Most customers need more than one interaction with a business before they feel comfortable buying anything.

While the first point of contact is crucial for capturing attention and generating interest, you need to commit to nurturing your leads if you want them to settle on a purchase.

Sales professionals often spend all their time creating beautiful marketing campaigns, attractive emails, and fantastic software demos, forgetting how important it is to regularly interact with customers and demonstrate value.

Studies have even found that 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups to close a deal, yet 44% of sales reps follow up with a prospect just once, and a staggering 94% of them give up by the fourth interaction.

With the following techniques, you can get your lead nurturing strategy back on track and improve your chances of earning loyal, valuable customers.

Use a Variety of Techniques for Following Up

Emails and phone calls are still an excellent way to connect with your target audience, but they won’t always be the best platforms for every customer. Busy professionals and B2B clients receive around 120 new emails each day, and they only respond to around 25% of them. Many of your leads won’t always have time to answer the phone, even going so far as to block calls during work hours.

Since your follow-up efforts will only work if you’re actually reaching your customers, you have to try a few different avenues to make sure you’re being effective.

For instance, try social media. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with busy professionals who like to stay in touch with their business network. Try sending a direct message or two, so they can see them the next time they log in.

Or, send a text. SMS messaging is still a popular way to communicate, particularly at a time when people aren’t always sitting at a desktop or laptop and instead use a smartphone to stay available. If you send your prospects a text, they’re highly likely to open it, giving you a chance to pique their interest.

Also, it never hurts to ask how they prefer to be contacted. One of the easiest ways to ensure you reach your customers is to ask for their preference on how they’d like to keep in touch. Some people will want to book in-person meetings, while others will prefer video calls or instant chat.

Make a note of the platforms each client uses to respond to you, so you know where you should try and reach them in the future.

Make Every Follow Up Valuable

Your prospects don’t want to feel like you’re constantly hounding them for money. When you follow up with your lead, the interaction should deliver something valuable to them.

If someone signs up for your email newsletter but doesn’t make a purchase, or gives you access to their contact details without buying anything, start by reaching out and asking what kind of problems they’re trying to solve.

Rather than pitching a specific product straight away, you should ask your lead what kind of problems they’re trying to solve that are related to your niche and let them know you’re there to help them find the right solution.

Once you know what your customer needs, look for ways you can highlight your product or service as the right answer to their issue.

A SaaS company, for instance, could offer their customer a free trial of their software, highlighting the features that may solve the most burning problems that the customer pointed out.

To give you an example, if your business sells accounting software and your client is having trouble tracking cash flow, give them a free trial with video guides teaching them how to use cash flow features in your product.

If you think your customer might need a little extra help, show your commitment by arranging a time for a value-driven demo, where you can show that client exactly how your service can help them address the specific issues they’re trying to tackle.

There are various other ways to increase your chances of customer growth, as well.

If you want to show thought leadership, earn customer trust, and deliver immediate value, consider providing links to blogs, eBooks, and guides. Just make sure the content you share is relevant to the customer’s problem.

Offering deals and discounts is another way to show your customer your commitment to serving their specific needs. You could even offer to build a bespoke deal just for them, based on the services they need.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to demonstrate social proof. Use case studies, reviews, and testimonials to demonstrate how you’ve helped other companies overcome the same hurdles your new lead is dealing with.

This shows your customer how capable you are while providing value by highlighting solutions to their problems.

Use Triggers and Action Steps to Keep the Conversation Going

Most sales and marketing teams create sequences of follow-up emails with triggers to determine when to send certain messages. This can be a great way to ensure you’re connected with your lead at the right time.

While the triggers you used to initiate follow-ups will depend on your business and type of customer, most strategies include:

• The “thank you” or “welcome” email after the initial meeting or interaction. Here you can ask about your customer’s problems and their needs.
• The first follow-up. Here’s where you can ask to arrange a meeting with your lead to discuss their issues in-depth and find a specific solution.
• The alternative channel follow-up: If you don’t get a response from your customer within 72 hours of the first follow-up, simply try using another channel.

To keep the conversation going, make sure each follow-up attempt includes a set of action items. For instance, the first email might include a link to a survey about the customer’s problem, while the second can feature a calendar link and a request to arrange a new meeting.

Don’t Push Too Hard

Follow-ups are an important part of the sales process, but they can become frustrating for customers if you’re not careful.

Attempting to contact a customer several times a day will make you more likely to end up in their junk folder. Instead, be patient and make notes to help you understand the behavior of each customer.

For instance, you could make a note that one customer usually takes a week to respond, so you remember not to send too many follow-up messages too soon.

It’s also important to know when to give up.

Even though some experts believe that the low cost of emails means you don’t have to give up until you get a response, others think there is no need to send any more than 6 or 7 messages before you move your attention to another prospect.

In any case, if you are planning on giving up on a customer, don’t forget to send one final “breakup email.”

The “breakup email” involves reminding your customer of the value you’ve been trying to offer, then asking them to let you know if they’re still interested.

You can also point out that if you don’t receive a response, you won’t continue sending emails. That way, if your customer doesn’t respond, you know there’s a good chance they’re not interested in hearing from you.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Follow Up Techniques

Follow-ups are an essential part of any successful sales cycle, but they’re notoriously difficult to get right.

There’s more to stay on your customer’s radar than sending repetitive automated emails or constantly calling every day. Knowing how to follow up in a way that consistently demonstrates your value and strengthens your relationship with your customer is crucial.

Implement some of the tips we’ve listed here, and you’ll be one step closer to boosting your business growth.