Be a Follow-Up All-Star-

THE 1-2-3 METHOD

Be a Follow-Up All-Star-Up All-Star-

THE 1-2-3 METHOD

INTRODUCTIONIt’s preached over and over. Activity, activity, activity. It’s the keys to the castle when it comes to a career in

sales. You must stay active. Sales is a marathon and not a sprint. As a salesperson, it should be your mantra.

“What I do today will determine what I reap tomorrow.” That’s why it’s so important to follow up with existing

opportunities diligently and meticulously. As salespeople, it’s easy to become enamored with the new, juicy

opportunities that make their way into your funnel, but be careful not to forget those that have already been

through some part of your sales process already.

Now there are all di�erent kinds of follow up throughout the sales process:• Contacting inbound leads (hand-raisers/suspects) that aren’t quite ready for a sales appointment

• Following up with prospects who have seen your presentation and need some time to decide on a

course of action

In this discussion, we’ll be referring to the latter. Specifically, what do you do once the prospect has seen your

product or service presentation?

In this Sales Follow-Up whitepaper, you’ll find:• Discussion of the objective of follow-up

• Introduction to the 1-2-3 Method

• Email templates for use with the 1-2-3 Method

• Follow-up flowchart

THE OBJECTIVE OF POST-PRESENTATION FOLLOW UPHow do you make the most of our follow up activity level? How do you make sure that your follow up activity

is achieving the objective? Before answering those questions, we need to determine what exactly IS the

objective of following up with prospects.

The primary objective, obviously, is to advance deals to the next stage of the sales process. But if you take a

step back and look at what that means, you’ll reveal a stark reality.

The actual objective is to “clear the playing field.”

It would be great if the only prospects that salespeople spoke with were the ones who would eventually buy…

but that’s not the real world. The reality is that 80% or more of the sales prospects that go through a sales

presentation WILL NOT BUY – some are not ready yet and won’t be for a while, and some will never buy. So

rather than spending time and resources chasing those that won’t buy, the key is to weed out those who will.

This might come as a shocker, but the “No” answer is okay when it comes to post-presentation follow up. “No”

clears the air. “No” lets prospects sit down and reveal those still standing. Keep reading to find the best way to

weed out the buyers from the non-buyers in a diplomatic and effective manner.

THE 1-2-3 METHODA method that works well for getting to the prospects that are most likely to buy is the 1-2-3 method. This

technique is essentially a series of three emails aimed at verifying a prospect’s continued interest in your

product or service. The messages within the emails are deft and tactful and give the prospect an opportunity

to say no.

As salespeople, it’s inevitable that you’ll have sales prospects who are gung ho about your offering and what it

can do for them, but then a week later… radio silence, nothing, crickets. These emails will help authenticate

their interest (or lack thereof). In fact, it is highly likely that this soft prod will help revive prospects that have

gone silent.

The basic flow is as follows:

TEMPLATES

The actual message in each email is very simple and conversational. No need to inundate the prospect with a

ton of information unnecessarily. Below you’ll find the templates used in the 1-2-3 Method:

1. Feedback

Sales Psychology: You are softly opening the door for further discussion. Not only that, but you are also providing a timeframe

for the prospect. The typical responses to this call-to-action question might be:

1. Yes. Let’s schedule a time to talk.

2. Now is not the right time. Follow up with me in a month.

3. Silence

If the prospect opts for #3 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Soft

Takeaway.

2. Soft Takeaway

Sales Psychology: In the Soft Takeaway, you exercise some tact in pointing out that the prospect has failed to respond. In fact,

you’ve built in a non-confrontational excuse for them. No guilt tactics, no aggression – just plain and

professional. The call-to-action question gives the prospect an opportunity to meet or designate themselves as

a longer-term follow up. It may seem counterintuitive to give the prospect an out, but remember, the objective

is to weed out the buyers from the non-buyers. The typical responses might be:

1. Sorry for not responding sooner. Actually the timing is right. Let’s meet soon.

2. I think a month would be good to follow up.

3. We are no longer interested.

4. Silence

If the prospect opts for #4 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Hard

Takeaway.

3. Hard Takeaway

INTRODUCTIONIt’s preached over and over. Activity, activity, activity. It’s the keys to the castle when it comes to a career in

sales. You must stay active. Sales is a marathon and not a sprint. As a salesperson, it should be your mantra.

“What I do today will determine what I reap tomorrow.” That’s why it’s so important to follow up with existing

opportunities diligently and meticulously. As salespeople, it’s easy to become enamored with the new, juicy

opportunities that make their way into your funnel, but be careful not to forget those that have already been

through some part of your sales process already.

