Anyone who works with the sales process knows how uncertain this moment can be. After all, there are several reasons that can lead a customer to give up on completing a purchase halfway through — whether due to uncertainty, insecurity or even because they don't feel confident in the relationship with the product/company.
It is precisely as a way of preventing these scenarios that strategies are applied to guarantee consumer attraction and retention.
If you have already come across any of these techniques, you may have wondered what follow-up is and how it fits into this initiative. To understand it in more depth, we have put together a complete post on the subject. So, continue reading and check out what this methodology is, how important it is and how to apply it assertively!
What is follow up?
Follow -up is a methodology that provides personalized and qualified support to a customer throughout the purchasing journey, ensuring that their doubts are resolved and demands are promptly clarified, driving them along the sales funnel and seeking, from this stance, conversion.
It arises from observation and trends that architects email lists demonstrate that a consumer tends to feel safe when they realize that they are receiving attention and that they are building a relationship of trust with the brand. Therefore, nothing is more fair than the development of a practice that engages this communication and results in an increase in the feeling of loyalty and strengthening the desire to purchase.
In addition, you can complement it with other techniques that are appropriate to the profile and behavior of the customer in question, even proposing to complement the product with items that also fit the identified need, as occurs with cross selling .
How important is it to follow up?
The need to understand what follow-up is is based on its importance and impact on a sales strategy. This is a parameter that strengthens relationships and creates a sense of closeness between the brand and its consumers, helping to humanize and create an increasingly individualized and differentiated shopping experience.
In other words, no matter how much you know about the potential of the products and services, you need to think about complementary actions to help this audience understand the advantages and distinctions of what is being offered, reducing the chances of them going to the competition.
This approach allows you to identify demands that were not so clear and helps you to better address these needs, adjusting the items offered and making the control of these leads assertive — a term used to refer to users who have shown some interest in the business.
After all, with so many options on the market, the company that manages to connect with this experience will come out on top, building loyalty with its target audience and creating an important competitive edge.
Speaking of which, do you know what a good relationship with customers is and how to maintain it? If you’re curious, be sure to check out our post on the subject and see how to manage this dynamic well!
How to follow up?
The organization of how and when to follow up should be adjusted and aligned with the expectations and possibilities of the business. Regarding timing, it is best to start as soon as you have a little more data about your lead . Usually, right after viewing an item or sending a request for questions about a certain product.
Another essential guideline is that you need to place it side by side with the phase of the sales funnel that the user is in, so that the proposals and offers are made according to the efforts and expectations that the customer has for that moment.
To help you with this task, we have selected a step-by-step guide on how to do it. Check it out:
1. Select communication channels
There is no point in knowing what follow-up is and not making good use of the communication channels with the target audience. When identifying them, consider their profile and the ease and frequency with which they use these means. From there, choose the one that best fits this inclination.
For Brazilian consumers, for example, we know that WhatsApp is the most used tool throughout the country. Therefore, this tends to be a strong preference and will probably be the recommendation given to your company.
2. Create a good approach
Remember what is most sacred to your customer when receiving a message: the feeling of authenticity and importance conveyed through the message. This makes them feel that they are being approached in an authentic way.
Therefore, it is essential that you and your team collect as much data as possible from this lead throughout the interaction. And, when you contact them, highlight previous needs, preferences and tendencies that have been perceived due to their profile.
3. Define content and direct it to the next phase
Each follow-up must be precise and objective, leading you to move on to the next step and complete the conversion. And to achieve this goal, you must define rich content, with true, complete and original information.
In other words, you need to keep in mind that the justification for this contact is to add to the lead 's experience , so there's nothing better than creating authentic, relevant and creative actions.
4. Use technological solutions to make this step more assertive
It is possible to rely on technologies that make it less bureaucratic and optimize the steps and their results.
One example of these tools is the chatbot , structured as a communication automation system that, through natural language, works as a scalable and dynamic communication channel with users , and can be programmed to send clarifications, appointments and any other demands necessary for rapprochement.
To further enhance planning, this platform can be integrated with other software, such as CRM — specialized in maintaining and monitoring customer relationships. This way, your monitoring process becomes optimized, assertive and integrated.