Small Business Tips: Conquering the Fear of Follow-up

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Sometimes a small business tip is practical, and sometimes it’s emotional. This one is an example of the latter, and is also an excellent example of the kind of writing you can expect if you were to become a Blogmutt customer. – Scott

by Katie Testa

As a small business owner, you’re also an individual, someone who experiences a range of emotions when faced with a challenge. When starting a new business venture, it’s typical to feel uncertain about your ability to stand out from the crowd.

Getting the word out about your business often means making personal connections and giving your “elevator speech” to many people, one on one, throughout your day. One of the greatest challenges faced by new business owners, after they make a few important contacts and pitch their services to potential clients or customers, is effectively following up with those people.

According to some small business experts, many people actually fear following up, but what are they afraid of? In many cases, they might be concerned about looking like a phony or appearing interested solely in making a profit. It’s a valid concern for anyone trying to sell a product or a service.

However, in a recent guest post on Dr. Shannon Reece’s blog, author Oma Edoja explains that there’s really no need to fear following up. Most likely, your insecurities are unfounded, because people who have expressed an initial interest in your business are probably waiting to hear from you.

What constitutes follow-up, you might ask, and why is it so important for getting clients or customers? Typically, it can be an email, a phone call, or any genuinely personal communication that shows your initiative and dedication.

Most importantly, says Edoja, your method of contact should be perceived as helpful, not intrusive. Another crucial recommendation is to act more like a problem-solver, and less like a salesperson. Following these small business tips can make a potential client or customer more likely to trust you and want to do business with you.

When planning your follow-up strategy, here are some specific action points:

  1. “Evaluate your marketing.” For example, is it based on educating the consumer and offering solutions, rather than pursuing them and bombarding them with something that they don’t want or need?
  2. Acknowledge and face your fears. Determine their cause and restate your objectives in a positive manner that will help you overcome them.
  3. Automate and delegate tasks, such as scheduling outgoing communications and creating your blog content.

One of the best ways you can follow up is to point people to your blog, where you answer their questions and give them other helpful information about your business. If you don’t have time to generate content regularly, let us help you!

The Blogmutt team is ready and waiting to help you fill your business blog with outstanding content. You provide us with some keywords and an overview of the types of content you want to publish, and we’ll take it from there! Contact us today to get started.

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