Your Follow-Up Sequence
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The power of your follow-up will lie in your follow-up sequence. Your follow-up sequence is a series of communications with your prospects that are "linked" together, with each communication building on the previous message.
For instance, you might start your second letter by saying, "10 days ago I sent you a letter..." You might also consider stamping the message, "2nd Notice" on the envelope, to let people know this is the second time you've contacted them.
Referencing the previous communication links to what you're saying now with what you've already said and reminds your prospect that you care enough to continue the conversation.
Usually, when doing direct mail, you should include three to five mailings, spaced out about seven days apart. When using a sequential auto responder you can have as many follow-ups as you want, because using email is basically free (that's why you always want to get a prospect's email address).
One of my clients has over 20 follow-ups in his auto responder sequence that go out over a six-month period.
Each sequence should follow a logical argument and you might consider bolstering the offer with each communication, using a deadline as a motivator to act now.
As an example, in the third communication, you could say, "I'm surprised you haven't taken me up on my generous offer. What's holding you back?" Or, consider saying, "I've written you three times and you still haven't taken me up on my offer, so I'm going to pull out all the stops and make you an offer you simply can't refuse."
Notice how the language always links the previous communication and increases the boldness of the offer. It's the same type of conversation you might have in a regular sales conversation.
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How to Put Your Follow-Up Marketing System on Autopilot
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What I'm about to reveal to you is the key to developing a powerful follow-up marketing system, because it overcomes the number one reason most businesses don't follow up.
You must automate your follow-up system as much as possible, so there are few, if any, physical interactions from your employees with the system. It's the required physical interactions (i.e. printing letters, sending emails, inputting leads etc.) where 99% of all the breakdowns happen in well-intentioned follow-up marketing systems.
To automate your follow-ups, you should consider using robotic marketing systems and outsourcing any manual interactions to a dedicated service.
For instance, to capture your leads, you should consider using a toll-free automated recorded message system that captures your prospect's contact information and automatically transcribes it and sends your leads to you in a spreadsheet every morning via email.
If you're using a direct mail follow-up system (and you should be), find a fulfillment house to do the mailings for you. To find a fulfillment house, simply go to your local printer and ask them to refer you to a fulfillment house in the area.
Now step back for a moment and see the power of what I've just revealed to you. Imagine running an ad, having your prospect call up and give their contact information via your recorded message system.
Then, having your leads automatically sent to your fulfillment house via email, your prospect receives a five-sequence direct mail package containing your most persuasive marketing messages—without you lifting one finger!
You can set up the exact same type of "hands-free" follow up marketing system using an email auto responder system. Your prospect will not only be receiving your direct mail messages, but you can insert your email messages in between your mailings.
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What About Calling to Follow Up?
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You'll notice I didn't say anything about calling your prospect. That's because you want your prospect to have already received your educational marketing messages and have most of their questions answered before they call you.
An educated prospect is your best prospect.
They already know why you're different, what your value proposition is, and how you're uniquely qualified to meet their needs. In essence, they've pre-qualified themselves before you ever have to spend time physically speaking to them.
This drastically reduces the sales cycle and increases your conversion rate because you have positioned your small business to be their only logical choice.