Small business owners often ask, “What is the most powerful and effective marketing tool to grow my business?” The answer is simple – “Follow Up.”

Follow up is the act of communicating with your prospects and customers in a planned and strategic way. Having an effective follow-up strategy is the best way to keep getting your marketing message in front of prospects (and referral partners) until they’re ready to take the next step.

Unfortunately, most small business owners are making it up from opportunity to opportunity. They haven’t taken any time to think through a follow-up process for any of their marketing tactics. Big mistake!

One important thing to remember (often ignored by many) is to always provide your clients and prospects with something of value. Do this and I guarantee your profits will increase measurably!

The concept of follow up is so simple. We all know that follow up is an important element to pursuing new and follow-on business. Yet studies have shown that even though most customers say “yes” after the sixth positive contact, as many as 80% of sales people have already given up by this time. As many as half give up after the second contact!

The companies that commit to follow up get more clients – it’s as simple as that!

Here are Five Keys to keep in mind for effective Follow Up:

1. Plan your Follow Up for prospects and clients over the life of the marketing and sales cycle. Consider that you may have to plan follow up for key clients over a twelve month cycle.
2. Use a combination of letters, telephone calls, personal notes, and send written information and articles from magazines or newspapers that may be of interest to your clients and prospects.
3. Ensure that each communication gives your client or prospect something of value. Simply calling once every few weeks to “check in” or “see if they have made a decision” flat out won’t get it done.
4. Send tip sheets and free reports of interest.
5. Contact your prospects or client every 4 – 8 weeks.

Design a Follow Up strategy for your clients and prospects and begin using it now. Within a couple of short months, I predict you will see measurable results.