Following Up With Prospects And Tagging

Remember, your goal is to somehow attain "closure" with each of your prospects. One way to do this is to simply keep sending follow-ups until you either get a "Stop sending me e-mail!" message, or better yet, "Ok, I want to sign up!" message.

You may get a few nasty e-mails, but the positive results from a consistent marketing plan will far outweigh any negative feedback you may receive. Besides, if someone requested information or asked you a question, there is nothing wrong with following up if they haven't said "No."

Any of you with sales background already knows that anything but a "no" means that the prospect can be sold. On the other hand, I haven't been following up much because I simply don't have time. Some of you may want to just follow up once or twice, it's up to you.

The bottom line is that it's good to establish a plan and stick to it. I know people who will send 10 follow-ups or more, until they eventually get a yes or no. Myself, I figure that if someone doesn't reply back to me, they're not that serious and probably wouldn't be very productive.

But you never know, sometimes e-mail doesn't get to a person, they forget about it, etc. I've signed up more than a few people weeks after they originally inquired. Often times a person will be looking at several opportunities and may choose another, but come back to you later.

Tagging

Were you "tagged?" If so, someone from our organization contacted you after you were already speaking with your sponsor. They may have explained why they liked the company, and maybe expressed other viewpoints which were not expressed in your correspondence up to that point.

Tagging is another method of follow-up. When you have a prospect who is interested in your business, you may want to have them "tagged." This tag will show your prospect another viewpoint of the business, and give them a glimpse of the teamwork that makes us successful.

Most prospects will gladly welcome a short message from another member of our team and it may be just what they needed to mean the difference between a yes and a no. So who do you ask to tag your prospects? Your sponsor or another member of your upline. Especially since by helping you they would be helping themselves, most of the time they would be willing to help, but if for some reason they are unable to, or they just can't spare the time, then maybe you can ask them to put you onto their sponsor or some other upline member.

When requesting a tag, just send a simple e-mail like this to your sponsor or upline member:

Could you tag this prospect for me? I've been telling them about blah, blah, blah ...
Her name is: Jill Hill
Her e-mail address is: jill@nowhere.com

When should you ask for a tag?

In particular, ask for a tag when your prospect actually writes to you with questions about your business. Do not tag prospects that have merely seen your ad in a newsgroup or classified and wrote you for more information. Wait until you sense some real interest.

Wait until your prospect has either received your "full information" letter or has been to your web page. Be certain that the prospect has shown some interest in the business. If you feel that the prospect is thinking about it, and has not quite made up his or her mind, it's time for a tag.

This could provide that little extra emphasis that might help you sign up that prospect. Even if your prospect shows remote interest, even doubt-laced with a little interest, have them tagged. If they wrote back to you with questions or comments, they qualify for a tag.

Before I have a prospect tagged, I look for some sign that they are remotely interested. That sign is usually based in the fact that they are asking me questions. Again, tags are most beneficial when your prospect is considering the business, but isn't sure, and just needs a little push.

Tagging is a very positive thing and you'll find it very helpful to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with a member of your program and help each other out however you can. It really is nice to have someone you can count on if you're in a jam or need some help.

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