Essentials for the Industrial Sales Follow-Up Call

An industrial sales follow-up call can be even more difficult than the initial cold call. It’s usually because the follow-up call really starts the sales cycle. This is when the relationship between your business and the potential client begins. It’s important to have a solid foundation of follow up strategies to get the most out of your effort and make the perfect follow-up call.

Ensuring Commitment

The foundation of a successful industrial sales follow-up call begins with a clear commitment. During the initial conversation, you should not leave the follow-up to chance. Instead of a vague "I'll call you next week," secure a specific date and time. This shows respect for your prospect's schedule and sets a professional tone from the start. 

Establish an Agenda

As the scheduled industrial sales follow-up call approaches, preparation is key. The day before, send a reminder email that includes a clear agenda. This email should be low-pressure and professional, outlining the topics you plan to discuss and reinforcing the value you bring to the table. An effective tactic is to add value in the email by including a relevant article or resource that speaks to a specific pain point you discussed in your previous conversation. This demonstrates that you’ve been thinking about their needs and are not just making a generic sales call.

Being Punctual

When the time for the call arrives, punctuality is paramount. Always call on time to show professionalism and respect for your prospect. The opening of the call is critical. Avoid generic, weak openings like, "Just calling to follow up." Instead, craft an opening statement that immediately reminds them of the specific "pain" or "gain" you discussed previously and reinforces the agenda. For an industrial sales follow-up call, this might involve referencing a specific operational challenge or a potential efficiency gain discussed during the initial meeting.

Professional, Not Annoying!

It often happens that your prospect is occupied at that time or doesn’t show up to the arranged call. If you're unable to reach your prospect, leave a concise, professional message. State that you’ll call within the next 10 minutes, then do so. If they don’t pick up again, leave another message with the time you’ll call again. Repeat the process twice or three times. The goal is to be persistent without being annoying. If there is still no response on the same day, then you should continue with further spaced-out attempts. Space out your follow-up attempts by about 3 days. This shows persistence but doesn’t pressure the potential client. 

Ready to Do Many More Follow-Up Calls?

If you want to work with what’s in the sale funnel whether than constantly trying to fill it and work on it, we can help with our Prospecting Services. Want to know how it works? Check it out here!