Offering quotes then following up.

[Jacob F]

I normally do okay from converting phone enquiries to contracts. I usually give a basic idea of numbers on the phone then email them through an exact quote. A couple of days ago I had a massive potential order come through which would be equivalent to turnover of 2 months in one contract alone, seemed very hot lead on the phone, sent the email over expecting things to progress and nothing since. I know some people ask for a quote and sit on it and come back if they're interested but I'd rather not let this one get away. Do any of you follow up with an additional email or call after giving out quotes and if so what is your sales patter?

 

[tony84]

I usually do a quote, leave it for around 36 hours to 2 days then drop them another email. If i havnt heard by the next day i would give them a call.

After that though i give up on it.

 

[RoseRover]

In my days of selling bespoke furniture, I did used to leave it a couple of days and then follow up to ask whether they had any further questions.

Some customers did say that my persistence paid off. I was never pushy - just friendly and helpful as I couldn't do a hard sell if I tried!

I know that I am sitting on quotes for a new front door at the moment but if the companies can't be bothered to follow up then I begin to think that they don't want the business......

 

[eventdomain]

I send out requested info, but never phone, unless its requested! Unless its someone Ive had decent phone contact with already.

If you know its okay to call, then do it - otherwise dont risk peeving them off.

 

[tony84]

My calls are just to say i hadnt heard back just wondering if you had received the quote. Nothing pushy at all, just going the extra mile to make sure they have received what they asked for.

 

[Import Expert]

Personally I would drop them an email after a couple of days askign what they thought of the quote and see what they come back with. if no reply withitn another day or two then give them a call 'just to check they received your email quote', then you get the chance to just ask them what they thought of it. You need to follow up without seeming pushy.

 

[Mitchell]

So many factors here:

Are they the decision maker, or someone who has been tasked with filling in a blank cell on a spreadsheet for someone else to make a judgement?

Get the name and JT of the DMC, along with all contact info.
Get a conf-call with all interested parties and an agenda for the call, plus someone from senior management on your side.
Ask the question directly: "Who are we competing with?"
Chair the conf-call, and get principal agreements to move forward.
Get the timescales - when do they need it? what do you have to do before that?
Sell it.
Quote it.
Close it.


M

 

[Jacob F]

I send out requested info, but never phone, unless its requested! Unless its someone Ive had decent phone contact with already.

If you know its okay to call, then do it - otherwise dont risk peeving them off.

You see that is my position. I get annoyed by sales/marketing people ringing me back after I've said I'll consider their offer or they've given me a quote. A bit of a deal breaker for me- I tend to think they are desperate for my business or are just after commission. Though, I accept not everyone is like me hence starting this thread to see how other people go about it and if it works for them.

I think an email is probably the order of the day, just to stay fresh in the memory at the very least and put the ball back in their court.

 

[Jacob F]

So many factors here:

Are they the decision maker, or someone who has been tasked with filling in a blank cell on a spreadsheet for someone else to make a judgement?

Get the name and JT of the DMC, along with all contact info.
Get a conf-call with all interested parties and an agenda for the call, plus someone from senior management on your side.
Ask the question directly: "Who are we competing with?"
Chair the conf-call, and get principal agreements to move forward.
Get the timescales - when do they need it? what do you have to do before that?
Sell it.
Quote it.
Close it.


M

Thanks M, you sound experienced in this sort of thing. Good step by step for future reference.

 

[Import Expert]

Get a conf-call with all interested parties and an agenda for the call, plus someone from senior management on your side.

Not quite that easy I'm afraid !

 

[windlesham]

You see that is my position. I get annoyed by sales/marketing people ringing me back after I've said I'll consider their offer or they've given me a quote. A bit of a deal breaker for me- I tend to think they are desperate for my business or are just after commission. Though, I accept not everyone is like me hence starting this thread to see how other people go about it and if it works for them.

I think an email is probably the order of the day, just to stay fresh in the memory at the very least and put the ball back in their court.

It's a lot easier to close a sale over the telephone and overcome any objections on the spot. if you're continually sending emails it can become a long chain of events that could have been closed down in a five minute phone call.

By speaking to them personally you're able to gauge any concerns they have and work around them.

I usually put in an initial email quotation that I'll call in a few days to go through any questions they have.

Finally, just for peace of mind, if you don't speak to anybody you run the risk of never knowing why they chose not to go with your company.

 

[Jacob F]

It's a lot easier to close a sale over the telephone and overcome any objections on the spot. if you're continually sending emails it can become a long chain of events that could have been closed down in a five minute phone call.

By speaking to them personally you're able to gauge any concerns they have and work around them.

I usually put in an initial email quotation that I'll call in a few days to go through any questions they have.

Finally, just for peace of mind, if you don't speak to anybody you run the risk of never knowing why they chose not to go with your company.

