Or You Could Just Follow Up
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If you’re only offering once…
If you’re only issuing a single invitation…
If you’re only asking once…
You’re leaving money on the table.
I get it, following up is awkward. Were they ghosting you on purpose or did they just get distracted? Is asking again pushy, salesy, or gross?
So many good-hearted entrepreneurs talk themselves out of smart marketing and sales moves because they don’t want to violate the principle of consent.
Which I get, respect, and agree with.
But, there is a difference between pushing past a no, trying to muscle someone out of their hesitation, and a simple, polite follow-up.
And following up is a VERY important marketing skill because once is definitely not enough.
Once Is Not Enough
Marketing lore posits “The Rule of 7” - that customers typically need to encounter a marketing message at least 7 times to develop enough know, like, and trust to be ready to invest.
This makes sense because our unconscious minds tend to associate familiarity with safety. (Whether it’s actually safe or not, but that’s a story for another day.)
If we only make the offer, the invitation, the ask one time, we’re not asking in a way that nurtures a feeling of safety for our potential customers. We must, through repetition, get comfortable with following up.
We Are Dependent on Reminders
In the digital age, we have all grown dependent on reminders. Think about how many you need to get through your day! Here are a few I absolutely rely upon:
🥭I need those Google Calendar alerts that a meeting is coming up in 15 minutes or I’d leave a lot of people annoyed & waiting
🥭I’d have a whole lot of tickets if it weren’t for my Reminders app telling me to move my car on street-sweeping days
🥭I’m so glad my vet sends out emails when it’s time for my pets’ check-ups and shots
🥭Thank goodness my annual software subscriptions let me know when that big autopayment is coming up
🥭I’m grateful the last person who interviewed me for an online publication sent me reminders to get my info back to him in time for his deadline
🥭I’m so grateful I got a bunch of emails to sign up when I could still get in on the discount for the last coaching program I bought
🥭My current cutest clothes are thanks to several reminders about my birthday discount
And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head! Bottom line, these reminders were welcome, appreciated, and truly helped me.
You see? Repetition is not the same thing as intrusion.
They May Not Have Known We Were Talking Specifically To THEM the First Time
There are so many reasons why the first time you made the offer didn’t result in a sale.
Other than the Rule of 7 and not allowing your audience to get familiar enough with the offer, one of the most common reasons I see is that it’s not clear enough who was being invited to the offer.
Take testimonials. I’ve had several clients come to me flummoxed. They’d been given great verbal feedback from their customers, but they weren’t getting any testimonials or reviews!
My first question to them is always, “How did you ask for the testimonial?”
You know what they usually say? A form.
Ahhh. Look. A form is impersonal. It looks like something a big, faceless corporation might send to their zillions of customers. Your customer would have a hard time realizing their testimonial would make all the difference to you and your business!
I then advise my clients to send a personal message directly to those customers who gave them great verbal feedback. Something like this:
Hey Veronica! Thank you so much for being a part of my program. It was such a joy to work with you. I have to tell you, it meant so much to me to hear how you were implementing the techniques we worked on in the program and were getting such amazing results.
Would you be willing to share a testimonial I could use on my website, social media, and other marketing materials? Since you are an ideal client, I would love to attract others like you and I know hearing from you how this program benefited you, in your own words, would go such a long way.
It can be as long or as short as you like- even if it’s just a sentence or two. If you are so inclined, here is a link for where you can leave your review on Google and I can take it from there. Thank you so much!
Oof, does that tick the response rate up! Often on the first try.
But, if they don’t hear back in a week, I recommend they send a quick follow-up. Something like this:
Hi Veronica! I just wanted to check back in with you about a testimonial. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Still nothing? Try back in another week or two then let it go.
I can tell you that using this method has gotten me and my clients so many glowing testimonials though. Way more than a form ever did.
Of course, right?
Think of it like being invited to a party. There is a huge difference between:
I’m having a party Friday. It’s open to everyone. You can come if you want.
And:
Hi Cheryl! I would LOVE for you to come to my party on Friday. I got that cheese you like so much and I got that Gloom game you recommended. I’d love to introduce you to Betty & Reggie, my friends I was telling you about that I think you’d really hit it off with. They’re super stoked to meet you!
Which party are you more likely to go to?
The one where you feel specifically welcomed, right?
But, when folks are new to marketing, they tend to make offers like the first one a lot. Part of the reason I advise folks to regularly show up and make the same offer over and over again is because it allows you to experiment.
To test out different messaging to see what resonates. To practice talking yourself and your offer up - not in a falsely inflated way, but in a confident, standing-in-your-power way.
Because confidence and standing in our power don’t come naturally to a lot of us. Luckily, it can be learned through practice and repetition.
It Might Be Time for an Up- or Downsell
Here’s the other reason it’s really important to follow up.
Sometimes it is a “no.” And we get to respect that.
And sometimes, they’ll tell you why it’s a “no.” For instance:
🥭The price is out of their budget
🥭They were looking for more 1:1 support than a group membership affords
🥭They prefer a done-for-you service to learning to DIY
This is often a golden opportunity for an up or down-sell if you have a different product or service that better suits their needs.
Following Up Is Different From Ignoring a “No” (Don’t Do That)
Let’s tackle the elephant in the room.
I don’t advise anyone try to talk their customers out of a “no.”
Why? Because it’s icky. We value consent around here and don’t advocate using r*pe culture tactics in sales.
So. We get to let our customers have a sovereign “no.” And when we are told “no,” we respect it and stop trying to market or sell the same offer to those folks.
This, however, does not mean we have to stop marketing in general. When it’s a “no” to our whole business, a “no” to all our offers- they can & should leave our audience. Unsubscribe. Unfollow. Mute.
Businesses sell things. Following a business, signing up for their emails, implies consent that you are opting into being exposed to what businesses do: sell.
Following up is also not a violation of consent if we simply haven’t heard back. That is- as long as we aren’t excessive about it. (This is why I usually cap my follow-up attempts at 2.)
I think about it like texting. My sister forgets if she can’t answer right away. I know this about her, so I just remind her later. I don’t assume she’s stopped loving me or wanting to hear from me when I don’t get an answer. I just understand she’s busy and has a lot of demands on her time and attention. I know her not answering a text sometimes doesn’t reflect anything about me, how much she values me, or how “good” my message was. If she actually does have a problem with me, I trust her to tell me- like an adult.
Now, I know that, unfortunately, not everyone is as cool as my sister and not everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt the way she does.
But. Since I can’t know every contact for my business as well as I know my sister, it makes me feel better to assume it’s like with my sister. They love me, they want to hear from me, they thought the message was great- they just got distracted and forgot when they couldn’t answer right away.
This helps me do marketing more effectively - by empowering me to follow up without any mind drama. And knowing that I respect a “no” when I hear one, I don’t worry that the follow-up is compromising my values.
So, if I decide to just think of the lack of response this way. Who is it hurting? No one.
They Love You And Want To Hear From You
So, assume they love you and want to hear from you. If not, they’ll tell you otherwise or excuse themselves.
This makes following up sooooo much easier. And that makes making money, signing aligned clients, and scoring glowing reviews sooooo much easier. Win, win, win, win, win.
Did you find these mindset shifts helpful? There’s plenty more where that came from! Join The Squad 🎉 where you get me as your own personal Marketing Confidence Cheerleader & a roomful of badass, powerful boss babes to hype you up as you go get those big dreams of yours. Marketing triggers a lot of emotional marketing dragons, it’s easier to tame them in a community that will lovingly hold you accountable and keep you motivated and inspired.
