Sales followup plays an important role in closing deals in construction. Missing out on a deal because of a missed follow-up is not good business. Read this article to learn how to enhance your follow-up activities with general contractors.
Sales Followup Tips for Subcontractors
Sales followup in the construction industry is the factor that makes a difference. As we’ve seen in the ‘Key Sales Activities for Construction Sales Teams‘ article, mastering the sales followup process is an important factor in the success of the team. There is nothing more frustrating or annoying than missing out on a deal because of a follow-up. If you are a subcontractor looking for ways to ace the follow-up process, dive in this article. We took the time to do the research and came up with a couple of strategies that can help your follow-up game.
- Focus on the things you can control
- Take ownership of the follow up process
- Create your own feedback template
- Make sure you contact the right person in your follow-up
- Set your own follow-up limit
- Mix up the communication channels
Control the things you can control
A lot of times we get caught up in focusing on things that are out of our control. We need to stop and redirect our efforts where they yield better results. For example, use your resources to identify the right time to make sales followup calls and who to follow up with. Or analyze the look and content of your proposals and make improvements. Focusing on these areas will help you close more work.
Take ownership of the process
General contractors can get busy with their daily work. You may be as busy, or even busier than them. What makes the difference is that the general contractor has an opportunity to offer. Thus, by taking ownership in the follow-up process, you show ambition and desire to succeed. This will help you differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Create your own sales followup feedback templates
Save your general contractor time when replying to your emails. You can use online platforms, such as Google Forms to type out your questions asking for feedback. Make it easy for the general contractor when you ask for feedback. Think of your top three questions, be clear and to the point. You can also include a comment box in your Google Form. This will give the general contractors the chance to add extra feedback.
Make sure you reach the right person
It is crucial in the follow-up process to reach out to the right person. Make sure you first reach out to the project managers or project executives. Never reach out to an estimator. Ten out of ten times you will most likely get no answer from them. In case you do get an answer from an estimator, it would most likely be to contact one of the project managers.
When you reach out to project managers or project executives, make sure you don’t waste your time. If after a couple calls or emails you get no answer, try the main line. Sometimes the project managers are either out of town or no longer working on the project. Luckily, contacting the main line will be more helpful than you think. They will be able to guide you to the right person for project follow-up.
Set your own sales followup limit
The last thing you want to know is to keep calling or emailing and never hearing back. Be realistic in your expectations. Remember, your time is precious and you can’t afford to waste it. Set a goal in your sales followup process or a maximum number of times you can reach out to a general contractor. If you haven’t heard back in reasonable time, start focusing on your other leads.
Mix up the communication channels
Don’t limit your follow-up to only calls or emails. There are more avenues that can be helpful to get in contact with general contractors. For example, you can also use social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. These are great communication channels that help you learn more about their interests. Follow them on Facebook and share their successes and accomplishments. You can also follow them on LinkedIn and learn more about the groups they are a part of, their interests, and career. Twitter is another great communication tool where you can retweet their successes.