Now there are all di�erent kinds of follow up throughout the sales process:• Contacting inbound leads (hand-raisers/suspects) that aren’t quite ready for a sales appointment

• Following up with prospects who have seen your presentation and need some time to decide on a

course of action

In this discussion, we’ll be referring to the latter. Specifically, what do you do once the prospect has seen your

product or service presentation?

In this Sales Follow-Up whitepaper, you’ll find:• Discussion of the objective of follow-up

• Introduction to the 1-2-3 Method

• Email templates for use with the 1-2-3 Method

• Follow-up flowchart

THE OBJECTIVE OF POST-PRESENTATION FOLLOW UPHow do you make the most of our follow up activity level? How do you make sure that your follow up activity

is achieving the objective? Before answering those questions, we need to determine what exactly IS the

objective of following up with prospects.

The primary objective, obviously, is to advance deals to the next stage of the sales process. But if you take a

step back and look at what that means, you’ll reveal a stark reality.

The actual objective is to “clear the playing field.”

It would be great if the only prospects that salespeople spoke with were the ones who would eventually buy…

but that’s not the real world. The reality is that 80% or more of the sales prospects that go through a sales

presentation WILL NOT BUY – some are not ready yet and won’t be for a while, and some will never buy. So

rather than spending time and resources chasing those that won’t buy, the key is to weed out those who will.

This might come as a shocker, but the “No” answer is okay when it comes to post-presentation follow up. “No”

clears the air. “No” lets prospects sit down and reveal those still standing. Keep reading to find the best way to

weed out the buyers from the non-buyers in a diplomatic and effective manner.

THE 1-2-3 METHODA method that works well for getting to the prospects that are most likely to buy is the 1-2-3 method. This

technique is essentially a series of three emails aimed at verifying a prospect’s continued interest in your

product or service. The messages within the emails are deft and tactful and give the prospect an opportunity

to say no.

As salespeople, it’s inevitable that you’ll have sales prospects who are gung ho about your offering and what it

can do for them, but then a week later… radio silence, nothing, crickets. These emails will help authenticate

their interest (or lack thereof). In fact, it is highly likely that this soft prod will help revive prospects that have

gone silent.

The basic flow is as follows:

TEMPLATES

The actual message in each email is very simple and conversational. No need to inundate the prospect with a

ton of information unnecessarily. Below you’ll find the templates used in the 1-2-3 Method:

1. Feedback

Hello [NAME],

Any feedback regarding the information we sent you regarding our services you want to provide via

email, or should we hold a time open on our calendars this week or next to discuss?

Thanks,

John Smith

Sales Psychology: You are softly opening the door for further discussion. Not only that, but you are also providing a timeframe

for the prospect. The typical responses to this call-to-action question might be:

1. Yes. Let’s schedule a time to talk.

2. Now is not the right time. Follow up with me in a month.

3. Silence

If the prospect opts for #3 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Soft

Takeaway.

2. Soft Takeaway

Sales Psychology: In the Soft Takeaway, you exercise some tact in pointing out that the prospect has failed to respond. In fact,

you’ve built in a non-confrontational excuse for them. No guilt tactics, no aggression – just plain and

professional. The call-to-action question gives the prospect an opportunity to meet or designate themselves as

a longer-term follow up. It may seem counterintuitive to give the prospect an out, but remember, the objective

is to weed out the buyers from the non-buyers. The typical responses might be:

1. Sorry for not responding sooner. Actually the timing is right. Let’s meet soon.

2. I think a month would be good to follow up.

3. We are no longer interested.

4. Silence

If the prospect opts for #4 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Hard

Takeaway.

3. Hard Takeaway

Initial Follow-Up Email

Email #1 Email #2 Email #3

FEEDBACK SOFTTAKEAWAY

HARDTAKEAWAY

Initial Follow-Up Email

Email #1 Email #2

SOFTEmail #3

HARD

INTRODUCTIONIt’s preached over and over. Activity, activity, activity. It’s the keys to the castle when it comes to a career in

sales. You must stay active. Sales is a marathon and not a sprint. As a salesperson, it should be your mantra.

“What I do today will determine what I reap tomorrow.” That’s why it’s so important to follow up with existing

opportunities diligently and meticulously. As salespeople, it’s easy to become enamored with the new, juicy

opportunities that make their way into your funnel, but be careful not to forget those that have already been

through some part of your sales process already.

Now there are all di�erent kinds of follow up throughout the sales process:• Contacting inbound leads (hand-raisers/suspects) that aren’t quite ready for a sales appointment

• Following up with prospects who have seen your presentation and need some time to decide on a

course of action

In this discussion, we’ll be referring to the latter. Specifically, what do you do once the prospect has seen your

product or service presentation?

