It’s easy to think of follow-through as one of the small things in selling.
Send the information you promised. Return the phone call. Check that the order arrived. Get back to the customer when you said you would.
But these small actions tell a customer something much bigger.
Can I rely on this salesperson when it really matters?
Have you noticed the swing of a very good golfer, like Tiger Woods for example or Greg Norman, (when he was at his best ) ?
Isn't their follow through fabulous to watch ?
That follow through is one of the reasons they can drive the ball so far.
I would like to suggest that, in sales, your follow through is just as important.
This fact was driven home to me 15 years ago.
Let me relate the story to you.
I had recently joined a startup company and, as you might imagine, we were very keen to find new business.
I decided to visit an old customer of mine. In my previous job, I had built the business with this customer from nothing to around $350,000 a year.
We didn't have anything specific to offer them at the time, but I thought it was worth having a conversation to see whether any opportunities might emerge.
The CEO, Ian, was happy to see me.
Unfortunately, our discussion didn't uncover any immediate business opportunities. But as I was leaving, I casually asked:
" How is my successor doing ? " (at my previous company)
I will never forget Ian's ( the CEO's ) response :
Ian said,
"He came out to see me about two months ago and we talked about X & Y products. I asked for some technical details on them. He said to me, "Leave it with me", and you know Greg that's exactly where it has stayed, WITH HIM !"
My successor lost most of the business I had started with that customer. I can't say for certain that it was to do with his lack of follow-through but I'll bet it played a big part.
Customers need suppliers — and salespeople — they can rely on.
They want to know that if you promise something, you will do it.
Someone who will make sure there is stock there for them, alert them to upcoming supply issues and pull some extra strings in THEIR time of need.
How can they expect you to perform that task if you can't send them the literature they asked for or return their phone calls ? If you can't fulfil your promises with little tasks, under no pressure, how can they trust you with their livelihood?
Buyers notice the small things.
Remember, reliability is one of the foundations of trust.
I can hear some of you saying.
"But when I got back to the office there was no literature left".
Sometimes circumstances change.
Perhaps the information isn't available. Stock has run out. Someone else has delayed an answer. Or you discover that what you promised will take longer than expected.
The important thing is not to disappear.
If you cannot deliver when you said you would, tell the customer as soon as you know.
Explain what has happened, give them a realistic new expectation, and then follow through on that commitment.
Two simple habits help:
Trust is not built by never having a problem.
It is built partly by how reliably you handle the problems that inevitably occur.
Customers don't judge your reliability only when something major goes wrong.
They judge it every time you say:
“I'll get back to you.”
“I'll send that through.”
“I'll check and let you know.”
Each promise is small, but each one either strengthens or weakens their confidence in you.
So don't think of follow-through as an administrative task that happens after the selling.
It is part of the selling.
Because every time you do what you said you would do, you give the buyer another reason to trust you.