A friend of mine recently went on a job interview. After many years in one industry he decided it was time for a change. He spent somewhere between six to eight months obtaining education in a new field that really excited him. Once his education was complete it was time to start hitting the pavement looking for a job. 
Days and even weeks went by but finally he found something that was really what he wanted do. Sure he had to start at an entry level position, which he knew going in, but in the long run the new career path would not only pay off financially, but as he said, "you can't put a price tag on happiness."
During his process of interviewing for potential positions his routine was to research various companies, obtain the department contacts and then send out a cover letter with a resume. Sounds like the standard normal process does it not? He received many scheduled interviews and at the end of each one he told me about how great he did. He answered the questions without stopping or hesitating, as if he almost knew what they were going to ask before they did so.
Then I asked him how many offers he received at which he replied none. You could imagine the frustration he was feeling inside as he kept going on great interviews only to end up never getting a call for second chance.
I asked him if he did any follow up and he said, "What do you mean?" I told him after you interview with someone you really should send them a letter thanking them for the interview, their time, and mention the courteousness of the staff that you interacted with at their company.
So he started to write his follow up thank you letters and it wasn't long before he started getting second interviews. Now no one can guarantee that this is what led to the position he finally obtained, but it sure did not hurt him to take the time and effort for the follow up process.
This brings me to my topic today and that is as a business are you following up with your customers? The customers of today want to feel important. They want to know that they are not just some number on your board or in your computer system. Even though they may not have purchased something from you when they visited your website or walked into your store, the follow up could be the key to future sales.
Regardless of the business you are in, it is important to obtain contact information of all your customers. It can be an email, phone number, fax, or address. Whatever it is, try and get it. I am sure you have seen stores that ask businesses to drop in their business cards. This is a way to obtain contact information. Once you have that contact information you can then follow up with them, asking them various questions as to how their experience was with your company, products or services.
You do not want to bombard them everyday with such questions, but every 3 to 4 months will do.
Following up sales leads is a very important step in business. Not only can it lead to a sale of the customer you are reaching, but that customer can tell others as to how great they were treated and recommend your company over someone else's.
By: Bruce A. Tucker
About the Author:
Mr. Tucker is the Associate Director of http://www.Indocquent.com, an online advertising and social network medium where you can promote your business, products or services without pay-per-click prices or auction fees.
Published By: Indocquent.com- An online resource where you can promote your business, products and services around the world.
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