Off the Cuff: Networking Your Way to Success: Part 3 of 3

SALES & MARKETING

Off the Cuff: Networking Your Way to Success: Part 3 of 3

July 19, 2010
By Mark L. Venit, MBA, Contributing Writer

In Parts 1 and 2, we looked at the basics of networking and opportunities to meet potential buyers — including groups you can join, speaking to community groups and inviting groups to tour your business to see your production facilities and your staff in action — and a starting point for lead follow-up. We’ll continue the prescribed follow-up agenda here in Part 3.

The First E-Mail Follow-Up
The day after fielding the prospect’s call, the Mommy sends an e-mail that a) asks the prospect if the e-mail quote and propaganda was received; b) offers to answer remaining questions or provide suggestions and alternatives; and c) informs the prospect you mailed a package with additional information.

The First Telephone Follow-Up
Two to three days after the package has been mailed, call to a) ask the prospect if your company’s package has arrived and whether it has been opened and reviewed; b) offer again to answer remaining questions or provide suggestions and alternatives; and c) inform the prospect you’d welcome the opportunity to do business.

Yes, you are simply reiterating your follow-up e-mail. If you get a reply to your e-mail, a telephone call may not be necessary — unless it’s to take an order! If you got no response, that fact alone gives you a good reason to call.

In addition to the initial e-mail, the first e-mail follow-up, the informational packet sent and the first telephone follow-up you made a few days earlier, your prospect will know the name of your company, the rep’s name and what your company has to offer. If no response to e-mails is made and if the rep has been unsuccessful after repeated attempts to reach the prospect by phone, it can be assumed the prospect is no longer interested in hearing from your company or the rep — for now. Wait a few weeks and contact the prospect again to find out what, if anything, is coming up that you may be able to quote on.

The out-of-pocket cost to do everything discussed in Part 2, including postage, printed materials and a promotional product, is about $3 to $10. For this investment, you’ve cultivated a new or future customer, or a referral to someone else down the road. For a few bucks, it’s a bargain in qualitatively building your account base. But if your mommies are good at what they do and are sufficiently motivated to work their leads, there’s a good chance your rep’s batting average will be respectable and only improve over time.

Future Follow-Ups
In the next month, the outside sales rep or customer service salesperson sends the prospect another e-mail and/or another piece of snail mail, and calls once or twice again. And if it’s part of the rep’s responsibilities, a personal visit to the account is warranted, if feasible, and the prospect grants an appointment. (I’m not big on pop-in visits, but we’ll leave that as your and the rep’s call.)

During the coming year, send appropriate e-mails every six to eight weeks, and a snailmailer (of any type) three to four times. Within the year, you’ll have likely earned the patronage of this prospect with well-deserved first order — and hopefully more. It’s a percentage game at this point, and if you’ve implemented the agenda I’ve recommended — including developing and publishing your own express catalog and price list — I’m confident that the percentages will work in your favor.

Mark L. Venit, MBA, is president of Apparel Graphics Institute Ltd., Ocean Pines, Md., which provides management and marketing consulting and proprietary research to apparel graphics companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He also is the chairman of ShopWorks Software LLC, a provider of industry-specific business software. Venit teaches pricing, strategic marketing, salesmanship and other business management topics at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. You can contact him at markvenit@cs.com.

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