How do you follow up with prospects and customers? Do you...

• Send an email?
• Connect with them on LinkedIn?
• Pick up the phone and give them a call?

Many sales people rely on technology to stay in touch, and email is a great tool for that. If a prospect isn't ready to commit right now, you can add them to your email list and send them a newsletter on a regular basis, so you stay top of mind when they are ready to buy.

But there is something to be said for high touch. Take a few minutes now and then to pick up the phone and call your prospects and customers just to check up on them - not to sell them anything. Of course, different age groups like to communicate in different ways. The Millenials (twenty-somethings) are all about texting, while Baby Boomers tend to use the phone for actual talking! It's a good idea to ask your customers how they'd like to be communicated with, and then engage them that way - whether it's by phone, email, text message, Skype, etc.

It's also smart practice to take the time to understand your client's pain points and find solutions that will make their lives better and easier - even if it's not something you generally provide.  Another high touch method to stay in contact with customers that is appreciated in today's high-tech world is to simply send a handwritten note to say hello and thank them for their business.

Your customers will also value your relationship more when you remember their hobbies and interests and send birthday or holiday gifts that relate to that.  Then, take that strategy to the next level by remembering their kids' birthdays or other significant milestones in their lives, and send them a little something for other holidays, such as Valentine's Day or Thanksgiving. READ MORE...