I was talking to a friend who has a personal chef business. She gets a lot of inquiries every week and she is picky choosing her customers. She gives higher quotes to those she doesn’t think are going to take the service, and then lets it go. When someone like this books her, she is thrilled because of the better rate she will make that day!
So I got to asking her, “What are the stages she takes contacting the prospect?” Her answer was “I don’t like to bother people; I email them the quote and let them call me.” What if they don’t call? Are you just going to let it go? She says that her prospects won’t book her if they get nudged.
I can understand what she is talking about. I know I don’t like to be bothered all day by sales reps, but the one thing she is forgetting here is that the prospect turned to her to order the service. This is not a cold call where someone might feel bothered when the phone rings. This call is simply a reminder, “What did you think of the quote and would you like to book me now?” I believe that most of the people who are looking for a service and get quotes will book on an inbound call. I for one am always busy and keep on forgetting do to stuff, I even say “Thanks for calling me back”.
How much fun is it to make a sale! Always do follow up calls, what is the worst that can happen?
Hi Eagle,
I like your post on follow up calling. One thing is what if this personal chef’s prospects / clients are very high end individuals who value their privacy. They probably count on the professionalism of this chef and don’t want to be annoyed. That said a follow up call cannot hurt and may even help this chef book more clients.