A professional follow-up system has two components, which we will call long-term and short-term, and also varies according to whether you are following up on a prospect or on a client. Although it is helpful to divide them into separate components in order to aid understandability, all of the following are very much parts of the same wholistic pattern of showcasing your responsibility.
It is good business to send thank-you notes even to non-prospects, because doing so is a good image builder. There is a high level of cross-communication by those in the property management field, and word will get around that you run a professional company.
You don't need to make your notes anything fancy, but you do want them easy to read, succinct and professional looking. What do you say? Just a couple of well thought out sentences will do. As an example: I appreciated the opportunity to discuss your sweeping service needs. I'll be getting back to you in a few days, as we discussed. Thanks again for allowing me to show you the professional services we provide. Remember, it's the thought that counts the most.
We recommend that you hand-write your thank you notes and put them onto smaller than normal letterhead, for example the notepaper size shown in the Sample Forms section. There is also a way to keep from having to write each individual note; this system is based upon the notepaper size recommended above, and is explained in detail in the manual section called Support Material; How To Streamline Note Writing.
The advantage to learning and perfecting this method is that it combines the thoughtfulness of a hand-written note with the time savings of something which is actually mass produced. Do not use this system unless you perfect it such that each note looks hand produced!
When you give a presentation to someone for sweeping services, you will almost always want to set a time to call them back, provide them with a Proposal For Services, etc. If you tell someone that you will call them back on Wednesday, then call them back on Wednesday! Call them when you tell them you will, even if it is to say that you don't have the information which you said you would have by then.
It is very, very, very, very (get the picture yet?!) important to develop a clear pattern of responsibility with prospects, or they will not become clients! Not now, not later.
Like any business which consists of services which need to be performed consistently over time, circumstances change, sometimes much faster than expected. That is why ongoing follow-up contact is especially important in this business.
Any time you meet a new prospect, put any and all pertinent information onto your index cards so you will have it to refer to later. If you use 4" x 6" cards there is room to staple on the person's business card and still leave room to write. Most people find that if they have the business card to refer back to later, they are much better able to visualize the person and situation when the time comes to re-contact them.
If you maintain a good filing system, you'll easily be able to keep track of when each callback is due. Telling someone that you will again call on them at a specific point in the future 'just to touch bases,' and then doing so each and every time, is a very powerful tool toward getting new clients. It shows better than anything that you do what you say you will do, and that is exactly what a property manager wants when they hire a company to do work for them at a time when they can't be there to supervise.
Now that computers have made ongoing communications so much easier, relatively, than ever before, we recommend that you add any potential prospect you have seen to your mailing list. List management companies will type in the basic data you provide them for around 15 cents per name, address and phone number. Always include the phone number in the database so that you can do follow-up calling, if you want to, after a mail-out of brochures, new contact letters, etc.
If you do this, it's a good idea to include a field in the database for noting whether the entry is a prospect or a customer. Compiling a database will allow you to do periodic mailings to those whose situation may have changed, triggering a need for your services.
A good follow-up program can make a big difference in how fast your company will grow, and how well it will do in the long run. You'll find that the time you put into follow-up with prospects will be well invested.
The cure for buyer's remorse is good follow-up. The first step in effecting the cure occurs when you send out your thank you note. In it, you should re-affirm to them that they made the right decision, and thank them for trusting their account to your company. In advance, accept the responsibility for doing a good job.
As an example: Thanks again for choosing ABC Sweeper Company to handle your account. I assure you that we will do a top-notch job, and anticipate that it will become a mutually beneficial relationship that will last for many years.
If there is ever a time that I might be of assistance, or you discover a way in which we might serve you better, please don't hesitate to give me a personal call.
Get your thank you note into the mail within 48 hours of when you sign the contract, and always hand address the envelope in which you put your note. You should consider getting some pre-printed thank you notes which are used for new clients.
If you can afford it and want to be a little fancy, have some printed up with your company name and logo on them. An alternative are the ones you can purchase at an office supply house.
As a second equally important step, always phone each new account after you begin service to them. Best is usually a call after 30 days, prior to sending the first bill, and then again at 90 days. Some contractors prefer sending a letter at the 90 day mark, one which checks in with the client and asks if service is what they expected. You may even want to include some kind of 'satisfaction checklist' that they can fill out and return.
The following section covers this type of long-term contact in more detail.
Following are some other ideas for letters which you can send to your clients on an ongoing basis:
Keep in mind that this type of information (except for the last one) can be included with your invoice. Not only does that reduce your postage costs, but it is also an excellent time to reinforce the fact that you are out there doing more than just asking for money once a month.
Another method which some contractors employ to show clients that they are on the job is to leave a 'post-it note' on the manager's door each time they sweep the lot. This is an excellent reminder that you were on the job, as contracted, and is especially useful for situations where a customer has questioned whether or not you swept their lot as agreed. For a sample post-it note, along with directions on how to get a batch printed up, see the manual section entitled Sample Forms; Post-It Notes Increase Professionalism.
Under most circumstances, you will also want to keep them on your periodic mailing list.