Mastering the Follow-Up: How to Keep Your Leads Engaged and Interested

Coming off the back of one of our biggest events of the year (Accountex), I’ve been reflecting on the best time to follow up on those hot leads you scanned! In sales, as we all know, one of the most critical aspects is the follow-up. After a promising conversation with a potential client, it’s tempting to assume they’re inundated with other offers or calls and decide to wait a few days before reaching out again. However, this delay can often result in missed opportunities.

When you’ve engaged in a meaningful discussion and identified genuine interest, your leads will almost expect timely communication. A colleague of mine described it as like having a ‘fast pass at a theme park’, and that’s 100% true. But this advantage is time-sensitive, and as time passes, so does that fast pass, and day-to-day work starts to take over.

It’s time to think about setting some robust and strategic follow-up tactics to ensure you maximise the ROI of your event (and let's be honest, these events are never cheap). Here are a few things I consider when planning post-event activity:

Be Prompt and Valuable in Your Communication
After a solid initial conversation, follow up swiftly with information that matters to your prospect. Share insights, answer their specific questions, and provide value that reinforces your earlier discussion. This not only keeps the dialogue going but also demonstrates your commitment to meeting their needs.

Leverage Personalised Communication
Can’t reach your lead via those initial phone calls? You are probably not the only one, but bombarding the receptionist probably won't solve this. Why not stand out by sending a personalised video or maybe even a LinkedIn/WhatsApp audio message? It’s amazing how a tailored video or audio message can demonstrate that personal investment you have, capturing attention in a more ‘human’ way.

Not Every Lead Will Buy Today
Not every lead will be ready to commit immediately, right? This is where you can engage your wider marketing team to ensure some further value-driven activity, which can help in warming up these leads over time and ensuring you can stay top of mind without being intrusive. This could be where a white paper, webinar, or a few videos could be useful.

Balance Persistence with Respect
Persistence is key. After all, it’s probably the number one skill needed to be a truly great salesperson. However, persistence should be balanced with respect for your prospect’s time. Remember to space out your follow-ups enough to stay relevant and front of mind without coming across as too pushy. Patience combined with regular, thoughtful communication can often win over even the busiest prospects.

Conclusion
We all know that effective follow-up can significantly influence your sales success post-event. By acting quickly, providing value, and employing creative communication methods, you can maintain and even heighten the interest of your prospects. Don’t let your VIP pass expire—keep your leads engaged and move closer to closing the deal. Take the initiative and turn those promising conversations into successful partnerships.

(Inspired by a LinkedIn post by Leigh Stallard, Nomad Video.)

By Phil Hobden, UK Product Lead, Silverfin