By Will Brogan, Commercial Truck Training

When we introduce the section of our refreshed Ultimate Boot Camp called Follow Through (as opposed to the cringy Follow Up), we ask our group two questions:

“What was a memorable time someone impressed you with following through?”

“When was the last time you impressed someone with following through?”

There’s usually silence after the second question. There is so much focus on the process of the sale, even in fleet and commercial, that the customers you’ve collected get moved to the back burner. Sure, they’re still on your stove, and you give them attention when needed, but they are not much of a focus anymore.

How do you solve that? You put as much emphasis on your current book of business as you do your prospects. After all, it’s easier to convince someone who has already bought a vehicle from you to buy another, so long as you’re doing the right things.

Here are three different ways to keep the conversation flowing, with value naturally attached.

Networking Groups and Trade Associations

This should be standard practice for you. It doesn’t matter necessarily which associations you’re a part of, so long as the connections provide potential for you and you take the time to get involved! Think of the efficiency of seeing your customers and prospects on a regular basis, in a networking-friendly setting. Think about the connections your current customers can help you make to their partners you’re trying to get in the door with. Stay active, get on a committee, sponsor events, and have a goal to meet three new people at every meeting while keeping in connection with your current base.

Your number of sales contacts alone should skyrocket just from associations… and gatekeepers don’t go to these meetings.

Fleet Cycling

The mere discussion of fleet cycling presents a unique opportunity to stay connected with clients while offering added value. Proactive fleet management initiatives, such as offering maintenance reminders, performance reports, and fleet optimization recommendations, demonstrate a commitment to client success beyond the initial sale. 

That sure sounds like an opportunity for a “regularly scheduled interval” to keep in contact with your customers, doesn’t it? Now add in your knowledge of lead times, specialty upfit details, and enough data on their fleet, and you become someone to be relied on for any business owner or fleet manager.

Social Networking

When was the last time you heard the phrase above, as opposed to “social media?”

Sure, everything on those various channels is media in some form, otherwise it wouldn’t draw our attention. There are some impressive individuals in commercial and fleet that have gone “viral” to a degree, but you do not need big numbers to succeed. You need content that – when your prospect does check you out – they come away feeling as though you are a resource they can trust.

If you focus your efforts on networking – meaning posts containing other people, businesses, and organizations – you will establish a quality following organically. A solid general recommendation is to have equal parts of the following posts: vehicles (segmented walkarounds), people (testimonials and networking-related activities), and educational (specific how to videos, incentives or tax breaks, etc).

Effectively, you need content that allows prospects to come away feeling as though you are a resource they can trust, and when a customer visits your channels, they see that you keep your word on being a quality connection worth keeping as a partner in growing their business.

…

 “When was the last time you impressed someone with following through?”

You can answer that question for yourself by executing examples like what’s above. By putting an emphasis on your post-sale activities in a way that you would any other successful self-improvement process, you have a head start on most competition already.

Look for opportunities, create a realistic system worth executing, and find a little daily reward that works for you. Then start, adjust, learn, and above all, keep going.