Making first contact with a prospective new client can be a great feeling, especially if you feel that you’ve quickly built rapport and your product or service will be of real help to the client’s business. Realistically, though, how many times are we ever going to make a sale after speaking to a client just once? Therefore, the follow up with the client is just as important as making contact.

For small business owners, this can prove somewhat of a challenge. We want to keep in contact with prospects, but we don’t want to feel as if we are pestering them. All of the rapport you built up on your first call could be swept away if they feel hounded in any way. On the other hand, a burgeoning business relationship could fade away if you leave it too long before you contact them for a follow up. How we relate and serve clients can make or break our businesses, so there are mental barriers when it comes to things like following up. If we want to build and maintain fantastic client relationships, what’s the best way to keep in touch with them?

On this episode of the number one small business podcast, we’re joined by Amanda Holmes. Amanda is currently the CEO of Chet Holmes International and her business is helping companies grow faster, better and smarter. She’s going to be sharing her thoughts on this tricky issue and some actionable tips that should take the anxiety out of following up with prospective clients.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:

How can I successfully follow up with prospective clients?

About Amanda:

Amanda Holmes originally followed her passion and studied music at USC, but joined her father’s company after he sadly passed away. After a while she stepped into the role of CEO and is now driving Chet Holmes International to further success. Amanda is now an authority on sales, marketing and growth. She’s here with us on this episode of your favourite small business podcast to share some of her experiences of following up with prospective clients and some actionable tips that can be implemented in any type of business.

Actionable Tips:

* The perfect window for following up is within 1-2 hours of your conversation.

* The four elements of an effective follow up are:

* Make sure you start your correspondence with something personal.

* Compliment the client on an aspect of their business.

* Mention to hot buttons that they are currently facing.

* Close on a personal note.

* Focus on the client, their needs, desires and hot buttons.

Top Quotes:

* “The one with the most passion wins.”

* “The ultimate salesperson is one who perseveres with passion.”

* “Focus on one product, vertical or niche, then you can expand out from there. Focus on one first. Companies start to grow and see progress because the mind of the entrepreneur is focused and their attention is not scattered around too many different ideas.”

* “You don’t have customers, you have clients. Clients are under the care, guidance and protection of an expert.”

* “E-mail marketing is the second highest ROI marketing method after referrals. Find your voice, find a way to be authentic and it will resonate with people way more than being ‘salesy’.”

* “The number one marketing mistake that entrepreneurs make is to focus on themselves. Don’t focus on you, focus on them, their needs and desires.”

* “You should leave nothing up to chance. Every one of your salespeople should know exactly how to follow up. The same is true of staff working in customer service.”

Amanda’s Links:

* Chet Holmes International (http://www.chetholmes.com/)

* Amanda’s Twitter (https://twitter.