Post-Call Planning

We write a lot about pre-call planning here on the Sales Evolution Blog. The reasons are many, but mostly because there’s immediate payoff. Put simply, if you prepare for a sales call, you increase your chance of success.

There’s an equally important component to successful planning as it relates to sales. That’s the post-call planning. Before you end a meeting (or a phone call), it’s important to identify a definitive next step.

How brutal is the sense that..."The meeting went so well! But, I don’t know what to do next.”?

Preventing that sinking feeling is as simple as planning your next step while you’re in this one.

• “Do you mind if we go ahead and schedule a time for me to follow up?”
• “If I don’t hear from you by next week, may I follow-up?”

That sounds fairly straightforward, Doesn’t it? But you would be surprised by the number of very talented salespeople who sometimes forget to take this extra step. However, High IMPACT Salespeople always leave with a definitive next step.

It's crucial for time management, too. You’re a lot more likely to follow-up on something that’s scheduled than something that’s not. To increase your chance of winning a sale, design a definitive plan. People are always more likely to follow a definitive plan than one that’s nebulous.

This goes a little deeper than simply asking, “May I follow-up with you?” Compare these two follow-up statements:

1. “Will it be okay if I call back on Tuesday at 3:00? Or, is there a better time?” versus
2. “May I just check back in a couple of weeks?”

Which is more likely to wind up on your prospect’s calendar? Which are you more likely to do?

The answer is clear. Always shoot for a definitive next step. It’s part of post-call planning.

Of course, there’s a lot that can happen between today and next Tuesday at 3:00, and that’s the art to selling.

@JebBrooks