It Takes FIVE Follow Ups

Still waiting to hear back from that prospect? Don’t go quiet.

In this week’s Smart Business Growth episode, Nicky's calling out the silent killer of sales success: giving up too soon.

HubSpot research shows it takes five follow-ups to close most deals. Yet nearly half of people give up after just one. No wonder sales feel stuck.

In this episode, Nicky shares:

• Why your follow-up feels awkward (and how to shift that)
• How to stay top of mind without being annoying
• The “friendly stalker” moment that changed everything for me
• Creative ways to make following up less awkward and more effective

This is your nudge to keep going. Not just once. Not twice. But at least five intentional, strategic follow-ups. Because becoming invisible helps no one.

Learn more about Nicky at nickymiklos.com

Grab The Growth Code™ here!

Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au

Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram

Contact: 0403 191 404 | [e-mail]

Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

Episode Transcript

Speaker (00:06):
Hello, and welcome to another Smart Business Growth

(00:30):
Podcast episode.
Now, the other day I was doingmy hour of power because I still
do at least every fortnight, Iaim every week to do my business
development hour of power.
And you may have heard mebanging on about that in the
past.
If not, you probably will hearme banging on about how great an
hour of power is in the future.

(00:50):
Essentially, it's dedicating anhour, surprising, to really
honing in and focusing onbusiness development or sales
activity, the things that youavoid.
When we batch and we bodydouble, it's actually a really
great way to be very effectivewith our time.
And I'm sure there's nosurprises when I say that the
biggest barrier that I hear tosales, business development,

(01:14):
coaching as a sales leader istime.
So if you can batch and if youcan body double, body doubling
means that you're doingsomething with other people,
then you're actually moreinclined to be more effective
with your time.
So there's a top little tip.
Not the point of what I wasgoing to talk about today, but a
really great tool or frameworkfor you to use.

(01:36):
So when I was doing my hour ofpower a few weeks ago, I was
sitting down and I thought,right, there was a potential
client that I have been inconversation with for a number
of months, back and forth.
I felt like the friendlystalker that I often joke that I
am.
And I'm thinking, I don't knowif I can do another phone call.
I don't know if I can doanother follow-up because I

(01:59):
hadn't heard anything back for alittle while.
And I really kind of sat thereand thought, I don't know, it
feels awkward.
I just don't know if I shoulddo this.
I thought, you know what?
I'm just going to try one moretime.
I'll pick up the phone.
Up until this point, uh, again,for follow-up, I always think
it's a great idea to getcreative and use different
methods.
So it could be email.
Um, don't start with an email,and that needs to just be one

(02:20):
part of it because we rely,over-rely on email.
Uh, but it could be uh phonecall, LinkedIn, voice note, text
message, email, et cetera.
So I'd done all of that.
And I thought, you know what,I'm just gonna do one quick
phone call.
And I'm so glad that I didbecause the client answered the
phone, or the potential clientanswered the phone.
And the first thing they saidwas, Nikki, I'm so glad you

(02:41):
didn't give up.
I'm so glad that you have stillbeen in contact.
And I'm really sorry for notgetting back to you and all the
things that were going on intheir world, the new tech
systems, the things happeningpersonally, like there was just
a lot.
And I thought to myself, thankgoodness I didn't give up.
And this is something I hearabout a lot.
I hear, I have so manyconversations and I hear from

(03:04):
salespeople, leaders, businessowners, I just don't want to be
annoying.
I don't want it to be awkward,I don't want to follow up too
much.
But the reality is, is that theperson that you're following up
with is probably really busy.
They're juggling multipleballs.
They've got so many thingsgoing on.
And even though we know thatour service is going to help

(03:28):
them in all the ways that yourproduct and service does, the
reality is that you are just nottop of mind for them.
They're top of mind for you,but you're not their number one
priority.
As harsh a truth that is, andmaybe we maybe you should be one
of their top priorities becauseyou'll help them cut through
the noise or you'll help themgrow their business or whatever

(03:49):
the outcome of your service is.
But the reality is that most ofthe time you're not.
And so we need to keepfollowing up.
And if we don't keep followingup, you'll become invisible.
And you know, there's thatsaying around the money's in the
follow-up.
It's so true.
A quick interruption to thispodcast episode.
I'm really curious, do you wantto close more sales in less

(04:13):
time?
If the answer is yes, which Ihope that it is, then you need
to get your hands on the growthcode.
It is going to give you threeproven frameworks and tools that
will help future-proof yourbusiness and scale with clarity.
All you have to do is head downto the show notes and click the
link below.
So I really want this episodeto be a little reminder for you

(04:38):
to keep following up.
I also want to share astatistic with you.
So HubSpot did some researchthat found 80% of effective
sales requires five follow-upcalls after the first meeting.
Five.
Yet 44% of people give up afterthe first follow-up.

(04:59):
So most people give up afterthe first follow-up because they
don't hear back.
Now, I get it.
You know, I'm in this game, I'min this space, and I can still
feel really awkward about it.
So here is my gift to youtoday.
It's a statistic.
If the research says it takesfive follow-ups, why don't you
create in your sales process,whether you have a team or it's

(05:22):
just you doing it yourself, thatyou will always do a minimum of
five follow-ups.
Now, this example that I gaveyou, it was probably around the
ninth follow-up.
You know, I'd done the minimum,um, hence I was questioning.
But even in that case, thinkabout things like have I used
some different mediums?
Have I actually tried the phonecall, the text, if appropriate,

(05:44):
because not everyone likestexts, the email, the LinkedIn
message, the Loom video.
You know, make sure that you'vegot five different creative
touch points and you're usingthem all.
But what this does is itremoves the personal attachment
because the evidence shows ittakes five follow-ups.
I'm sharing this with a lot ofpeople at the moment and it's

(06:07):
really blowing their mindbecause again, it can take away
that awkwardness.
The final thing I want to sharewith you around this is always
remember to put yourself intheir shoes.
Look at it from theirperspective.
The decision makers that we'rewanting to get in front of, to
get a hold of, that are actuallysaying yes or no to working
with you, chances are theirchaos is that their schedule is

(06:32):
chaos, they've got a lot goingon, and they're really just
trying to keep all the balls inthe air.
So how can you make it reallyeasy for them to buy from you?
Make sure your interactions aresimple, clear, and quite, you
know, keep it light as well.
That helps take the awkwardnessout of you.
So in summary, please make surethat you are following up at

(06:53):
least five times from a meetingor presenting a proposal, a
pitch, a solution.
Don't make it about you, makeit about them.
And the more you follow up withthem, the easier it is for them
to buy from you.
When you don't make that touchpoint or the call or the
interaction, you're absolutelymaking it about you.

(07:14):
You don't want to becomeinvisible, you want to stay top
of mind.
So do you need to include intoyour sales process a minimum of
five follow-up touch points?
I'd love to hear your thoughtson this, and I'd love to hear
how you go with this.
Uh, as always, you can reachout to me on all the usual
channels and have some fun withthis and take yourself lightly.

(07:36):
Happy selling out there.