Follow-up is the Key to Success.

You’re prospecting efforts will not end up recruiting or signing up as many people into your Network Marketing business if you don’t have a follow-up system. And for good reason.

Most prospects don’t join on the first exposure or conversation. So you better have a way to follow-up, right?

It often takes a week and can take a month or even ninety days, with multiple follow-up calls and/or webinars, before some join.

You’ve heard the famous lead follow-up quote, “The fortune is in the follow-up,”

The mechanics of lead follow-up aren’t complicated.

It’s a matter of what you’ll do and say, and when, and being disciplined enough to do it. It’s a matter of leading your team members with an effective lead follow-up process through something as simple as saying the right words and acting appropriately for the best results.

It’s a matter or applying the right tools.

I recommend implementing a follow-up software system, many being free to 2000 contacts, which is ample for our business. Then show your team how to effectively operate the same follow-up system.

The purpose of following up with your prospect is to provide them additional information when asked and to get them to make a decision. If left alone, most prospects do NOTHING at all, even if they’ve expressed interest in what you’re selling.

You constantly must be in a state of closing the lead without using pressure or hype, but consistently getting them to make a decision.

Mechanical Steps to Lead Follow-up

Lead follow-up is not something you learn by osmosis but is an art form to be mastered through patience and time. You need to have a lead follow-up process that is effective and practiced frequently.

David M. Ward in his book Recruit and Grow Rich lays out three lead follow-up steps which you can do on a practical level with each prospect.

• Call when you said you’d call
• Verify they saw the information
• Always ask what did they liked best about what they saw and heard

If you never follow up with your leads, you will have to work harder to recruit them than if you had a few simple and efficient lead follow-up steps.

… Call When You Said You’d Call –

If you have a phone appointment scheduled, as I almost always do, call at the time of the appointment. Not early, not late, but right on time.

What does this do both for you and your prospect?

For yourself, it allows you to manage your lead follow-ups and time.

To the prospect it communicates that what you have to offer is a real business, with real money making potential, and not some game or hobby that you are dabbling in. It also magnifies you are one who keeps your promises.

What do you do when they miss the appointment, or they’re not there when you call? Leave a message if they’re not there when you call over the phone, but not keeping their appointment tells you they either aren’t interested or they’re not dependable. Either way, don’t spend much time with them.

… Verify that They Saw the Information –

You cannot expect to recruit a follow-up lead into your business unless they’ve at least seen what you have to offer through a video or some other means.

There are two scenarios for this type of lead follow-up situation. One is over the phone and the other is when they’re sitting with you.

Dealing with those over the phone involves a couple of simple actions.

We must admit technical failure and error happen. Whenever I make a lead follow-up call, the first thing I ask the prospect is, “We’re you able to see the video without problems?”

If they say they had problems watching it, just reschedule it.

If they didn’t see it because they didn’t keep their word as promised, that’s okay too. The fact they kept the appointment in spite of not watching the video counts in their favor. Just reschedule for a later lead follow-up call.

Here is a major lead follow-up tip. Don’t send out the video link prior to the appointment. I make the appointment, letting them know they are to be sitting at their computer with their email client opened BEFORE sending them the link.

I call them on the date and time of the appointment. When they answer, I ask them if they are at their computer with their email client open. Once they confirm both conditions, I send the link and while on the phone have them confirm they’ve received and opened it without problems. This will save you time and assure you they’re watching the video.

It is important you know the length of time for viewing the video that you sent them, so that you call them within thirty seconds to a minute when the video ends. Do not let it go past one minute when you call. If they are still watching the video when you call, it’s okay. Stay on the phone until they finish.

To those who are sitting with you in your presence, the exposure is done and you can skip this question.

… Always Ask What Did They liked Best about What They Saw and Heard –

Always, without exception, after an exposure of your video or audio message, ask a lead follow-up, “What did you like best about what you saw and heard?” I always follow that up with, “What was the best feature that fit your needs?” or “What makes sense to you?”

I truly want to know what the lead follow-up liked, not what they thought. Perhaps they thought the video file was blurry or not of a good quality. I don’t care what they thought about those things; I want to know what they liked, because it tells me what to focus on.

If they liked the money, I focus on that. I agree with them by telling them that it was the best feature I noticed when I first saw it. If they liked the fact it frees them from debt and a malcontent JOB, I talk to them about that. By focusing on the things they liked, we can move forward.

Sometimes they’ll say, “everything.” That’s always a great sign.

Whatever they liked, the odds are that I liked it too. So, I agree with them. Whatever they focus on, I might tell them a story about myself or a team member that focuses on what they like.

I especially am looking for people who say they like the business through statements about money, time freedom, retirement income, etc.

But if the lead follow-up likes the product and doesn’t mention the business, then don’t mention the business. These kinds of people make great customers, and you do need customers to make your business work toward a profit and stay compliant with federal and state laws.

What happens when a lead follow-up is vague or if you can’t tell what they are interested in? It depends. If you are dealing with lawyers, most are non-committal but it does not mean they’re not interested. Lawyers have a tendency to retort back with questions or say, “I’m not sure,” when asked what they liked best about the video.

The general rule is when anyone asks questions, not matter how vague or how specific, that is a good buying sign. Some will not seem interested but really are through body language and voice tone. They lean forward, they peer over their glasses or they speak faster than they normally speak. These are all buying signals.

Sometimes you will need to prompt them. An easy way to do this is say, “What do you think – would you like to get more information?”

If the lead follow-up says “no,” they’re definitely not interested. If they say “yes,” it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re interested in the business, it means they’re interested in seeing more information.

I always ask during this phase, if they show any buying signs or buying signals, “It sounds to me like you’re ready to join.” This is a test close to see where they are at in the process.

One of the last things I ask them during this phase is, “Based on what you’ve seen and heard, how would you rate your level of interest on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning, “not at all interested,” and 10 meaning, “I’m ready to get started now.”

If they rate themselves a 5 or below, talk to them about the products but move on. Stay in touch but don’t waste any more time with them.

If they rate themselves a 6 or above, ask additional questions to make sure they are a 6 and not just telling you that to yank your chain. You don’t want to waste your time with anyone 5 or below.

If a lead follow-up rates themselves 7 or above, they are highly interested and I move forward with, “It sounds like you need more information before we get you to a 10.” “Would you like more information?”

If they rate themselves a 10, I say, “Great! Are you in front of a computer? Let’s get you started.”

Remember, be professional and call when you say you’re going to call. Affirm they saw the information without problems. Always ask them the level of interest.

Close with questions, until you get the response that they are a level 6 or above. Otherwise, talk to them about the products but move onward and don’t spend extra time with them.