There are a few ways to improve your prospects’ communication. You can have CRM sales tools and generate many leads, but you won’t qualify for many of them unless you follow up with those leads.
Following up with your leads complements your lead-generation tactics to generate more revenue. But 62% of salespeople never make any follow-up attempts.
Hoping to nurture leads more effectively means following up with them. More importantly, use the power of text messages to follow up with your leads. With an average open rate of 75%, SMS beats email open rates by a major margin.
First-time contact
Your company may have lead-generation channels. When you catch a lead in your net, follow up with a text message with a gentle request to have a phone chat at a convenient time for a quick call.
How it should look: “Hi [client], I work as a sales representative.” Thank you for expressing interest in [company name]. I’d love to speak with you about your requirements and how [the product or service provided] can help. Would you be available for a quick call tomorrow between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST?
Unanswered
There can be several reasons why a prospect may not have replied. One reason is that the prospect may need more time to think, be unavailable due to meetings, or have decided to go a different route.
When you’re following up on a text message for which there was no response, reinstate the subject of the previous message to allow the receiver of the text to immediately know what the text was about. End the message with a question that has remained unanswered after the previous message.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” “I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. I wanted to follow up on my previous message about your interest in [the product or service provided] and schedule a quick call to understand your needs. Would you be available between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow?
Unclaimed offers follow up
The fear of missing out makes 50% of millennial consumers buy something on the spot, so it can be a smart tool in your marketing experience.
If you sent out an offer via SMS and it wasn’t replied to, you could send a text to induce the fear of missing out.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” The clock is ticking away on your personalized offer! [Call to action] to save $X.xx on purchases made on or before December 2023. Need help? Call us—we’re happy to help.
Free trial or demo
If you have provided a demo or free trial of your service to a lead, following up after waiting a week would be a good idea. Don’t place them in a yes-or-no answer situation, though. Focus on keeping in touch and let them know you’re available to answer any questions they may have in the future.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” I hope the demo or free trial for [the product or service provided] was helpful and gave you a deeper understanding of how it can provide value. I’m happy to answer any questions you have via phone or by scheduling a meeting.
Meeting Reminder
Your prospect may be overwhelmed by their normal daily lives.
If you’re experiencing a high percentage of no-shows, confirm each meeting at least 24 hours before. If the prospect needs to reschedule, ask them for the best date and time for rescheduling the meeting.
How it should look: “Hi [client]! I’m [a sales representative] from [company name], and I wanted to confirm our meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow. If you’re unavailable, feel free to reschedule. [Calendar link]
Upselling texts
After a customer makes a purchase, you suggest another product or service that would go well with what they just bought and help them get more out of what they bought.
Most likely, you will not hear from them because of their busy schedule.
A follow-up text reminding them about the product or service you mentioned to them during the purchase has a higher chance of getting you a sale.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” It’s [the sales rep]. I hope you’re finding the [XYZ product or service] useful. I wanted to follow up and ask if you’ve decided on getting the [ad-hoc product or service] that goes nicely with [XYZ]. always here if you have questions.
After a quote
If your product or service changes based on a prospect’s requirements, you’ll first need to get a better understanding of what they’re looking for.
Your follow-up message responding to a quote request will need to gather the information you need by SMS, email, or voice call.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” I’m [a sales rep] from [company name], and I’m texting to follow up on your request for a quote. Could you fill out a short online form to help me better understand your needs so I can give you a more accurate quote? Here’s the link: [Link]
Networking event
Networking events are a goldmine for generating leads. If you’ve shared phone numbers with interested parties, their busy schedule may get in the way; follow up with a short sales text message.
How it should look: “Hi [client]! ” I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. It was great to meet you at the networking event. Since you’ve been trying to [solve a pain point], I thought I’d give you a free demo of our product: [link]. I’m happy to answer any questions you have!
Ask for the right person in the company
You could send many emails and texts, but if you’re not sending them to the correct person, you could be shooting in the dark.
It’s possible the person you’re looking for has moved on or changed positions. If you haven’t received a response, it’s worth checking to see if they’re the decision-maker.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” Since I haven’t heard back, I wanted to follow up and confirm if you’re the best person to speak with about [XYZ product or service] for your company. If not, who would be the right person to contact?
Successful meeting
If your meeting with a prospect went well, follow up by sending a text thanking them for their valuable time. Encourage them to ask questions and let them know you’re available if they have any questions.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. Thank you for taking the time for today’s meeting. If you have any questions, please feel free to text me at this number.
Run out of stock
If you’re about to run out of stock for any item, or you’re offering a product at a discounted price, you should remove it from the lot or storage. You would want to let a loyal customer know you’re about to run out to strengthen your relationship.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” I’m just following up to ask if you’ve decided to purchase [XYZ product] since we’re almost out of stock. We have [X] units available. Would you like to order some while they’re available?
