Which One Are You?

Some of the greatest mistakes entrepreneurs make is in their follow-up efforts with their customers and prospects. You see, most small business owners fit into one of two categories.

1. Those that don't follow up often enough. (99 percent of small business owners don't follow up at all.) When your follow-up is inconsistent and infrequent, you're simply wasting your time and marketing dollars. Your contacts won't remember who you are...and those that do will simply regard you as "the occasional pest."

2. Those that follow up too often. When you send too many messages to your contacts, you are going to be viewed as a mass marketer. In fact, a recent email study shows that 65% of men and 56% of women define spam as "email from a company that I have done business with that comes too often."

So how do you determine the best pace at which to follow up with your clients? Well that's the tricky part. Each group of prospects and customers is going to react to your follow-up differently. So ultimately, you are going to have to "test" your group. But here are some key, follow-up principles to keep in mind:

Follow-up must be consistent.

Send frequent enough messages to keep your name fresh in your contacts' minds.

Send valuable and educational materials as well as your marketing message. What if you sent "Halloween Safety Tips for Kids along with your marketing message and/or coupon for a kids Halloween party? Wouldn't Moms appreciate that and be more likely to trust you? You betcha!!

Your messages, therefore, should be building a relationship with your contacts.

Be personal, be real and a little entertaining.
By following these principles, I have no doubt you will find the follow-up pace that is perfect for you, your customers, and your prospects!

So which one do you want to be?