On Deal Momentum

In May of this year I rode along with a rep to a very important meeting. We had the opportunity to present our solutions to a group of senior leaders from a very large prospect. They gave us two hours and we did an effective job of focusing on solutions that they were very interested in. They were engaged, asked lots of questions, and kept us around after our allotted time. Ours was just one of the several meetings (all of their other meetings were internal-only) planned for the day, and we finally “got the hook” from the meeting organizer as the group continued to ask us questions as we milled around in the hallway after our session had concluded. It was a thrill to see our messaging resonate with such a senior crowd. As I write this blog on June 27, the rep had yet to follow up with any one of the meeting attendees. Clearly we have lost deal momentum.

How can this kind of thing happen? I wish I had the answer. The rep had a myriad of excuses for not following up. His “crutch” was that the champion and meeting organizer was his main contact and that he was working closely with the attendees on our behalf. “Balderdash!” as my dad would say. It is the rep’s responsibility to follow up with each and every meeting attendee. In this case the attendees were senior leaders representing subsidiaries of the parent. So really, we had an audience of about six separate company decision makers. With no subsequent follow up. And this was a so-called “seasoned” rep.

Blog continued below…

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In another instance, I managed a very bright rep, fresh in to sales. She had terrific industry experience but little to no sales experience. That’s okay because coaching new reps is one of my passions. So I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear her say that she’d be following up after a very important and successful meeting in about a week. A week?! Not on my watch. In her mind, following up with a prospect was kind of like calling a boy after a date – you give them a few days and then call as to not look desperate. Sales is not like dating – at least not in that way. Needless to say, she followed up that very day.

Immediate follow –up after a prospect meeting shows the prospect that you are keenly interested in earning their business. It tells them that you are organized and work with urgency. These characteristics are immensely important to prospects as they begin to build trust in the new relationship that they are building with you and your company.

How soon should you follow up? I would suggest within 24-hours almost without exception. I once worked for a Senior VP of Sales who was so excited about a meeting that he couldn’t sleep. He went downstairs to his home office at 2:30am and sent the prospect a note, letting them know just how excited he was about their great meeting. Now that’s following up with passion.

Don’t let moss grow on your deals. Tend to them with care, urgency, and professionalism. LinkedIn discussion groups are full of questions like, “What is your best strategy when a prospect goes dark?” I would suggest a really effective email from a great book HERE. But otherwise, don’t let that happen. Have you ever watched your favorite sports team lose momentum during an important game? It is so frustrating. But that’s exactly what happens when you allow your prospect to forget about the great meeting that you had, and try to get them excited again. It’s incredibly difficult to do. Be a follow up machine and you’ll see more deals close.