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The right lead follow up process can be the secret to your commission check. Here’s what you need to know.

In the world of phone sales, a good lead opens the door to new possibilities. Or at least the door to a better paycheck. To get there, though, you need a strong lead follow up process. A well-timed follow-up is part of almost every overall sales strategy, but the specifics can vary widely from one company to another. One thing almost all of those approaches have in common, however, is the initial contact with the customer. Which is precisely why your first follow up has to be spotless – especially in the case of a cold call.

When you get a lead from a referral or your website contact form, you want that first follow up to maximize the interest and excitement of your lead. You want to be precise with the information you give them, and you don’t want to leave out any important details. At the same time, you want to be considerate of their schedule and ensure that, even if you don’t have long, you can still share what you need to. And there’s no better way to do that than with a template.


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lead follow up process

Go in cold and come out hot with this call template for your team’s lead follow up process

1. Start with your email

Not what you were expecting for the first tip? Why would an email be first on a list of cold-calling tips? When you have a lead, and you get in touch with them for the first time, they may or may not have the time to talk to you. If not, then what? You try again tomorrow or two days from now, and just like that your cold lead turns to ice. Or worse, they found a similar product that they went with because you didn’t get back to them soon enough.

On the other hand, if you can send them an email even before you’re off the phone, they have your carefully crafted sales letter right in front of them. An auto dialer like Call Logic has built-in email functionality, so all you have to do is click, and the magic happens.

2. Identify yourself

Okay, now that your email is ready, it’s time to work on your call template. And the very first thing on that template is your name and business. True, it’s unlikely you’ll forget to tell them who you are, but why take the chance? Imagine you’re 60 seconds into a conversation, and they ask, “Who are you?” That might not guarantee a lost sales opportunity, but it’s certainly not ideal.

3. Give them a reason

Hot on the heels of your name and business, give your prospect a reason to stay on the phone with you. No matter where your lead comes from, referral, email inquiry, or your own prospecting, this is still your first contact, and it’s essential to share with them why you are calling. You found out they opened a new business and you believe you can help them lower utility expenses. A mutual business acquaintance mentioned to you that your lead was looking for better insurance. You could have any number of reasons for calling, but you have to have one, and you have to share it.

4. Solve a problem

As perfect as your product or service is, don’t forget that what matters to your lead is whether or not you can solve a problem for them. No matter how many cool features you can offer, at the core of this call is making their life easier. If your car needs a repair, do you car that the garage has a comfortable, air-conditioned waiting room, state-of-the-art diagnostic machine, and the free coffee? Those are nice perks, sure, but they don’t get your car working. You want to know your vehicle will be on the road in a reasonable time for a fair price.

5. Define a benefit

You’ve solved the problem, but why not offer even more. What benefits aside from problem-solving can your customer expect? Back to the service station example, what’s going to pique your interest? How about a guarantee on the work and a discount on your next oil change? That benefits you as the customer in that you can expect quality work, not to mention a nice discount. That’s what your customers want, too.

6. Confirm the next action

Your lead follow up process has to include a defined action, otherwise, you’re leaving a sale to chance. Setting up a demo? Commit to a date and time. They seem interested but don’t have time right now? Set a time within 24 hours to call them back.

7. Send an email

You’ve made the call, and your lead is interested, you’ve confirmed a time for a demo, now let’s go back to the beginning – to that email you cleverly crafted before you picked up the phone. Take a minute to confirm that the details are correct, and that you’ve included the specific points from your conversation. Hit send. Right away. You want all that information in their hand as soon as possible. If you use an auto dialing software like Call Logic, that email is right there ready for you to send.

Extra tips for your lead follow up process

In addition to your cold-call template, make sure everyone on the team knows where to go if they get stuck. With whisper coaching features on your auto dialer, a supervisor or manager can join the call and help guide a salesperson without the customer hearing the conversation. You can answer questions, provide tips, or just listen and provide feedback later.

It’s also smart to personalize everything as much as possible, especially emails and phone calls where you already have the person’s name. The days of, “To whom it may concern” are gone. That sounds like you didn’t care enough to find out who you’re reaching out to.

Your follow up sets the scene for everything to come, both positive and negative. Take the time to write a winning script and you’ll feel more confident, and likely see more sales.


Store lead information and reach out to more people with Call Logic’s call management system. Contact us today for a free demo!


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