Stu Pringle
Founder
Why we should never, ever just follow up
“Just following up…” is the start of the end
Picture the scene. You’ve been to the big event, attended the pre-drinks networking the night before, and then turned up fresh and ready to go on day one. Once in the exhibition hall, you made rounds for two (or even three!) long days. You may have even gone to the hall drinks on a random stand at 5.30pm, followed by dinner sitting next to people you don’t know, and after that on to an afterparty where it was too loud to hear what anyone was saying, and it’s now too awkward to ask someone their name for a fourth time.
There could even have been karaoke.
It was exhausting, it drained the social battery, and your feet hurt. For some of us, there might even be a sneaky hangover in the mix.
But despite all of that, while you were there, you pushed through those squirmy feelings in your tummy and you approached the people you wanted to talk to on the stands, in the corridors, next to the coffee shop, and out in the lobby (but hopefully not in the toilets). You did the intros, you nailed the elevator pitch, you had the chats, and you got the contact details.
Winning. Job done, right…?
Ok, we know that’s not the case.
If we’re going to turn that hard graft into commercial opportunities, then we need to follow up.
But here’s the thing: we should never ‘just follow up.’
The problem is the sales ick
We’ve left the event with all the actions and next moves in our notes app of choice.
What next?
For the vast majority of the population (for those who are not self-proclaimed sociopaths), the next step can feel awkward.
The problem many of us face is best described as ‘the sales ick.’ More specifically, wording the next message feels excruciatingly painful. It’s either too salesy, too pushy, or is too vague, too formal, or informal, or is it misinformed… gah
Look, if you’re reading this, then I know you are already doing your thing and avoiding the obvious landmines like ‘I hope this email finds you well.’
(Note: no email, found anyone well, ever. We’ve all got our own sh!t going on).
We’re also not writing emails as if we’re in some sort of weird 18th-century corporate aristocracy. You know that, ‘dear sirs, ’ ‘synergies’ and ‘strategic’ alignments should be left firmly at the door.
So you sit there, with a blank LinkedIn DM or an email that consists of ‘Hi’ and your email signature.
What to write? That’s the sales ick, right there.
After what might seem like an eternity (and in a concerted effort not to find anyone well), you reach for what appears to be the next tool in the box and deploy the line, ‘just following up….’
And the moment we do that, we’ve probably lost.
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The buyer matters. You matter.
What I am talking about here is mindset. The small things count. By ‘just following up,’ what you are unconsciously doing is signaling to the other person that they should shunt you down their list of things they need to think about in their busy next few days.
We do not want to be there. If we’re going to have a real chance of getting the next discussion booked in, then we need to position ourselves as a peer of our buyer. And no peer starts with ‘just….’
Ok, I hear you. What should be done instead?
First of all, there are a few things that can be done at the show to help with the follow-up.
“That’s interesting. We should talk about that.”
A simple parting shot can work wonders. It opens the door to the follow-up, and it makes the message that little bit more expected, that little bit warmer, a little less icky.
(Personally, I think this mainlines into showing a bit of humanity – I’m not going to pitch you while you are on your stand, you’ve paid good money to be there, and this is your time, but we do need to talk.)
When we get to the message itself, how do we choose what goes in there?
Two thoughts here:
1. Keep it simple
2. Write how you speak
No one likes a long message. You are not seeking to close the deal in your follow-up; you are just looking to get to the next step.
And no one likes the overly formal message. In these sales conversations, write just as you speak. You know… be normal! For me personally, that’s relatively informal with a heaped tablespoon of directness.
The winning formula is context + hook + ask = secure next step
Context, hook, ask…
We talked at the show.
We discussed the things.
When we can, we set up some proper intros?
Keep it simple. Try it out, all in your own words.
When or If
Let’s get down into the details here. You’ll see the example above starts with ‘when’ and not ‘if.’ The positioning here is key. Cast your mind back to the show; did you have a brief discussion or a lengthy chat? The latter could make it appropriate to deploy a ‘when’ and not an ‘if.’
There’s no science here; it’s about maintaining that mindset of peer to peer. The buyer is undertaking significant work, and your team of experts is well-positioned to assist with that. They should talk. There is no need to overthink this.
Time kills deals
As a side point, the timeline matters. The chances of securing that subsequent step decay over time. The buyer goes from having you at potential forefront of their mind to receding back into the mists of last week. If you are going to go to the trouble of traveling to an event and doing the do, then please, please (I beg you!) do not sit on your actions for days on end. Time kills deals; act now.
Keep on it after the event
So, next time you’re on the way back from a big event, get on the case with those follow-ups straight away. Keep it simple. Ask for the next step. And whatever you do, don’t just follow up.