Real estate follow-up
Some businesses require keeping in touch constantly, such as a real estate agent. If you acquire someone’s phone number at an open house, you might want to follow up with a seller’s list of more open houses that will be scheduled over the next few months.
How it should look: Hi [client], I’m [realtor]. It was a pleasure meeting you at the open house today. I wanted to follow up on our conversation and share a list of open houses we’ve scheduled over the next month: [list]
If you’re a broker or agent, get more go-to texts you can use by checking out our real estate text messaging guide.
Schedule a product walkthrough
Having an on-site visit or a product walkthrough in a video meeting helps a prospect better understand your product and services. If the prospect seemed interested on the initial call, you want to text them and ask if they want a follow up.
How it should look: “Hi [client]! I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. It was a pleasure speaking with you earlier. I’d love to give you a product walkthrough if you’re available during the coming week. Please text or call this number to let me know a convenient time, and we’ll set it up.
Reselling opportunities
If you are using a CRM system, you’ll have useful data to estimate how much of your product, on average, a customer consumes every month.
Sending customers messages when they don’t order for a while helps build relationships, but be sure to make the text sound personal and focus on that certain product or service so as not to overwhelm the customer and keep it short.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” “We noticed you hadn’t ordered the XYZ product in a while.” We miss you around here and wanted to check if you’d like to place an order.
Voicemail
Not everyone enjoys a call for things that can be discussed over messages, and some people don’t have time to call back. Once you’ve left a voicemail, in some cases you should follow up with a text, so it’s more convenient for the client to reach out.
How it should look: “Hi [client]! It’s [a sales rep] from [company name]. I left you a voicemail earlier, but I also wanted to leave you a text message in case that was more convenient. Feel free to reach out via text or call me back at this number. Thanks, [client].
Sending an email
Email inboxes are usually loaded with spam and unwanted promotional emails. Important emails often go unnoticed when sent to a non-work email address. Texting a message is easier than sending an email, follow up with a text after you’ve sent an email.
How it should look: “Hi [client]! “I work as a sales representative.” I just sent you an email about [XYZ] and wanted to let you know that you can text or call me on this number if you have questions, or respond to the email, whichever is more convenient for you. Thanks, [client].
Get feedback
After your client has used your product for a while, follow up and ask for feedback about the product. Send a simple feedback request without a lengthy explanation of how much you appreciate it.
How it should look: Hi [client]! I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. I wanted to ask how you feel about our services. I’d appreciate insights on how we can further improve our services. Thanks, [client].
Who are you?
It is normal for us to not save a sales representative’s phone number, even if we save it in the CRM or other prospecting tools. However, prospects won’t save your contact information until later in the sales process, always introduce yourself at the beginning or end of your message with minimum detail such as your name, phone number, and company name.
If you’re contacting them for the first time over text, you should also mention where you got their contact information.
How it should look: “Hi [client]!” I’m [a sales rep] from [company name]. I spoke with [the person who shared contact information] about the possibility of using [XYZ] at your company. She gave me your number and said you were the best person to speak to. I’d be happy to call you at your convenience. You can text me back at this number. Thanks, [client].
Send a text after a completed form
Send an email rather than a text to follow up after a prospect fills out the questions on the form. Unless the prospect requests that it be handled over the phone.
When someone fills out your calendar booking form or another contact form, you can use software to automatically send them a text message after a certain amount of time.
Send a meeting reminder via text after a confirmed schedule
Use an application to send delayed text; you can search for apps on our website if you do not use applications or need to find one. Applications are very useful when it comes to heavy traffic.
Conversational Text
The right messages allow you to build a relationship with your prospects. They’ll be more open to giving you feedback or starting a fruitful conversation. Always aim to keep your texts conversational, clever, and concise.
End with a question
Questions are a great way to move a conversation along. To keep the relationship going, try to end your follow-up text with an easy-to-answer question. In cases where a question won’t work, encourage the prospect to ask any questions they have about your product or service.
Reply in a timely matter
If a salesperson replies to a prospect within a few hours of getting a question, the lead is 60 times more likely to be a good one than if they wait more than 24 hours. If you respond quickly, you can introduce yourself and get the deal done. During normal working hours, you should check for text responses.
Save time
When you’re receiving many text messages from prospects, responding quickly can be tricky; use snippets. Snippets allow you to insert a text message quickly when responding to a prospect. To avoid sounding like a robot, avoid using too many snippets on the same topic.
Schedule
You may need to wait a while before sending a follow-up text in some cases. When you have a lot of text messages coming in, you can easily schedule one using an app.