There is no debating how important it is to follow up with clients. When a client hasn’t responded back right away, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are no longer interested. Life might have intervened, or they are still trying to decide if going with your services is the right thing to do. You definitely want to be consistent with your outreach to ensure them that they ARE choosing wisely. With knowing this, there are a number of questions that is sure to plague your mind.
Am I being too pushy?
Following up with a client is definitely not being pushy. Sometimes a client might be far too busy to get back to you and your attempt of outreach acts as a reminder to them. If they are interested, your reaching out will start the conversation needed to closing the deal. In addition to a reminder, you are demonstrating to your clients that you are organized and truly want to work with them.
How often do I reach out?
The answer to this question definitely depends on the type of client you are conducting your outreach to. There will be times when the effort is far more valuable and worth it than others. Knowing which those are can be detrimental to the growth of your own company. Here are some types of clients and how often, if ever, you should follow up.
The disappearing client.
You’ve spoken to this client, they seemed on the fence with whether or not to go with your services, but their “yes” cried far louder than their “no”. In this situation, you should wait about 7 days. If you haven’t heard back from them, reach out again on the 8th day. Draft an email asking if they had any questions or concerns regarding your project together. Be readily available for them if they need you. The verbiage in your email is very important. You don’t want to come across as annoyed that you have not heard from them yet. You want to sound sincere and excited at the thought of possibly working together.
The client you never hear from again after a completed project.
A huge part of being an entrepreneur is retaining your clients. When completing a project, you want to make sure your clients know you’re still there. You want them to know that when they need another project done, they can go to you. In this situation, wait about a month to reach out. Ask the client how they like the work that was completed for them, and if there were any questions they may have. This opens up opportunity to offer more of your services and upgrades. Even if they don’t continue working with you on new projects, it will at least provide you with the opportunity to improve your skills and ethic when they provide feedback.
Is there an expiration to when I stop reaching out?
Because you want to be consistent, the average amount of time recommended to reach out to clients that have not signed back up for more of your services would be 6 months. You will want to demonstrate that you are still interested in the growth of their organization. So, be sure to ask engaging questions on their progress, where they could use help and how you can be beneficial to the continuation of their success.
Keeping track of all your clients and the passing time could be difficult without a Client Relationship Management (CRM) system; so be sure to research which would be the best for your business, and how easily you can keep track of present and former clients. But at the end of the day, when you show to your clients that you are organized, and you care about their success, your future will be just as promising!