Follow Up and Close the Sale
Make Easy (and Effective) Follow-Up Your Winning Habit
Book Edition Details
Summary
When the art of sales becomes a dance with human psychology, Jeff Shore steps in to choreograph a performance that dazzles. In "Follow Up and Close the Sale," Shore reveals the mystique of turning a hesitant "not yet" into a triumphant "yes" by diving deep into the rhythms of buyer behavior. Forget the sterile world of CRM tech; Shore’s approach is all about cultivating emotional connections and crafting follow-ups that resonate and enthrall. This isn’t merely about persistence—it's about understanding the pulse of the prospect, timing your moves to perfection, and transforming the follow-up from a dreaded task into a powerful tool of engagement. Elevate your sales game and witness the magic when genuine interaction meets strategic brilliance, separating the merely good from the truly exceptional.
Introduction
Every salesperson knows that familiar sinking feeling. You've just delivered what felt like the perfect presentation, answered every question brilliantly, and built genuine rapport with your prospect. Then comes the dreaded response: "I need to think about it." Most salespeople watch helplessly as their carefully cultivated momentum evaporates, often never hearing from that prospect again. This moment represents one of the greatest missed opportunities in all of sales, yet it's also where the most successful professionals separate themselves from the pack. The difference between average performers and sales superstars isn't found in their initial presentations or closing techniques. It lies in what happens next in those crucial hours, days, and weeks that follow. While mediocre salespeople hope their prospects will somehow remember them among countless distractions and competing priorities, champions understand that the real work often begins after the first meeting ends. They've mastered the art and science of strategic follow-up, transforming what others see as rejection into relationship-building opportunities that consistently lead to closed deals.
The Follow-Up Mindset Revolution
True follow-up success starts with a fundamental shift in how you view these ongoing interactions with prospects. Most salespeople approach follow-up as a necessary evil, a burdensome task to check off their daily lists. This flawed mindset transforms what should be valuable service into pestering annoyance, creating resistance from both the salesperson and the prospect. Consider the story of Michelle, a potential car buyer who fell in love with a convertible during a test drive but suddenly faced a financial crisis when her roof needed emergency repairs. Her dream purchase was indefinitely postponed, yet her original desire for the vehicle remained unchanged. The typical salesperson would have written off this "dead" lead, but champions understand a crucial truth: circumstances change, but genuine needs persist. Michelle still drove an unreliable car, still dreamed of that convertible, and would eventually be ready to buy again. When the roof repairs were complete and Michelle's finances stabilized, she remembered exactly one thing from her car shopping experience. Not the various models she'd driven or the different dealerships she'd visited, but the single salesperson who had continued to stay in touch throughout her difficult period. This representative had sent brief, helpful messages about automotive care, shared relevant articles about vehicle reliability, and even remembered to ask about her home repairs. When Michelle was finally ready to purchase, she didn't shop around again. She called the one person who had proven they truly cared about her as an individual, not just as a commission check. The breakthrough happens when you reframe follow-up as relationship extension rather than sales persistence. Every touchpoint becomes an opportunity to demonstrate care, provide value, and deepen trust. This requires viewing prospects as whole human beings with complex lives, changing circumstances, and evolving needs. Your role transforms from product pusher to trusted advisor, someone who remains present and helpful regardless of immediate buying decisions. Success demands embracing three core principles: make every interaction relationship-based, ensure all communications are service-driven, and maintain emotionally positive engagement throughout the process. When these elements align, follow-up stops feeling like work and starts feeling like genuine care in action.
Speed and Personalization Strategies
The modern prospect's attention span has shrunk dramatically in our hyperconnected world, making timing and personalization the twin pillars of effective follow-up. Research consistently shows that speed of response directly correlates with conversion rates, yet most salespeople still operate on outdated timelines that virtually guarantee their prospects will forget about them entirely. Jeff Shore encountered this principle firsthand when a ghostwriter pitched him an intriguing book collaboration service. During their initial conversation, his interest was genuinely piqued as she addressed his chronic time shortage and offered compelling solutions. The presentation raised his current dissatisfaction with his writing workload while simultaneously increasing his future promise vision of having professional help. He left the meeting energized and ready to move forward, telling her he'd discuss the proposal with his team. Then silence. Three weeks passed without any follow-up contact. During those twenty-one days, Jeff traveled extensively, received thousands of emails, handled hundreds of phone calls, took a vacation, and returned to an overwhelming backlog of urgent priorities. When the ghostwriter finally reached out again, Jeff's emotional altitude had plummeted to zero. What had once felt like an exciting opportunity now required starting the entire relationship-building process from scratch. The salesperson's delay hadn't just cost her a sale; it had erased all the emotional investment and momentum she'd worked so hard to create. The remedy lies in implementing a four-hour follow-up rule combined with deeply personalized communication. When prospects leave your office by noon, your first follow-up should occur that same afternoon. Evening appointments demand next-morning contact. This rapid response accomplishes multiple objectives: it proves you care, interrupts competitors' presentations, demonstrates professionalism, and maintains the emotional connection while it's still strong. But speed without personalization becomes annoying automation. Effective personalization requires paying attention to details others miss and remembering what matters to each individual prospect. During presentations, note personal interests, family situations, hobbies, challenges, and dreams. A home salesperson might discover that prospects have two dogs and use that information to send them a video message filmed at a local dog park. An equipment salesperson learning about a client's golf passion could create a demonstration showing how their product fits perfectly in a golf cart. These touches prove you see prospects as complete human beings rather than walking commission opportunities, creating emotional bonds that transcend product comparisons and price competitions.
