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You have two separate conversations.  You get two indications of interest.

“I’ve talked with my friend and I think she’s interested in your services.  Here’s her number.”

“Can you put together a proposal on that and send it to me?”

Yahoo!  People are interested in doing business with you.

And you have that list of signups for complimentary sessions from the talk you gave two days ago.  And you have the business cards of some very interesting people you just met, who are clearly in your target market.

Your marketing is paying off!

Okay, so what now?

What do you mean, what now?

You pick up the phone and you call!  You get to work right away on the proposal.  You can’t let this rollin’ stone gather any moss.

That’s just about the most obvious thing I’ve ever told you, right?

So, why am I bringing it up?

Because too many people have a tendency to sit on these hot leads.

They take their time getting in touch.  They procrastinate around following-up on providing requested items, such as proposals, bids, pricing, references, additional information, etc.

Now, I completely get it when it comes to creating a proposal.  Maybe you’re not sure how to put it together, what needs to be included, exactly what to propose, how much to charge, etc.  So, you put it off.  It’s easy to do.

And, as we all know, the “how to” probably won’t become any clearer with time.  So, it’s best to just jump in and get ‘er done.  But I’ve seen people who’ll put it off for weeks.

And I’ve seen a lot of people who even put off making calls … even calls they’ve been asked to make.

What’s that about?  They have what they want in the palm of their hands and they’re screwing around.

Two basic reasons:

Normal procrastination aside, some people are uncomfortable making calls they see as “sales” calls, so they put them off.

And some people simply don’t understand a basic truth.

Possibility fades really quickly.  What people saw for themselves in your services will simply not gleam as brightly even two or three days after your interaction with them as it does right after.

If you were to chart the typical person’s level of interest and enthusiasm over time, it hangs in there decently for a couple of days … and then it starts going south with a vengeance.

And after a week, they may not even remember who you are.

People will fall away … and these are the very people who want and need what you have to offer … perfect prospects … your peeps.

They’ll slip away and be gone.  And that’s simply tragic.

That should NEVER happen to you, especially when the way to prevent it is so simple.

Make it an inviolable rule to make your calls and do your follow-ups within 24-48 hours.  If it isn’t already, make following-up with prospective clients job one on your to-do list.  Period.  No exceptions … and your results will improve tremendously.

Best Wishes,

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Meet Denise: Denise Hedges is a Business Development Coach and Speaker Coach for small business owners who want to be more comfortable, confident, and successful with their sales and marketing efforts. She specializes in helping them use speaking as a way to dramatically improve their results

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