Chapter 16

Wrapping Up Calls and Setting Up the Next Action

You might determine on some of your Smart Calls that you are never going to contact that prospect again. You might decide that there isn’t a fit, or they might determine that for you. Not a problem: Stuff happens, and then you move on. Hey, not everyone will be a prospect for you. Actually, a big part of being successful in prospecting and sales is realizing that quickly and not wasting time with people who have neither the potential nor the desire to buy from you.

On the brighter side, of course, you will accomplish your ultimate primary objective: getting a potential sale. Great, we’re all good at handling those.

In many other instances, your Smart Call marks the beginning of a follow-up process, wherein your prospect will enter into a multicall sales cycle with you. Or perhaps while there isn’t much short-term potential, there could be future opportunities, and you elect to stay in touch. In this chapter, we’ll focus on how to determine who is worth following up with, how to maximize the effectiveness of those calls, and how to manage your time most efficiently in the process. Much of this occurs at the end of calls.

The Success of Your Follow-Up Call Is Determined on the Previous Call

Did you ever have a prospecting call that you felt went okay—you sent out literature afterwards and followed up—but then, on the ensuing follow-up call, the prospect suffered a case of amnesia, barely remembering who you were, let alone being interested in what you had to offer?

Or how about that gut-knotting feeling of staring at your prospect notes from a previous call as you prepare for the next one, racking your brain for—but not finding—what you’ll say on this call that’s more inspiring than “Well, ahh, I’m just calling you back to see if you got my brochure”?

If you’ve ever been in either of these scenarios—and most of us have—chances are that your previous call didn’t end strongly, with a clear summarization of what had been discussed and of what was to happen next—both before and during the next call. Let’s be sure this never happens again.

Here’s an undeniable truth about follow-up calls: Their success is directly proportionate to how well you conducted and wrapped up your previous contact. Ending a call with “Okay, I’ll just send you out some literature and give you a call back in a couple of weeks” virtually ensures your demise on the next contact. And rightfully so: There’s nothing specific here; no connection between this call and the next; no synopsis of the problem, need, or interest (if there was any at all); and no confirmation of who’s to do what next.

Granted, some of these prospects may have genuine interest in what you sell. But I find that many sales reps waste a lot of time chasing shadows—prospects who keep telling the rep to call back but who do not have one whit of an intention of ever buying. To avoid this futile exercise—to separate the buyers from the time-wasters and to ensure that you have a good reason to call back—you need to answer these three questions in very clear terms:

1. Why is a follow-up call necessary?
2. What do you need to do between now and the next call?
3. What will the prospect do between now and the next call?

Only if you are able to answer these will you have the maximum chance of success on the next call. You can’t end a prospecting call by rushing off the phone as soon as possible by blurting out, “Lemme send ya some information and I’ll get back in touch” and then expect them to be so exuberant over it that they immediately call you with an order. Normally, it results in the worrisome rep scratching his head before the follow-up call, fretting because he’s coming up empty when thinking of something more brilliant to say on the next call than “Well, what did you think of the literature?”

Even if a potential client is interested, most people are not going to think about you any further until the next call—unless, that is, you give them a reason to take action. So let’s go over how you can do this and how you can answer the three questions I mentioned earlier, paving the way for a solid follow-up call.

1. Why Call Back?
Too many reps commit to a callback but aren’t sure why. A follow-up call to a prospect should occur only when you’ve thoroughly qualified the person you’re speaking with as having the interest, the need, the authority, and the money to buy. Then you should know—in very specific terms—why this call is required. Exactly what action needs to be taken before the sale can be closed? For example, some types of industries, products, and call strategies stretch the sales process out over several contacts: The first call might be to qualify, generate interest, and send out a link to an online demo. The second call would be a fact-finding mission to gather enough information for a proposal, and so on. However, other salespeople operate on a one- or two-call close system. It is in these cases that sales reps should know why they are calling again if a sale isn’t accomplished on the first or second contact. Perhaps upper-level management needs to sign off on such a purchase, or the prospect truly does need to talk it over with someone. Whatever the case, be sure you know exactly why that decision can’t be made today. And be sure it is a real reason: it is the hobby of some prospects to keep salespeople twisting in the wind, teasing them with a decision that never may occur, providing excuses like “We’re still evaluating it” and “It still is under discussion. (See our discussion on clarifying fuzzy phrases in the Questioning chapter.)
2. What Will You Do?
The second question you need to answer is: What do you need to do between now and the next call? This could involve sending out or checking on a price quote or researching for competitive information. The point is this: Let prospects know what you will be doing for them, and then do it.
3. Assign Homework
Finally, to get prospects involved, you need to assign homework. If they are truly interested (and they are, because you are calling them back—right?), then you need to get them to commit to doing something between now and the next call. For example, they’ll talk it over with their boss or find out specifically when they will be meeting. Get their assurance that they are going to recommend your products in the meeting. This is critical, since if they won’t agree to do something—anything—before the next contact, it’s a sign that they really don’t see enough value in taking action. A few ways to breach these topics are:
“Are you going to recommend to your boss that this is what you do?”
“What will happen on your end when you receive the sample?”
“What will happen between now and our next call?”
If, for instance, they promise to study your product materials, then point out particular areas they would be interested in—and then get their commitment that they are going to read it:
“Okay, John, to review: Before our next conversation, I’m going to e-mail the comparison report, which you will have on Friday. I’ll highlight the page number you should study to get the figures you need. On Monday, you’ll be meeting with your boss and presenting my proposal with your recommendation at that time, right? Good. What other information might I be able to provide that would help in the meeting?”
To help qualify and solidify a prospect’s commitment, ask her to send you something after a call. For example, a brochure, product sample, or invoice from a present supplier. It gets her more involved and gives you useful information.