Execution Mastery Across All Channels
Successful follow-up requires selecting the right communication method for each specific situation and objective. Different scenarios demand different approaches, and master practitioners understand when to use each tool in their arsenal rather than defaulting to personal comfort preferences. Phone calls remain the most powerful follow-up method for building relationships, sharing exciting news, and asking for commitments. Voice-to-voice communication conveys energy, enthusiasm, and urgency in ways that written messages simply cannot match. Email excels at sending detailed information, multiple photos, or complex data while leaving a permanent record for future reference. Text messages work perfectly for appointment confirmations, quick thank-you notes, or brief updates, but should never replace substantive conversations. Video messages create memorable impressions and allow prospects to see your personality while standing out dramatically from typical business communications. Blake, a home salesperson in Austin, demonstrated video mastery when a demanding prospect insisted she needed a heavily wooded lot before even scheduling a visit. Rather than attempting to describe properties over the phone, Blake grabbed his smartphone and walked to the most suitable homesite. His raw, unpolished one-minute video showed him standing among the trees, explaining why this particular lot might be perfect for her needs. The production quality was amateur, but the personal effort was unmistakable. The prospect arrived for her appointment with her guard completely down, already convinced she was working with someone who truly understood her requirements. The key lies in matching your method to your objective rather than your comfort level. When you have exciting news that could advance the sale, pick up the phone to share your enthusiasm. When sending detailed specifications or contracts, email provides the necessary documentation and allows careful review. When confirming appointments or sending quick updates, texting offers immediate delivery and high open rates. When you want to stand out memorably or show something visual, personalized video creates lasting impressions no competitor will match. Master practitioners also understand the hierarchy of communication effectiveness. Face-to-face interactions trump everything else, followed by phone conversations, personalized video, voice mail, email, and finally text messaging. Always choose the highest-impact method your situation allows, pushing yourself toward more personal communication even when less personal options feel more comfortable. Your prospects will notice the extra effort and respond accordingly.
Building Your 1% Champion Habits
The ultimate goal extends far beyond improving follow-up techniques; it's about joining the elite 1% of sales professionals who achieve complete mastery across every aspect of their craft. These champions distinguish themselves not through natural talent alone, but through their unwavering commitment to doing what others find too difficult, uncomfortable, or time-consuming. Bill Porter exemplified this championship mentality throughout his 40-year career selling household products door-to-door in Portland, Oregon. Despite having cerebral palsy, slurred speech, and physical limitations that made his seven-mile daily walking route extraordinarily challenging, Bill became the number-one salesperson for his company nationwide. When asked how he maintained such positive energy despite facing over a thousand rejections per day, especially during busy Christmas seasons, his response was simple: "My product is so good! I feel this. I feel it in my heart; I feel it in my soul!" His passion carried him through massive amounts of rejection because his purpose transcended personal comfort. The path to 1% status requires transforming follow-up from an occasional task into a daily ritual that defines your professional identity. Champions schedule dedicated "Lead Conversion Hours" each morning when their mental energy peaks and their prospects are similarly fresh. During these focused sessions, they make dozens of calls, send personalized messages, record custom videos, and advance multiple opportunities simultaneously. They eliminate distractions completely, commit to continuous activity without breaks between contacts, and maintain positive energy that becomes contagious to everyone they reach. This systematic approach creates compound effects over time. Consistent daily effort builds momentum that occasional sporadic activity never achieves. Your reputation as someone who follows through reliably spreads throughout your market. Prospects begin expecting and appreciating your ongoing communication. Referrals increase as clients experience your exceptional service level. Most importantly, your confidence soars as you prove to yourself that you can master the discipline that defeats most of your competitors. The missing ingredient keeping most salespeople from championship status is precisely this follow-up mastery. You can't claim complete professional excellence while neglecting the discipline that often determines whether prospects buy from you or from someone else. Champions understand that their success depends not on their comfort level, but on their commitment level. They choose persistence over procrastination, service over self-interest, and excellence over mediocrity, day after day, until these behaviors become automatic habits that separate them permanently from the pack.
Summary
The journey from average salesperson to sales champion hinges on a single, transformative realization: the sale truly begins when the prospect says "I need to think about it," not when they say "yes" immediately. This mindset shift opens up unlimited opportunities to serve, connect, and ultimately close deals that others abandon prematurely. As this wisdom teaches us, "We perform at our highest level when we serve others. We perform at our lowest level when we serve only ourselves." The path forward requires immediate action and unwavering commitment to daily excellence. Starting today, implement the four-hour follow-up rule with at least one prospect. Schedule your first Lead Conversion Hour for tomorrow morning and commit to making it a non-negotiable daily ritual. Choose personalization over automation, relationship-building over product-pushing, and service over self-interest in every interaction. Remember that your prospects need your persistence and care to navigate their buying journey successfully. Your competition is counting on you to give up after the first "no," but champions never surrender their commitment to serving others with excellence. Transform your follow-up from burden into blessing, and watch your sales career soar to heights you never thought possible.
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