How’s Your Follow-Through?
You’ve undoubtedly heard the old adage that it takes ten times as much effort to convince a stranger to buy as it takes to convince a devoted customer of yours to do the same. Usually, this strategy is applied to big companies looking to sell more of their products, but the adage applies to freelancers.
If you’re trying to get a project lined up for next week, it’s going to be a heck of a lot more difficult to find a brand-spanking-new client and convince that person to hire you. It’s going to be a lot easier to convince a client who’s worked with you before, who likes your work, and who already knows that you’re a pleasure to work with.
So how do you get old clients coming back to you when you need them? You perfect the art of the follow-through.
What’s a Follow-Through?
Many of you are familiar with the concept of the follow-through as it applies to sports, but surprisingly few freelancers realize that follow-through is an essential aspect of a marketing strategy. They’re in the habit of hitting the client hard with their best work, and then waiting for that client to say yes. Or they move on to the next client and hit him hard.
There’s no follow-through. And that means they’re only doing half the job.
Here’s how a follow-through works:
After you’ve completed a project with a client, send a thank-you note a few days later. Just a quick email works fine; this isn’t a huge presentation. It’s just a little bit more than the next guy is going to offer.
The client is going to be pleased. He’ll remember you sent that note. He’ll remember that you’re the kind of freelancer who’s a pleasure to work with, and a nice human being.
About a month later, send that client another email. This one should simply ask how the project worked out. Tailor this email to the goal of the project. If it was for some sales copy, put forward your hopes that it got a good response. If it was a new website design, mention you hope your client’s visitors are enjoying the redesign’s features.
Draw a little bit of attention to what a good job you did, but mostly just ask about the project’s success. You’re showing that you care how the project turned out for your client, not just for you.
Most clients will be thinking how they can do something nice for you in return.
Why Does it Work?
We’re not accustomed to people in business being nice to us. We’re used to simple transactions – you hire me to do a job, I perform the job, you pay me, we go our separate ways. It’s as easy as buying a candy bar from the gas station. They got something, you got something, and everyone goes about their lives. No one really cares.
When you introduce the follow-through, you’re not just one half of a transaction anymore. You’re a real human being. You’re someone who cares what happens to your client and his business, and you’re someone who thinks about your clients regularly.
That makes you more than a service provider. That makes you the person who brightened this client’s day.
Human beings are naturally inclined to return a favor when we feel we’ve been done one. And since the client is pleased that you did the favor of following through, he’s going to turn around and try to do something nice for you to give a little back.
More often than not, that something nice is a new project for you to work on. And why not? He likes your work, and he likes you. Why wouldn’t he want to work with you again?
If he doesn’t have any work right now, he’ll probably still refer you to someone else who needs your services. Then your client will feel good that he’s done a favor for two people – you, and this referral.
That’s follow-through. Try it out on your next project, and you’ll be amazed at how much it improves your game.
For perfect follow-through, head on over to James Chartrand’s blog at Men with Pens – you’ll be glad you went the distance.
Leave a Comment
It’s always a pleasure and easier to sell to a person who knows the qualitée of our work and makes us fully confident
Good stuff. Thanks
Good post. One thing I do is to occasionally touch base with clients and include a link to a news story or blog post that they might find interesting (usually not one on my posts, but something from someone else). Something about their industry or that might help to solve, or shed some light on, a problem.
Great article!
Following up on prospective clients is also very important. If you are trying to reel in a client, you need to be in their mind constantly and the best way to do it is to follow-up.
Good topic to write about. I think it’s quite important and something that I’m sure many people sometimes overlook.
This is a great artical! This does give your business a unique selling point for sound customer service, which is always good. I always send my clients a thank you note after payment has been made and as alot of my cliens are from aboard I think sending them a small message to ‘follow up’ is a great ways of showing them that you are thinking of them across the miles!
I admit it – my follow through is nill. Unfortunately I get about 300 emails a day and it’s next to impossible for me to have time or remember to send multiple emails and calls and still get work done. Fortunately, this hasn’t hurt my business – yet. Think I need to hire a secretary!
“About a month later, send that client another email. This one should simply ask how the project worked out. Tailor this email to the goal of the project.”
Excellent and necessary little action — I was happy to be reminded & need to get together some friendly boilerplate to quickly customize for each client…
Great article – this is something I always need to remind myself to do.
Thanks. This makes me reconsider the resource allocation I place on follow-through versus lead generation. Although as you pointed out, a follow-through doesn’t have to be as expensive like an email of thanks or just touching base.
Sounds like an obvious strategy, still never tried it. We will try to experiment with follow-through. It’s such an easy thing to do (takes little money and time) while one can really benefit from using it. Thanks for this article!
It’s the extra 20% that you do and nobody else does that will keep you ahead of the competition.
Sure, it seems obvious and almost cliche (hey, go the extra mile and your clients will love you.)
But, like you said James, sometimes business transactions are like buying a candy bar from a gas station, and too many times people are worried about moving on instead of cultivating existing relationships.
I think this is a great article and I appreciate the sound advice.
I was not doing this, although I now send a “thank you” message on every payment received, both for legal reasons (I’m essentially saying “yeah, I received the money for this invoice, everything is correct here”) and to keep customers “in the loop”.
This article makes good suggestions on how to keep the customers in the loop a bit further. Plusgood!
This is very similar to what my dad tell me every year.
But I find it to be a bit painful because as clients get a bit of personal touch or softness from us, next time they go on for discounts; lumpsum discounts
Really good article. The thing with thank you notes after an important meet up is, its suppose to always make you apart from others. This theory also works for when you apply for a job and come back after meeting recruiters. Because you would think that others will do the same.. but you will come to find out majority of them dont. And this principal could apply to follow-through messages as well.
Thanks for writing this article about follow-though message techniques and the process. For all my clients, I dont think of them as yet another transaction (well may be that annoying ones
) I always think of my clients as more than a transaction and try to satisfy them fully with my design services.. and it does work. Follow-up process will be something that I will add to my replies to clients!
Thanks. I sometimes follow through. Your post has made me realise I should ALWAYS follow through. I especially liked ‘Why does it work’.
Good advice, thank you! I also made a “thank you card” for my best and oldest clients, and never forget to say thank you when money is landing on my account.
Great article as always James. I haven’t thought a lot about just checking in with past clients to talk about a job I’ve already finished. Will have to try it out!
its really good and informative site.I will definently visit this site again thanks
Good Thanks!