by Guy-Michael Homa

Created on: January 04, 2010

Follow-Up, Follow-Up, Follow-Up – A Powerful Business Tool

Follow up is one of the most powerful skills in business situations, yet many people fail at this simple task.  Great follow up applies equally to personal circumstances, too.  A person can argue their schedule is so busy that they don’t have time.  This excuse does not warrant any merit.  If you feel that your busy schedule is hindering your follow-ups, then you need serious evaluation of your organizational skills and time management abilities.

Never leave a communication channel open-ended.  You must communicate to your contacts and prospects in timely fashion.  Even a simple message acknowledging your status, but pending further decision is better than no message at all.  Once you open the lines of communication, it is your responsibility to maintain a status update with other people.  All communication requires closure at some point.  Lack of follow up is like turning on your kitchen sink faucet then getting distracted to do something else.

Imagine yourself on the opposite end of the communication spectrum.  You have a great idea to share with a contact and draft a proposition.  Now, you get in touch with the other person to discuss your proposal.  Your prospect needs some time to evaluate what you offer and promises to connect with you again next week.  A week goes by and there is no word from your contact.  You leave a couple voice mail messages and even sent an email reminder - Still no response - Now what?  Everything is in limbo.  Response and feedback are critical at this point.  How can you know if your prospect is giving your proposition any merit?  There is no way of knowing that your contact has interest or alternate views to negotiate further if there is no feedback. 

Inadequate communication and lack of timely follow up gets in the way of progress.  Even if the news is bad, communication to that fact is still required.  Lack of follow up and poor communication skills are signs of disrespect and lack of consideration for everyone’s time - It also demonstrates poor management skills.  People will procrastinate naturally when they are unsure of their choices.  Indecision is still no excuse for lack of response.  A simple email reply or quick phone call takes but a brief few moments out of your day.  If you have no interest in an offer or need more time to evaluate, then just say so.  It is that simple.

Attentive follow up skills accomplishes several things.  Among them are: builds trust, enhances credibility, shows you are earnest and professional, helps other people make good decisions, shows you are proactive and decisive, validates your organizational ability, and demonstrates your capacity to get things done in timely a manner.  There are more positive attributes than listed here, but you get the idea.

 Never leave an issue or communication line open-ended.  You will never progress unless you improve your follow-up ability.

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