows like, hey, you're-- I'm, I'm here for you. It's not just about what business you can bring me. I'm really a support for you in whatever your ambitions and goals are. So look for those opportunities. So that's the fourth touchpoint. I like to see this.

You know, we, we waited a week before we did the testimonials, so [00:12:00] this one's, you know, ten days to fourteen days we're sending that sort of a, a connection point out there. And then finally is, you know, we're looking at deadlines at this point, right? It's been three or four weeks, still not getting any responses from them.

We say, you know, "Hey, haven't heard from you, so this is-- Just wanted to let you know." And this is why lots of times in my proposals, I like to say they expire in 30 days, 60 days, whatever it might be, some sort of an expiration. And so we like to do a, a pre-breakup email and say, "Hey, just wanted to remind you that that proposal, that thing that I sent you, it does expire at the end of 30 days, and we're coming up on the end of that.

Is this something that you still feel like you need help with, or have you changed, you know, directions? Are you moving in a different path?" And again, this is just going to [00:13:00] Ask them to give that feedback, right? At this point, we're starting to feel like they haven't connected with us. They're not reaching back out.

Maybe we've lost the opportunity. So we're trying to add clarity. Again, a no is not bad in this scenario. But lots of times people got busy and it's maybe not the highest priority. But once you remind them there's a deadline for that price before it expires, you're putting a little bit of scarcity.

Now, I know you're likely still willing to take the project after that deadline, but some of that language is just, "Hey, reminder, I need-- I'll need to-- We'll need to redo this proposal later." If you wait longer, maybe materials is part of your project, and so you can't guarantee material prices for more than a certain period of time, and you'll want to redo that.

Whether or not that's something you have to do is irrelevant. You're just using this as an, a re-engagement, a way to say, "Hey, this is gonna expire soon. Is it a yes or a no? Do [00:14:00] you have questions?" And so it gives you a natural way to reach out without the, the ambiguity of just following up. It's a, it's a clear deadline.

And lots of times once people realize, "Oh, there-- I didn't realize there was a deadline attached," then they're more likely to respond and get back to you and, and give you some feedback. And maybe their timeline is just different maybe than, than what they thought it was gonna be. They weren't gonna get started as soon as they were hoping.

But that kind of is this pre like breakup, you know, we're, we're-- this is going to expire, so I just wanted to remind you that this-- that deadline is coming up. So this would be about the three-week mark, twenty-one, twenty-eight days, something like that if you've got a thirty-day, window. And if it's, if it's longer, let's say you've got sixty days on your proposals, then you might need a different touch point in the middle.

Maybe that's inviting somebody to a networking event or, something along those lines or inviting them to something you're doing. [00:15:00] Maybe there's a webinar that you've hosted and you send them, "Hey, th-here's something that I've, I've done for my clients. Here's a little free webinar to go watch." So you might need something intermediate in here if you really do have much longer gaps on deadlines for things like this, things like a proposal, more than the thirty days.

But this is typically something you wanna send a week to two weeks before that deadline is there just so there's a little time for them to respond. And then if that goes by and you get to the deadline You actually send a very professional breakup email. "Hey, I'm sorry we weren't able to work together.

Just wanted to remind you that that proposal that I put together for you has expired. If for whatever reason, you know, something got missed and, and you do-- really do wanna start this project, let me know, and let's, let's reconnect and get started and figure that out.

But otherwise, I'm going to just move [00:16:00] this off, off my plate and, you know, wish you the best of luck. Thanks so much for reaching out to me, but I'm gonna consider this project lost at this point." And once you kinda put that language in there that this is not gonna happen, have you given up? Seems like, seems like you've given up on this project.

You put in some of the language that they, by their apathy or lack of responsiveness, have given up. It puts it back on them to take some action to do something. So you're just sending out that little breakup email. They might respond to this. This might be the thing that gets them back in. Again, scarcity from the deadline earlier gets some people to respond to the idea that they've given up, sometimes gets people moving and gets some action.

So they may re-engage at this point. And if they don't, that's okay. You move them out of your pipeline, out of your CRM. You say, "This one's [00:17:00] lost. You know, we tried. We went through all of our follow-up sequence. We sent multiple emails and messages in different ways and shapes and timelines, and they never re-engaged."

