Business owners know how important it is to retain old customers and keep them satisfied, but also how crucial it is to keep the new ones coming. They also know how hard it is to turn a good lead into a responsive client, even after the offer they cannot refuse has been sent their way.
Simply, sales are much more than offering the right thing at the right time.
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Clients nowadays want a more personal approach from brands and companies, and they are likely to go with a company that can provide them with a more personalized experience compared to those who offer the best deal.
To help you turn good prospects into returning clients, we decided to show you how you can improve your sales efforts and make your game more personalized. For that reason, in this article, we talk about the importance of follow-ups after a quote and give ultimate tips on how to do it efficiently.
Why should you always follow up after a quote?
Follow-ups on quotes are crucial if you want to turn good leads into paying customers for several reasons.
Follow-ups keep an open line of communication and allow leads to ask questions and get more familiar with a company and their offer. Open communication, further, promotes trust and makes customers more likely to accept the offer.
Secondly, sending follow-ups increases the likelihood of sealing the deal. There is plenty of reasons why leads don’t respond to sales emails. Emails companies send might come at the wrong time, they might end up in the spam or junk folder, or customers are simply reluctant to commit to the offer right away and they have additional questions. Follow-up emails, in that sense, can serve as a tool that can eliminate these reasons and reassure customers they are choosing the right company.
Lastly, follow-up emails help companies stand out from the crowd and look more professional. Follow-up emails show potential customers that a certain company cares about them. Using Magento 2 email templates for your follow-up emails provides reassurance about your customer service, increases trust in your company, and makes customers more likely to purchase your services.
15+ Ways To Follow Up With a Client On A Quote
Now, that we understand better why follow-ups on estimates are important, let’s see how you can do it efficiently.
Generally speaking, you can follow up on a quote in three different ways:
- By sending an email
- By sending a message
- By calling the client
How to follow up on a client by sending an email
Email follow-ups are, by far, the most popular and effective way of catching up with customers. There are plenty of reasons why that is the case including the ability to automate and personalize them effortlessly, the fact they’re easy to track and allow sales reps and companies to stay organized.
Here are a few examples of how to follow up with a client on a estimates via email effortlessly.
- Reference your previous email
We get a lot of emails daily, and sometimes it’s way too hard to keep track of everything. That said, your leads might be unaware of your previous conversation or emails you’ve sent, and it’s important to remind them why you’re reaching out.
While doing that, make sure to be concise and explain why you’re contacting them at the beginning, so it’s immediately clear why you’re reaching out.
You can start your email with some of these sentences:
Regarding my last email about…
I’m reaching out regarding my offer…
I wanted to check if you had time to check the offer I’ve sent…
I sent you an email on [date] and wanted to check what you think about my offer…
- Write a catchy subject line
Many people don’t open promotional (or seemingly promotional) emails, and most of them end up in junk. Unless they have a catchy subject line. That said if you want to write a good follow-up that sells, make sure to write a relevant and catchy subject line that will impress your leads enough to open and read your email.
However, don’t forget to make the reason for your email clear, so your leads know what you exactly want.
Lastly, remember to write a subject line that has between six and ten words, avoid capitals, and avoid using too many emojis.
- Make it personal
A good way to send follow-up emails is to make them more personalized. And, while they do take more time to craft, they increase the chances of sealing the deal.
You can start your personalized follow-up email by crafting a subject line that will directly address the customer’s problem, and in the body mention something from your previous conversation which will show you remember and care about each customer individually.
Lastly, at the end of an email, you can tell them you’re open to any question and provide more ways they can reach out to you.
- Offer a solution
Another great way to send successful follow-up emails is to directly address the problem your leads might have. However, for this, you need to employ your research skills, and put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
For instance, if you know your clients struggle with finding new leads, and you offer a lead-generation solution, you can start your email by saying:
This is how you can increase your lead generation struggles…
Increase your leads by 40% using our solution…
- Give something for free
Some leads might be more reluctant to purchase your services due to budget constraints. However, if you offer them deals and discounts, they might be more ready to accept the offer.
There’s a wide array of things you can offer including a free trial period, a discount for the first year of using your software, and so on.
- Calculate how much they profit
Some leads only see expenses when it comes to signing the deal. If that is the case, make sure to provide them with a good reason why they should go with your services.
If you already had a conversation with them, you can suppose how much they spend on certain things (it doesn’t have to be money, you might be able to save them time) and show them in the follow-up email how they’ll benefit from your services.
More specifically, provide them with an approximate calculation of how they’ll save money or improve their processes by hiring you.
- Think about what the competition is doing
Think about what your competitors are doing, find their pain points, and offer something better to your leads. If they already use a competitor’s services, try to guess what kind of problems they have, and offer a solution to this problem. For instance, they might be using the services of a well-known provider who doesn’t have time to personalize their service or be as flexible as you are. By showing your leads you can eliminate these problems, you’re setting yourself up for success, and increasing the likelihood of sealing the deal.
- Ask if they got your quote
If you sent your quote, but never got a response, a good way to spike a conversation is to ask the lead if they got it. Chances are they missed it, or maybe they thought your offer is too expensive, or that it doesn’t address their specific needs. Whatever the case is, asking why you never got a response subtly will help you eliminate these hurdles and improve the chances of sealing the deal.
- Ask if they have any questions
If you feel the lead is still indecisive about your offer, you can ask them if they have any questions. This will help you persuade them that you can help them improve, by offering concrete solutions to their problems.
- Tell them their offer will expire soon
Nothing helps sales reps get their responses faster than urgency. If you sent your quote and you never got a response, a good way to spike a conversation again is by reminding clients that their offer is a one-time deal and if they don’t use it, they’ll lose it.
- Show you understand their needs
A good way to increase the chances of sealing the deal is by putting yourself in your client’s shoes. In your follow-up email, you can state how you understand how busy they are, and how much they struggle with x or y and briefly show them how you can fix it for them.
- Show how you did magic for other clients
You can always mention your past experiences with other clients to increase the chances of sealing the deal. You can either send a bullet point within an email with your results or link to various case studies that show what your capabilities are.
How to follow up on a client by sending a message
Besides email follow-ups, you can follow up with your leads via text messages too. Generally speaking, you can send two types of text messages: manual and automated, depending on your preferences and needs.
While manual text messages can be good in terms of personalization, they usually take some time to type and write, which can be ineffective for those who tend to send follow-ups on a mass scale. Furthermore, by sending manual messages companies are more prone to typos, which can make them look unprofessional.
Lastly, as the business grows it becomes harder and harder to send and keep track of manual SMS follow-ups, which is why so many companies choose to go with automated solutions.
The best way to send text message follow-ups is to keep them brief and concise. You should make them more personal to show that you know who they are, and briefly explain what you can do for them and how you can improve their day-to-day life.
Ultimately, a follow-up text message should end with a CTA to keep open lines of communication and increase the chances of sealing the deal.
How to follow up on a client by a call
Follow-ups by phone are less popular, and companies and sales reps are using them less and less. Even though they might add a more personal touch, they’re inconvenient and hard to track, which is why so many companies choose to go with emails and text messages.
However, we don’t advise you to abandon this method altogether. Instead, follow the customer’s lead and follow up with a phone call if you sense they’d be happier if your communication is done via this method.
The best way to follow up by a phone call is to always remember the customer’s name and title, remind them who you are, and always ask them if they have time to talk to you (or when is the best time for you to call), and the reason why you’re calling.
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