Alright everybody—Charlie Hauck here for another Fast Tip Friday.
I don't know, I've been sitting on this one for a long time, I guess, and it's just bugging me, so I need to get it off my chest. I need to kind of throw it back in some people's faces. But look, nobody asked me this question to be a jerk—they're just not doing things right, and I need to help people straighten that out. So that's our mission today on Fast Tip Friday.
One of the most common questions people ask me, particularly early in their time working with us at Growth Dynamics, is: How many times is enough times to follow up? or How long should I wait to follow up on something I've delivered to someone—a proposal that I've sent—or someone said to get in touch with them? And frankly, those are two of the stupidest questions anybody could ever ask. And if you don't know why, that's why you need to pay attention this week.
The person that can give you that answer is not Charlie Hauck or Sarah Whaple at Growth Dynamics. It's the person you need to follow up with. They know when it's appropriate. They know when they want to hear from you. They know how much time they need to review what you've given them. They know when you fit into their schedule. I don't have the foggiest idea, and asking me to answer a question for someone I've probably never met before borders on absolute stupidity.
So the reason people do that is they're not doing enough of the right work at the right time to get the right answers from the right person, so they know how to do it right. So when you don't know the answer to those questions, plain and simple, you got out of a conversation too soon, or you didn't ask the right questions that were tough enough to not have you guessing about when you're supposed to follow up.
Follow-up is necessary in a lot of cases, but most of the time, follow-up is done wrong. It's done on the prospect’s schedule, not on the schedule that you'd like to maintain to be a decision collector and not a decision chaser. So if you really want to improve your results in business development, stop guessing about things when the answer is so close at hand.
When would you like me to follow up?
When can we schedule our next conversation?
If I were to call you next week, is that enough time for you to consider what I've given you?
Hey, typically when I work with people, we speak within a week of taking a look at this information—can we stay on that track here? When’s most appropriate?
They have that answer. And when you get an answer, you've got to confirm it, rather than assume it. You've got to ask that three-word question that nails that down: Are you sure that's the right time for us to get together? Is there any reason why you might have to change that? Because if you do, maybe we should change it today.
Look, don't try to run a successful sales career guessing when you're supposed to call on people. Get a commitment that you're mutually committed to, you're mutually aware of, you mutually accept, you're mutually responsible for, and you mutually agree to keep—without any question. If someone's going to back out, make them back out before you're angry about chasing it. Get the hard work done when it's the least hard and when you have the most energy from what you've done with that person already.
Don't play a guessing game with your success. It's just that simple. Be in control. Run the game. Be nurturing, but don't be really good at follow-up unless you want to be really good at not eating lunch.
All right, take care, have a great weekend, have a prosperous, under-control week next week, and go make yourself a powerful person in this business arena.