Thanks for your input. I realise its easier to close over the telephone and like I say in my OP I try to do this and send an email as a sort of confirmation in writing of the discussion on the phone. Every job is different for me so I can't quote prices instantly over the phone, I need to work out my fuel expenses, staffing, timescales etc. before giving a final price. More often that not, I'll get a reply saying they are happy and we can progress, just generally interested to see how others follow up.

But you've given me a useful tip, I usually sign off an email saying, "let us know if we can be of service", I quite like the idea of letting them know you'll give a courtesy call in a few days as then you're not making a unsolicited sales phone call. I'll do this in future to cover me if they don't get back to me, as you say, if nothing else it's an opportunity to learn for the future as to why you haven't got the job.

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks M, you sound experienced in this sort of thing. Good step by step for future reference.

Only applies to the big deals, mostly.

Your bread and butter deals shouldn't need more attention than:

Sales Phone Call
Email
Confirmation Phone Call
Email
Purchase order
thank you call, further work scheduling call.
Monthly catch-up & general shooting-of-the-breeze.

If your bread and butter deals take more than this, then the CoS is going to eat the margins and hit your OPEX.

The big deals demand more of your time, and they are worth it as with several solid clients with big orders spread over long periods of time, you can ride the coat tails of these deals and offer better pricing [off-set] against the bread and butter deals that keep the lights on and the coffe machine filled.

M

 

[kate1]

Yes definately after a little while, without doubt follow up - otherwise like previous poster said your not going to guage interest/problems. It seems a little strange to send a quote and then not do a follow up call........Good luck with it OP hope you get it.

 

[simplesimon86]

we do the simple thing....we ask them. so whilst on the phone - inform you will send email over info, pricing etc - then ask and what would you like us to do next? if they say well i'll have a read through - follow with ok, then shall i give you a call on Friday (for example maybe 2-3 days after) to answer any questions?

if they say no - then you know to wait - but they will probably say yes.

just do the simple thing and ask them, what they want you to do next.

 

[Montaigne]

There's nothing wrong with following leads up on the phone. I've had jobs come in after 30 odd calls with 99% of the calls being me asking for an update, them not having looked at it and the customer suggesting a call back in a week. This just repeats until the prospective customer can't leave putting off a decision any further!

 

[captaincloser]

As soon as you get the phone enquiry (The Gods are sending you a customer-all you can do now is lose him/her)... You frame the potential client for what happens next and what they need to do to place an order and what YOU will be doing next.

No problem with stalling and sending an email quotation but that is accompanied by a phone call and you clear that with them when the potential customer first calls you. No need to be pushy this is a simple procedure.

When people call you....You are in charge. As soon as you start the 'i'll email you routine' or 'look at my website blah blah blah' you lose control.Never leave it that the person who called you remains in the driving seat and says he/she will call you back at some point. Unprofessional and often the soft kiss of death in sales.

 

[Montaigne]

As soon as you get the phone enquiry (The Gods are sending you a customer-all you can do now is lose him/her)...

Yup, I love people calling me as it's a gift. It's clear they want to spend money through me so why wouldn't they want me to follow up the quote? When people are contacting you direct without any initial input from you they're at that point where they want it sorted, they're impatient to get it done and want it resolved yesterday. Ringing them up is appreciated, not frowned upon.

Definitely my favourite calls.

It's like when I have a quote in place and someone rings me to ask what dates I have available to carry out the work but then quickly add that they haven't decided to use me yet even though it's obvious they have. I source dates, ring them back in 5 minutes then ask for the order

 

[maxine]

There's no such thing as an unsolicited sales call for a follow up call

And if there is then I would look at tweaking the pre sales process so that quotes are only done for qualified leads not just because someone asks for one

Since the enquiry came in by phone it's appropriate to follow up by phone either to move onto the next stage or to ask for the sale.

Questions such as "is there anything else you need from me at this stage or when would you like me to organise this for" can be quite good but I agree with CC that usually the last activity would steer the next communication.

Sometimes it can be good to call back with the quote after its been prepared and talk it through over the phone before sending it.

Other times it can be appropriate to just send then sit back and hold your nerve but that's not very often

Good luck and hope you get it

 

[Sophia Myles]

I used to be a sales assistant for a while. After a salesman talked with a potential customer face-to-face or through the phone and sent out a quote, it would then be my part to follow-up, follow-up and follow-up. If they don't reply within 24 hours, an email to remind; 48 hours, another email to ask if they have any questions; more than 48 hours, a phone call to check the situation and schedule for another conversation with our salesmen.

 

[Jacob F]

Excellent advice all the way though here. The initial enquiry was made by someone without the authority to make the deal so I've since spoken to (via phone) the person who pulls the strings who'll take a look at the quote, I've said I'll give another phone call (probably on Monday) to run over any issues they may have so hopefully we're getting somewhere.

I'm hopeful I can now implement some of the suggestions as a permanent feature in our sales protocol and can up my conversion rate. Cheers.

 

[RoseRover]

Glad to hear the advice was useful and good luck with the deal