Every customer interaction needs to add value.
When I managed a sales team full-time, I often noticed a recurring issue that could derail even the most promising deals. Sales reps would say things like, “I’m waiting to hear back” or “I’m trying to schedule a follow-up call.” Statements like these signaled a bigger problem – breaking the sales chain.
Key Takeaways to Keep Your Sales Chain Strong
- Add Value in Every Interaction: Bring insights or data that make each call worth your client’s time.
- Schedule the Next Step: Don’t hang up without setting a clear follow-up.
- Engage Post-Sale: Keep adding value to build a long-term relationship and foster future sales.
Let me explain what I mean and why it’s essential to maintain the sales chain in every interaction.
Rule #1: Always Add Value to Keep Engagement Strong
In sales, a critical rule is ensuring that every interaction with a client adds value. It’s never just a “check-in.” If you’re not adding something meaningful, you risk losing the customer’s interest and motivation to engage with you further.
For example, before the era of email, I’d bring clients articles, insights, or specific industry updates relevant to their field or business. By sharing valuable information about competitors, trends, or specific requirements, I created a relationship where they associated each interaction with something beneficial. This habit not only kept the client engaged but also built a foundation of trust and reciprocity.
My goal was to build a symbiotic relationship with this person so we could continue to make progress on a sale because they had strong incentives to keep meeting with me. I was training them that meeting with me was worth their time every time.
That’s how I could keep building progress toward an eventual sale.
You fail to do that if you’re “checking in” with the person. When you act that way, you become beholden to the client so that it becomes easy for them to put some distance between you—a dynamic that is never great for closing a sale.
- Pro Tip: Offer valuable content each time you connect. Share market reports, relevant articles, or competitor insights. When clients know they’ll gain something worthwhile in every interaction, they’ll look forward to the next conversation, strengthening the sales chain.
“Time Kills All Deals” – Don’t Leave the Next Step Open
Another essential element to never break the sales chain is that you should never hang up on a call or a Zoom without scheduling your subsequent interaction with that customer.
I have seen salespeople wind up a call with a customer by saying something like, “That was a great call! I’ll follow up with you in a couple of weeks.”
Argh. I’m starting to realize why I don’t have as much hair as I used to.
The problem with this approach is that it introduces the risk that you will never hear from that person again. People are busy. And it’s often hard to get a hold of them. Think about it: How frequently does anyone pick up their phone? It’s much easier to let the call go through to voicemail.
You’re in trouble when you allow time to enter the sales chain. Sales can happen quickly when all the lights are green and everything is aligned. However, when time or lag is introduced, it creates the potential for distraction and friction in completing a deal in ways that increase the risk that the deal won’t happen.
You might even chant this mantra to your team: TIME KILLS ALL DEALS!
That’s why it’s crucial to schedule your next engagement whenever you’re ending an interaction with a customer or potential customer. And it would be best to do this through the same lens of adding value to the customer. It’s not just a check-in. Maybe it’s something specific like, “We’ll walk through the details of our proposal.” Or “I can share the results of our diagnostics analysis with you.” Or say, “We have an interesting market survey I can share with you.”
You need to give them a reason to incentivize your customers to schedule that next call with you.
How to Keep the Sales Chain Alive
But the sales chain doesn’t stop when you make the sale. The chain should continue unbroken until the sale is completed. That’s your opportunity to continue providing value to your customers in ways that make them feel thrilled to do business with you—and maybe even pave the way for future sales.
So, when it comes to a simple lesson for helping improve your close rate on sales, think about ways always to add value to your customer and keep the conversation moving by always scheduling your next interaction. If you can do that, you’ll reap the benefits of never breaking the sales chain.
