Follow up call

[glorybound]

How do you guys handle follow up calls? At any given time I have approximately a dozen leads. It seems that people only reply to follow ups when they are actually ready. Most of my leads turn into projects, however, most of my follow up emails go unanswered. Is it a moot point to follow up, or do they actually work? I usually respond to a lead within an hour. I usually get a reply within a day's time. Now, after that second email, I give a week before I follow up. I might follow up a second time a week later, and both those follow ups usually go unanswered. I might try a 3rd time in a couple weeks and then I let things go. Now, having said that, they usually contact me later when they are ready. If I was told earlier, that they'll contact me, let's say in a few weeks, then I wouldn't bother with a follow up email. I use 17hats, so it is really easy to create workflows, which include follow up reminders. Do you guys follow up with leads, or do you assume they contact you if they need you? It is kind of rude not to return an email. So it kind of frustrates me. I also send out postcards once a quarter, so I guess follow ups could be like postcards; it keeps your name on their mind. I had one guy see my postcard, shove it in a drawer and 6 months later pulled it out and called.

[Morne]

Pretty much same as you. I follow up but they don't reply. As soon as they are ready, they just send a new mail. As you say, very frustrating, but seems it's pretty much how it works.
Always the exception to the rule and some clients reply very quick after your mail saying, they are not ready yet and still working on it - then a week later they send the work

[glorybound]

I read about the science, but a lot of the time it doesn't hold true. They say that if you respond within minutes of the initial request you are 80% more likely to close the deal. They also so that the more times you follow up, the better chance you are to land them as a client. I think they say the magic number is 7. For me, I hate sales calls and I find them annoying, so I don't want to be that guy.