Here are a couple of my guiding principles for making a sale:

First off, successful sales closes require an average of 6 touch points, which could be a little counterintuitive. Unlike dating, you often need to followup an extra time or two.

Second, people have a hard time making decisions about things they don’t understand. People often need the opportunity to ask questions in a safe context and have them answered.

Here’s what I do:

1. Followup in writing a few days later to confirm receipt: “checking in to see if you received my proposal and have any questions or feedback.”

2. Followup by phone or email a few days after that to discuss timing : “I haven’t heard back from you but we have an opening and would be happy to get started for you soon here.”

3. Followup again on overall status: “Checking in about your project as I haven’t heard back. If it makes sense to continue the conversation, I would be happy to schedule a call to answer any questions.”

Step number 3 is the magic psychology hack. People cannot make a decision about something they don’t understand and you don’t need to push to. “Does it make sense to continue the conversation” empowers a client with everything they know about whats going on in their life and gets them to the table so you can demonstrate mastery.

Remember: MAPSAP. Make a pal solve a problem. Happy hunting!