The one thing you need to do right now is to Show Up More. To do this most effectively, you'll need a direct marketing system. All wealth in America comes from systems. If you want proof, just take a look at the Ford Motor Company. They were first to come up with the assembly line and franchised dealerships in their industry.

The follow-up system is where the giant opportunity is because most businesses do little or no follow-up whatsoever. Response develops through your follow-up system. Whatever your response from a single attempt, it tends to as much as double with the second and third follow-up attempts, and double again with the fourth through whatever follow-up steps you take. Once you understand the virtues of this kind of system, develop it and get it working the quicker you'll reap the benefits.

Now all that talk about setting up a follow-up system sounds great, but why don't very many businesses do this? There are three dominant reasons the vast majority of businesses shown this systematic approach fail to develop it for their own business.

1. It's too hard or it's too time consuming. It's work to get it built, tested and working for you successfully.

2. It's Intricate! A multifaceted marketing system is sustainable and most competitors are too lazy and simple-minded to copy it, even if it is successful.

3. It's hard to do it manually.

Just as a reminder, I have gathered this information for you while attending the half-day conference with Dan Kennedy (Godfather of Info-Marketing) in August 2008. His direct marketing systems show us how a system directly reaches out to, connects with and brings the desired prospective customer or client to you. His systems also give insight on how to shorten the sales cycle.

"Why is the path to the sale so long?"

You don't give them sufficient reasons to buy now. You must give them sufficient reasons to buy now. There is a matter of insufficient trust. You must make yourself more trustful. More contacts make them know you better. So, do lots of contacts.

Now let's talk about closing percentages. You want to take them from 20% to 80%. Here is a sequence that is used quite successfully in Dan Kennedy's direct marketing systems. You want to extend an invitation designed for a specific audience via a variety of means and media. That could be print advertising, banner advertising at others websites, buying traffic for your website, direct mail to compiled mailing lists or email to opt-in lists. Regardless of means or media, in every place, the same invitation is extended. It is kept simple and clean. It is not an attempt to sell your products or services at all. It's an invitation for the recipient to request and be provided something of relevance, interest and value to him, free of charge. The more appealing and specifically relevant the item offered, the better the response. That is step one, lead generation. Once you have captured their information, a series of provocative follow-up steps occur, from you, the marketer, to the prospective customer or client. You may treat them all the same and assign them all the same Follow-Up Communications Program. They will all get a series or sequence of multi-media follow-up communications, all designed to persuade them to take one next step. Regardless of the action taken, everything moves the prospects toward this one next step. This is where a follow-up system may divide up the prospects to begin with and send different communications to different groups.

Every business should have an "Alarm Bell" to be included with your follow-up system. You need to know where your customer is and why he isn't back. You'll want to have alarm bells for your customers. You'll want to have more follow-up during campaigns, much more and better "Relationship Marketing" and follow-up day to day.

A false belief many do follow: "get em now or they're gone forever". With proper follow-up you will not fall for this lie and you can prove it to yourself in a short period of time using a follow-up system.

Here is the Million Dollar question:

WHAT'S NEXT?

This is the marketing principle of "NO DEAD ENDS", everything is a "Cul-de-Sac".

I hope you got a lot out of "How To Fix Your Follow-Up" and start implementing your own follow-up systems. Remember, the best thing to do right now is to let your customers know that your doors are still open and invite them to come by or call even if it's just to say hello.

Copyright (c) 2008 Hal Hoadley