And that's okay. And we just move it to the lost folder. Now, here's the thing. You might think this is the last contact you have with this person, but it shouldn't be. What you do at this point is you move them to a nurturing list. You set up a very simple email list of people that have reached out that just completely ghosted you.

But they've given you permission to contact them about products and services, so just add them to that. Send out your newsletters where you're reminding people every six months, one month, quarterly, the things that are happening, things that are going on, inviting them back in, inviting them to re-engage.

Because like I said, a lead is never really lost until it's a clear yes, a clear no, or somebody has died. And so that's what I want to leave you with is [00:18:00] even when they get all the way through this process You may still get a project out of it. So continue to re-engage. Make sure you're continuing to do those nurturing things to your mailing list, adding value, adding information, maintaining connections.

Now, with this layout, the assumption is that they do not engage, and so you just keep progressing down the list of connection points If at any point they respond, the remainder of the list doesn't matter. You just go with what they need. What is it they need help with? What is that? It becomes more tailored at that point, right?

Where are they at? What do they need from you? How can you provide value and service? And so it may change. So wherever they start re-engaging, find that point. What is the natural point to continue from that? Don't just continue automating the rest of the emails to them. But again, if they start ghosting you again, maybe you proceed with some of [00:19:00] the later touch points down the road.

So my task for you today is think about your business. What are those natural things which you could send to people during your process? What are those touch points? What are those things you would share with a lead who ghosts you after that initial meeting? How can you continue to follow up with them without being gross?

So let's real quick go back through that list, and so be thinking about what your, your message is for each one of these, okay? So the first one, email. This is the day after the meeting. Gonna send quick information, you know, what, what follow-up actions. The main goal here is they need a clear next step.

What is the clear next step to working with you? What does that look like? That's one day later. Then three to four days later, you're gonna send an email, a DM, something like that to handle frequently asked questions. So what are the major one or two objections that you hear most often? Respond to [00:20:00] those into that-- in that message.

Very clear, three to four days after a meeting. Then one week later, you'll send a video message, a note with a testimonial, something that a client has given you that looks like them. So that's one week later, some testimonial information they can receive. Touch point number four, twelve days to two weeks.

This is a connection. What is a networking connection you can make for them? Who is somebody they need to know? Ideally, this is something you've kind of figured out, during the, the process of, you know, going through the call. Maybe you've figured that out. If it is not something that you know, always ask like, "Hey, here's somebody I know.

I think you might like to meet them. Is, is this something y-you would like that introduction?" If they say yes, boom, make, make the intro. I think that's fantastic to use in this, in this process. Then we're doing the pre-breakup email, you know, one to two weeks before your proposal or offer expires. This is roughly [00:21:00] thirty days to sixty days, so reminding them that there's a deadline just to reactivate them.

"Hey, if, if this passes, we're gonna have to rebid the project. You know, material costs may have changed," whatever that might be. But just give them a, a bit of a deadline. Give them some scarcity that they need to take action to get them to reengage. And then finally, if they still have not responded, your professional breakup "Seems like you've given up on this.

I'm gonna go ahead and move this project to lost and assume we're not gonna be working together. If anything changes, feel free to reach out and we can talk again in the future." And then you're not done talking after that. Remember, they go on a mailing list where you continue to provide value, provide information about your services.

So, so maybe monthly, quarterly, you're showing up in their inbox with something useful and of value. So think through those steps. What does that look like for you in your business? Come up with that list. What I would recommend, come up with a few email templates. Come up with a few text message templates that you can pretty [00:22:00] quickly customize, and then you're not having to do this from scratch.

Have those testimonials ready, have those FAQ responses ready, and you can quickly send them over. So hope this helps. I think it's really going to make a big difference because tons of business will come from effective follow-up, coming from people who are continuing to add value and show up. And don't feel like you're pushy or you're salesy.

Lots of people, they aren't thinking about us all the time. We are thinking about what we're trying to do. We're thinking about our leads and those people we want to work with. We're thinking about them a lot more than they're thinking about us. So just continue to find those natural touch points, and of course, it starts really tight and then slowly extends out over time.

Figure out that plan, and I look forward to seeing you on another episode real soon.

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