\n\t\t Entrepreneur \t<\/p>\n
What does it take to achieve real success? Thomas Edison\u2019s life offers a clear answer: persistence. He still holds the record for the most patents by a single inventor. He ran over 10,000 experiments while creating the light bulb and tested more than 17,000 plants in his search for natural rubber.<\/p>\n
His secret was simple \u2014 he never quit. As he famously said, \u201cI have not failed. I\u2019ve just found 10,000 ways that won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how far are you willing to go to reach your goals?<\/p>\n
In marketing, it\u2019s easy to get caught up on hacks, quick fixes or a magic shortcut to growth. While there are<\/i> ways to accelerate progress, the hard truth is that long-term success is built on determination and persistence.<\/p>\n
It took me 27 years to build a $119 million business, and the foundation was the same principle Edison lived by: I kept going.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t predict whether a lead will close in three days or 3,000 \u2014 but you can<\/i> control your consistency. There should never be a point when you stop marketing to your audience. Here are three best practices for effective follow-up.<\/p>\n
Related: The 3 Greatest Lessons I\u2019ve Learned After 25 Years in Business and $100 Million in Revenue<\/b><\/p>\n1. Never stop following up (unless they officially unsubscribe)<\/h2>\n
Have you ever looked at a text message from a friend or an email from a colleague and thought in that moment, \u201cI\u2019ll respond to this later,\u201d only to completely forget to do that?<\/p>\n
The same thing happens with your prospects. They may be interested, but they\u2019re also busy; maybe they get distracted, or maybe they\u2019re not ready to buy yet. In either case, don\u2019t give up! Consistent follow-up is the key to bringing their attention back to you.<\/p>\n
Keep sending your emails, SMS messages, direct mailers and any other follow-ups you do unless they tell you to stop, even if you feel like you\u2019re being annoying.<\/p>\n
I have contacts in my arsenal as old as my business, PostcardMania. That\u2019s 27-year-old leads!<\/p>\n
But guess what: Many of them are closing. And I don\u2019t mean they\u2019re closing shop \u2014 they are buying what we sell.<\/p>\n
We did some research on this recently and found that in one week, we emailed 148,894 leads that first inquired three years ago \u2014 and, in that same week, 86 responded, and 12 of them converted.<\/p>\n
We also looked further back to five-year-old leads and found that after 126,148 emails, 61 responded and seven converted.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s 19 new clients and 147 restarted sales conversations total from very old leads.<\/p>\n
The truth is, there\u2019s no good reason for you to eliminate contacts once they\u2019ve reached out to you. The ones who are truly uninterested will unsubscribe on their own.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t risk losing out on more revenue just because you lack faith in converting an old lead.<\/p>\n
Related: Executing a Follow-Up Campaign in 4 Steps<\/b><\/p>\n2. Get more creative with your follow-up and diversify your delivery<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s essential to follow up with your leads across different marketing channels \u2014 not just email or text \u2014 because every person has his or her own preferred marketing channel.<\/p>\n
I personally love the tangibility of direct mail. I enjoy opening my mailbox and finding a physical letter or postcard waiting for me. It\u2019s a welcome change from sifting through hundreds of emails every day. And research shows I\u2019m hardly alone in this!<\/p>\n
But you might not mind clicking through emails or responding to a text message. That\u2019s exactly why reaching out on several channels matters. The more often your leads see your business show up in front of them, the more likely they are to remember you when the time comes.<\/p>\n
And just because someone doesn\u2019t buy from you immediately doesn\u2019t mean they never will. They may be waiting for the right moment \u2014 when they need your service, when their budget opens up or even after trying a competitor and having a disappointing experience.<\/p>\n
People choose businesses they already know and trust. Consistent follow-up not only builds strong awareness but also credibility.<\/p>\n
Scheduling automated emails or social posts is just part of doing business these days. But automated follow-up postcards or letters \u2014 does that actually exist?<\/p>\n
It does. And honestly, it\u2019s one of the smartest evolutions in direct mail I\u2019ve seen in my 27-plus years doing this.<\/p>\n
Direct mail automation lets you trigger mailers based on real actions your prospects take. Someone browses your site, pokes around a product page, then disappears without calling or filling out your form? They can get a postcard automatically \u2014 no staff intervention, no manual list pulling, nothing. Same with a lead who got a quote and then went quiet for two weeks. Instead of crossing your fingers, the system sends a friendly nudge in the mail for you.<\/p>\n
You can even tailor the timing based on how \u201cold\u201d the lead is. Older leads might get a gentle monthly reminder; newer leads might get weekly touches. Once you set the rules, it all runs in the background while you focus on what you do best.<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s something I always remind business owners: You might not think you love direct mail, but the data shows most marketers do. About 88% of them say they see conversion rates from direct mail at least 5% higher than their next closest marketing channel.<\/p>\n
Related: How to Boost Your Business With Direct Mail Automation and Retargeting \u2014 a Detailed Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/b><\/p>\n
The good news is that setting up direct mail automation is not the ordeal people imagine. Most CRMs today can talk to a direct mail automation platform easily. All those dormant leads sitting in your database \u2014 people who raised their hands once, then drifted away \u2014 you can wake them back up with zero manual effort.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had countless clients over the years tell me, \u201cJoy, I\u2019ve been getting your postcards forever. Now I\u2019m finally ready.\u201d That\u2019s the magic of staying in front of people. Automation just makes it effortless.<\/p>\n
Put this into practice, and you\u2019ll be amazed at how much more revenue you can squeeze out of the leads you already have \u2014 without running yourself ragged.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n