What follows is a bold statement, but sometimes it takes a bold statement to get people's attention.
One of the most important and yet overlooked skills in business today is follow-up.
This applies to many parts of our business: Customer service and care, marketing, leadership, networking, branding, and more. It is a habit and a discipline that, when used effectively and regularly, will change your results and your life.
Here are seven ways to incorporate more follow-up into your practices ? and therefore seven ways to increase your results.
1. Say thank you. First and foremost, the must-do follow-up habit is to say thank you. Send an email, make a call, or best of all, send a hand written note. Tell the Customer thanks for the new order. Tell the employee how much you appreciate their extra effort (or their normal effort over the long haul). Thank a person for a referral. Thank a colleague for the book or website recommendation. We all sent thank you cards after receiving graduation and wedding gifts. And while you may have done it because it was expected, it was really good practice for the rest of your life. I have a recurring task on my task list. It reads "Who do I need to thank today?" Who do you need to thank today?
2. Ask for feedback. After completing a project, meeting, training session, consulting engagement, or whatever, ask for some feedback. Preface your request by saying that you want to not only make sure that you have met their needs, but that you want to know how to continue to improve. Be open to what will be shared and show your gratitude, by referring to item 1 above.
3. Keep track. You've given an employee some coaching or help on a specific issue, so follow-up to see how it is going and how you can help now. You completed a project for a Client six months ago ? so follow-up to see how it is going now and if the results match what had been expected. Follow-up isn't just a one time deal ? it is an on-going commitment. You likely are interested in the progress others are making. Let them know by staying in touch and seeing how things are going and how you might be able to help.
4. Remain interested. This is one step beyond keeping track. It is remaining interested in the other person or group's progress over the long term. Continue to check back on progress. Remaining interested shows that you care and have made the effort to remember about events and goals important to the other person.
5. Remember important events. Holly on my team calls friends and colleagues on their birthdays and sings them Happy Birthday ? live or on their voice mail. I have done this occasionally in the past ? but have made it a more normal part of my routine as well. Why? Because it makes people smile. Your kids and parents expect a happy birthday wish, but do your Customers? Your employees? Your vendors? Maybe you don't sing, but you can still wish people happy anniversary, happy birthday or happy St. Patrick's Day ? especially if they are Irish!
6. Share information you know matters to them. Have a colleague who has a rose garden? Send them the article about roses that you read last week. Have a co-worker who graduated from a certain college? Congratulate them when his team wins the big game. Have a Customer who loves tennis? Send them a link to the website you heard about that helps people improve their game. You get the idea. Follow-up by giving people information or comments that they know is just for them.
7. Have a plan. I have a process to call and track my conversations with my key contacts regularly. We have a process to connect with our most valued colleagues and Clients monthly. Our plan continues to be tweaked, but we have a plan because we know how important follow-up is. What is your plan?
Within my seven suggestions I have shared examples from all phases of business in order to show how pervasive and how valuable follow-up can be.
There is little about it that is hard. Being exceptionally good at follow-up requires focus, dedication, discipline, and a decision to do it. If you will make the decision you will become a more effective leader or supervisor. You will become a better networker. You will have greater sales. You will retain your relationships longer.
Any of these are reasons enough to make this decision. All of them put together prove my initial bold statement:
"One of the most important and yet overlooked skills in business today is follow-up."
Where are you going to start?
Kevin Eikenberry is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on "Unleashing Your Potential" go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp a> or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
What is a niche business? A niche business is one... Read More
What would You do with $1,000,000With $1 Million would you:?... Read More
Do you want to be #1-10 on Google and other... Read More
Did you know that there is one critical difference between... Read More
Here are ten things that you can do to hold... Read More
Part Two of Cash to Cash Cycle SeriesNext: SalesWe've already... Read More
Good Speakers need good listening skills to become Great CommunicatorsSpeakers... Read More
Google is the pre-eminent search engine (SE) with no close... Read More
Email etiquette is the key to help calm down anxious... Read More
Use the checklist below to make sure your article, tip,... Read More
A lot of people are at a loss when it... Read More
1) Prepare a realistic business plan.Think of this as your... Read More
Rut -- a routine procedure, situation, or way... Read More
You need sales and you wanted them yesterday. Here are... Read More
If you are like me, you are living some distance... Read More
How much is your data worth to you? In this... Read More
The following tips are from an article we contributed to... Read More
Cash is king-so they say. If you work for yourself... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
You have a great idea you know is a winner.... Read More
This is a quick checklist of a few things that... Read More
My husband and I were enjoying our dinner meal one... Read More
If you've been thinking of starting a business on the... Read More
How do you increase business profits? Answer the following questions... Read More
1. Locks and Padlocks ? Locks on all outside entrances... Read More
Buckling under the weight of chronic corporate restructuring, and frustrated... Read More
As the holiday season starts to settle in, the workload... Read More
1. Great Things Take Time ? Three years passed between... Read More
1. Use subheads throughout your ad copy.Subheads are great to... Read More
If you have a business on the Internet you should... Read More
1. Outsource what takes you too long to doWhen you... Read More
Every event you hold can be extremely successful. Apply these... Read More
How's your business going to keep growing with the holidays... Read More
Ten Tips for Staying ConnectedMany of my business clients tell... Read More
What is a niche business? A niche business is one... Read More
How do you increase business profits? Answer the following questions... Read More
Which one are you? An effective IT project manager, able... Read More
We all are project managers. Some of us manage projects... Read More
One way links will help you gain better rankings in... Read More
From an employee's perspective, management often conducts itself in ways... Read More
Do you want to be #1-10 on Google and other... Read More
Do your remember when you first ventured out in the... Read More
While some new business owners face the issue of not... Read More
Advertising executive Alex F. Osborne first coined the word "brainstorming"... Read More
Positioning Your Company for Debt Financing:There was a time in... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
At Macquarie University in the early '90s, three Australian early... Read More
1. You have a big goal and you want someone... Read More
Almost daily, newspapers, business magazines, radio and television carry reports... Read More
Attraction marketing is about making a customer for life not... Read More
In Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's original "Chicken Soup... Read More
Studies have proven that there is one reason why people... Read More
Having business partner or planning to start a business with... Read More
10 Ways to Boost your ProfitabilitySo many business owners work... Read More
Do you run a business that seems to run you?... Read More
Are you scratching your head after business events wondering why... Read More
1. Maintain regular working hours and stick to them.2. Get... Read More
Sometime soon you will be attending some training. It may... Read More
Did you know that there is one critical difference between... Read More
mistake #1: rely just on financial statementsProfit and loss, revenue... Read More
Only one of every 5 businesses makes it to its... Read More
Every event you hold can be extremely successful. Apply these... Read More
Good Speakers need good listening skills to become Great CommunicatorsSpeakers... Read More
Imagine if you were going to address a stadium full... Read More
As a counselor, therapist or healing professional (massage therapist, physiotherapist,... Read More
How much is your data worth to you? In this... Read More
Top Quick Tips |