Follow Up As Soon As You Hang Up!
After an initial conversation with a prospect, whether you called them or they called you, don't wait to start your follow up. Right away, build on the momentum of your freshness in their mind by sending an email message in which you:
1. Thank them for their interest, for taking the time to speak with you, for visiting your web site or anything else they went out of their way to do.
2. Express what you understand to be the challenge they face. Use as many of the words they used as you can.
3. Refer to an experience or project in your background that supports your claim that you are the right resource to help them.
4. Provide a link to your web site and, in particular, a case study or article that is most relevant, based on what you know so far about their challenge.
If too much time passes before you follow up, sometimes even a day or two, the conversation may slip into the recesses of their mind, or blur with that of others like you, and therefore won't make as strong of an impact.
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Ilise Benun, author of Self Promotion Online and Designing Websites for Every Audience, writes, consults and gives workshops about online and offline self promotion.