Summarizing the Call

The call ending is so critical to your follow-up success that we should break down its components even further. Here’s what you should cover at the end of your calls to ensure a fluid transition from this contact to the next. (By the way, all of this presumes you didn’t get a sale—since we’re all pretty good at wrapping up those calls.)

The Need or Problem and Their Interest

Revisit what they are interested in and why.

What They Will Do

At the very minimum, you should get a commitment that they will read your material and prepare questions, test your sample and evaluate it according to criteria you’ve both discussed, and take your proposal to the committee with their recommendation. This is critical! If you don’t get a commitment for action, this person might not ever become a customer. Asking for and getting some type of action commitment is my way of tightly qualifying people. Again, if they’re not taking action, why are you calling back?

What You’ll Do

Review what you’ll do, what you’ll send, who you’ll speak with, or whatever you promised.

When You’ll Talk Next

Don’t say, “How ’bout I call you in a couple of weeks?” Let them give you a date and tie it to their commitment: “Carol, by what date do you think you will have collected all of the inventory figures we’ll need for our next conversation?”

Not only do you have a date but also, again, you have their commitment that they’ll perform their duties.

The Next-Call Agenda

Go over what’s to happen next; it plants a seed as to what they should expect on the following call. Here’s an example of how:

“Let me go through what we’ve covered today. You feel that Advantage Inc. will provide you with better availability, you like our customer service policies, and while you do want to get going with that new inventory program we offer, you need to wait to get funding in the next budget, which you’re going to suggest. And we’ll plan on talking on May 5, when I call you again.”

Smart Calling E-Mail Tip
Right after your call, send an e-mail to summarize the conversation and what is to happen between now and the next call. Then, send another with a similar message. You now will have had two more touches before your next contact, which will help to ensure that prospects did what they promised.

How to Set a Specific Time for the Follow-Up Call

To further cement the likelihood of success on the follow-up call, I suggest setting a specific time for your next call. What’s interesting to me is that most telephone sales reps say this at the end of their call: “Okay, Mary, I’ll just plan on giving you a call back in a couple of weeks.”

What if you were going out to meet someone at their office and said something similar? “So Mary, I’ll just plan on popping in and giving my demonstration, maybe in a couple of weeks.”

When you suggest a specific time for a telephone appointment and treat it just as you would a face-to-face appointment, you send a clear message that your time is valuable (as is your contact’s) and that what you’re going to discuss is significant. Granted, you might not be able to logistically set an appointment for every call you place—nor would you want to—but everyone has those important follow-up contacts worthy of an appointment.

Most people view the phone as a less formal tool and aren’t used to setting phone appointments. That’s okay; it’s actually something that you can use to your advantage. Requesting a phone appointment shows that both your time and theirs is valuable—and that you are therefore not a typical sales rep.

You need to be specific in setting your appointments. Meekly suggesting that you speak again “next Thursday afternoon” is vague and easy for the prospect to disregard. He or she is really thinking, Sure, you can call then. I don’t know if I’ll be here or not, and it’s really not that important anyway.

So, you need to be firm and set a solid appointment. Here’s how.

“Mike, let’s schedule our next conversation. You mentioned you will have tested the sample by next Thursday, so does Friday look good for us to speak again?” Assuming the prospect affirms, continue with “Good, do you have your calendar handy? Is there any time better than another? Morning, maybe?”

