I follow up

I have been blessed to have amazing friends.  As we grow older, we all  have been facing more responsibility.  We're getting older.  Gone are the days of  bar visits and debauchery; we all are focused on our future outlook.  I'm the main piece between all my friends because I'm the only one that seems to check up on everyone.  If I don't bring a conversation up, nobody talks.  They applaud me for it because

They SUCK at following up.

I follow up.

One of my strengths in connecting and maintaining my relationships has been to show people I acknowledge them.  People I value will never get away from me.  Even if they do not value me as much, I'm hard to shake!

Of course with my friends, it's maintaining current relationships.  For newer relationships, it's crucial to constantly follow up.

Every sales org has sent an email emphasizing the importance of following up on prospects.



Based on my experiences, this is true.  It's a process and sometimes it feels unnecessary but people seem to love being chased.  Every customer(or prospect) has an ego about their company.  It's a cat and mouse game and for some strange reason, the more you follow up the closer you are to being their preferred vendor.  I believe prospects secretly like the attention of people vying for their services.  I believe even if you have a product that helps them, they don't want to move too fast and have you think they are "easy."

The toughest thing about following up is dealing with the various moods people display.  One minute they hang up on you, the next minute they need you.  We still follow up because we are marketing ourselves to them.  They develop a short memory because we are the last thing they think about.

Some people just suck at returning calls and remembering people.  Following up is great and a lifetime skill.  We all have a network that needs nurturing. It takes a long time to build a solid network.  If you don't follow up, let's see how your network does.