In this Sales Follow-Up whitepaper, you’ll find:• Discussion of the objective of follow-up

• Introduction to the 1-2-3 Method

• Email templates for use with the 1-2-3 Method

• Follow-up flowchart

THE OBJECTIVE OF POST-PRESENTATION FOLLOW UPHow do you make the most of our follow up activity level? How do you make sure that your follow up activity

is achieving the objective? Before answering those questions, we need to determine what exactly IS the

objective of following up with prospects.

The primary objective, obviously, is to advance deals to the next stage of the sales process. But if you take a

step back and look at what that means, you’ll reveal a stark reality.

The actual objective is to “clear the playing field.”

It would be great if the only prospects that salespeople spoke with were the ones who would eventually buy…

but that’s not the real world. The reality is that 80% or more of the sales prospects that go through a sales

presentation WILL NOT BUY – some are not ready yet and won’t be for a while, and some will never buy. So

rather than spending time and resources chasing those that won’t buy, the key is to weed out those who will.

This might come as a shocker, but the “No” answer is okay when it comes to post-presentation follow up. “No”

clears the air. “No” lets prospects sit down and reveal those still standing. Keep reading to find the best way to

weed out the buyers from the non-buyers in a diplomatic and effective manner.

THE 1-2-3 METHODA method that works well for getting to the prospects that are most likely to buy is the 1-2-3 method. This

technique is essentially a series of three emails aimed at verifying a prospect’s continued interest in your

product or service. The messages within the emails are deft and tactful and give the prospect an opportunity

to say no.

As salespeople, it’s inevitable that you’ll have sales prospects who are gung ho about your offering and what it

can do for them, but then a week later… radio silence, nothing, crickets. These emails will help authenticate

their interest (or lack thereof). In fact, it is highly likely that this soft prod will help revive prospects that have

gone silent.

The basic flow is as follows:

TEMPLATES

The actual message in each email is very simple and conversational. No need to inundate the prospect with a

ton of information unnecessarily. Below you’ll find the templates used in the 1-2-3 Method:

1. Feedback

Hello [NAME],

I've not heard back from you and it may be that you got busy and meant to come back to this.

Would it make sense for us to set aside a time to talk later this week or should I be contacting you

next month?

Regards,

John Smith

Hello [NAME],

Since I’ve not heard back from you, I will assume you’ve elected to go another route for

[PRODUCT/SERVICE]. Should your needs change and a [PRODUCT/SERVICE] make sense, please

keep us in mind.

Regards,

John Smith

Sales Psychology: You are softly opening the door for further discussion. Not only that, but you are also providing a timeframe

for the prospect. The typical responses to this call-to-action question might be:

1. Yes. Let’s schedule a time to talk.

2. Now is not the right time. Follow up with me in a month.

3. Silence

If the prospect opts for #3 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Soft

Takeaway.

2. Soft Takeaway

Sales Psychology: In the Soft Takeaway, you exercise some tact in pointing out that the prospect has failed to respond. In fact,

you’ve built in a non-confrontational excuse for them. No guilt tactics, no aggression – just plain and

professional. The call-to-action question gives the prospect an opportunity to meet or designate themselves as

a longer-term follow up. It may seem counterintuitive to give the prospect an out, but remember, the objective

is to weed out the buyers from the non-buyers. The typical responses might be:

1. Sorry for not responding sooner. Actually the timing is right. Let’s meet soon.

2. I think a month would be good to follow up.

3. We are no longer interested.

4. Silence

If the prospect opts for #4 and does not respond, then wait a specified period of time and send the Hard

Takeaway.

3. Hard Takeaway

Sales Psychology: In the Hard Takeaway, we are simply removing the prospect from our sales funnel and politely letting the

prospect know as such. You would be surprised at how often a prospect will revive after receiving the Hard

Takeaway. Typical responses might be:

1. No wait. Sorry for my slow response. Let’s meet.

2. Thanks for your follow up, but we are not interested. You should contact me in six months.

3. Silence

Marketing Qualified Leads /Sales Appointments

Presentation

Initial Follow-Up Email

FEEDBACK

RES

PON

SE

SOFT TAKEAWAY

HARD TAKEAWAY

Qualified?No Proposal

Answer

NotAdvancing

NO

YES

Advancing

Answer

Answer

Answer

No Proposal

Answer

Answer

Answer

Advancing

NO

YES

Advancing

Answer

Drop-Out

Long-TermFollow-Ups

Continuing inthe SalesProcess

Marketing Qualified Leads /

Presentation

Initial Follow-Up Email

FEEDBACK

SOFT TAKEAWAY

HARD TAKEAWAY

Qualified?

RES

PON

SE

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