Wait for his answer, check your schedule, and then narrow down the choice: “Okay, please put me down for 11:15, your time, I’ll e-mail an invite, and I’ll call you. Does that work?” Place emphasis on “your time” and “I’ll call you” so you’re clear on the responsibilities. End with: “I’ve got you on my calendar, and unless I hear from you otherwise, I’ll call you next Friday at 11:15. And if you have the sample and your notes ready then, we can go over them.”

Again, this reviews the details, reminds your prospect of what he or she is going to do before the call, and sets an agenda for the next contact.

Many of the people you speak with may be caught off guard by this approach. However, when they realize you are serious, they recognize that you are different from many of the other salespeople who call them, and they will remember you for your professionalism.

Smart Calling Tips
1. Ask your prospects if they receive meeting invitations by e-mail, and if so, send one to them. (Don’t assume everyone uses the same technology as you.)
2. If their assistants keep their calendar, tell them that you will speak with that person to arrange the next call.

What to Put in Your Notes to Ensure a Great Follow-Up Call

Planning a great follow-up call requires that you take great notes from the previous call. So what should you record in your postcall? I use my ACTION sales model as a prompt for what I should cover during the call and what to put in the notes afterward so I can plan for the next. ACTION serves as an acronym for my to-do list; each letter of the word represents a category of information I need or something I’ll do.

Authority. What is the specific decision-making hierarchy, including users, influencers, and money controllers? This is much more than just the name and title of the decision maker. It requires that I map the entire journey the decision-making process needs to take.
Commitment. What did your prospects commit to do as a result of the call?
Timing. When will they buy, and when will we speak next?
Interest/Need. What, specifically, are they interested in, and why?
Overview. Did I summarize at the end of the call what is to happen before our next contact?
Notes. All of this relevant information needs to be recorded in your notes. Create or update your information in each of these categories, Also include in your notes:
Information You Need on the Next Call. Remind yourself what to ask next time.
Possible Next-Call Objectives. What better time to partially plan your next contact than while this one is still fresh in your mind?
Opening Statement Ideas. Ditto the previous reason.

What’s that, you say? Can’t take the time after a call to do all of this? Think again. These steps actually save you time in preparing your next call and ensure that your calls are as solid as possible.

Use a Last-Resort Question before Giving Up

When an advertising sales rep called my office recently, I quickly and courteously notified her that I wasn’t a good prospect and that we shouldn’t waste our time speaking further. She said, “Well, how about if I send you out a media kit anyway, and you can look at it and I’ll give you a call back.”

I reiterated that I didn’t need a kit, since I wasn’t a potential buyer, and I was already very familiar with the publication.

She sent the kit. (Probably had a quota for getting X number of lit kits out, without regard for whether the person was interested.) Then she called a few days later and said, “I sent you the material and was wondering if you got it.”

Trying to maintain my cool, I said, “Look, I told you last time I wasn’t a prospect for you, and you wasted your time, your printing, your postage, and my time with this call.”

In a situation like this, she should have used a last-resort technique on the initial call. After recognizing that I honestly wasn’t a potential buyer, she could have said, “Could you ever see situations changing where this would even be a possibility for you?” If I had answered yes, it would have provided an opening for her to ask, “What would those situations be?” That would have given her the opportunity to at least stay on the call and ask me questions to determine if there were any need areas she could fill. It might have also been an opportunity for her to help me realize that maybe I did not have enough information about her product and that perhaps I was indeed a prospect for what she was selling.

Smart Calling Exercise
How to Get a Graduate Degree in Sales
One of the simplest ways to improve and become wildly successful in sales presents itself to you every day, multiple times. I bet you’re not taking advantage of it. And doing so can earn you a graduate degree in sales.
Nothing magic, secret, or dramatic here: it simply entails taking a moment to briefly review every call you place. We don’t learn nearly as much performing an activity as we do after it, by reviewing and analyzing our experiences. You can earn a graduate degree by simply assessing your calls and committing to take action where improvement is needed. It’s a short, two-question process:
1. Ask, “What did I like about this call?”
Reinforce a deed well done. What gets rewarded gets repeated.
2. Ask, “What would I have done differently?”
Notice the wording here. It’s positive and proactive and provides you something to work on and learn from. Don’t ask the destructive question, “What didn’t I like?” and don’t darken your attitude with self-talk like, “I really blew that call.” Instead, ponder what you could have done differently. This allows you to replay the call, conduct a mental role play, and search for phrases you’ll use next time.
And that’s how you improve and earn better than a graduate degree in the process.

Smart Calling Action Step

What will you commit to do as a result of this chapter?

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