Follow-up as in Enterprise Sales Executive is one of the most important aspects of building trust with existing and potential clients. I know when working in sales for going on 20 years now, when a client requests information, clarification, call…you name it, I get back to them ASAP.
It’s very disrespectful in both our personal and professional lives when one lacks the character and effort reflected in the seemingly simple ability to complete a task.
In our professional lives, this can cost you tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in income. As an employee, you could be losing business for your company, simply because you lack the ability to prioritize follow-up.
In fact, I used to work with someone very early in my career who would never even check his voice mails, all the while we’d see the red light blinking on his phone. His clients would pound out to the operator seeking anyone in the Sales Department to take their calls.
Was he successful? Absolutely not! Would I recommend him for a job when a recruiter called me at the time? No, because I knew he wasn’t someone I wanted to be associated with professionally.
Now, in my role as a recruiter and consultant, I see and hear about this occurring often. From my perspective, this tells me a lot about how an employer treats his or her employees and/or how a prospective candidate will operate within a sales organization.
Individuals I’ve worked with who’ve mastered the ability to follow-though in a thoughtful, sincere, and organized manner are the same individuals consistently meeting their sales quotas and thriving professionally and oftentimes personally.
So, if this is a professional weakness, you may want to consider your follow-through.