The most social time of the year is beginning to wind down. Christmas is over and as we patiently await the arrival of the new year you may be wondering if there’s something you can do now to put your business on the right track in 2023. The good news is there is! Do you know the one thing you can do that will prepare your business for success in the coming year? It’s follow up!

Yes, you read that right. You’ve heard us talk about following up. We talk about it all the time. And will continue to talk about it all the time because it is a very important activity that you can do that will not only set you apart from other network marketers but will also put your business on the path to success. That one simple task, following up, is probably the most important thing that you can do for your business. What is shocking though, is that many network marketers don’t do it. Why don’t they do it?

Why many network marketers don’t follow up

There are many reasons why many network marketers don’t follow up. The first is that they simply don’t remember to. Although they may know that they need to stay in touch with the people on their networks in order to stay top of mind, they may not always remember to follow up with them after a conversation or connect. The person may have had a question or a comment that gives the network marketer an opportunity to circle back with them. However, if they don’t remember to check back in with an answer or a response to the comment or question, they miss out on the opportunity to strengthen the relationship.

Another reason network marketers don’t follow up with their networks is they don’t want to feel like they’re bugging them. Or they don’t want to feel like a nuisance. The downside of traditional sales methods, especially in network marketing, is that many Network marketers don’t want to feel like they’re trying to sell their networks all the time. Consumers nowadays are wise to the tricks of traditional sales methods and have a strong aversion to feeling like they’re being sold to. For this reason, many network marketers will avoid following up because they don’t want to appear salesy and don’t want to feel like they’re burning bridges. What they may not realize is that they’re offering their networks a higher level of service by committing to staying in touch with them, answering their questions, responding to their comments, and generally just being there to serve.

Now is the time to check in with your network

If ever there is a better time to check in with your network, now is it. It’s after the holiday season. Many people are spending this time resting and relaxing with their families and loved ones. They’re also in the mood to chat. After all, they’ve spent the entire month going to parties and connecting with others around them. They want to share what they’ve been up to and what they have planned for the coming year. This is your opportunity to check in with your network, see what they’re up to, and listen for a need that you can help with. So who should you follow up with?

Follow Up with existing contacts

First, follow up with your existing contacts. If you’re not sure who to contact first, login to your Teamzy dashboard for a list of people to contact today. This list is based on how you’ve organized your network, with the people who you have sorted higher showing up more often on your list. In other words, you will contact your top advocates more often than you will contact people who you sorted lower on your list.

This is because your top advocates are the ones who are more likely to buy from you, join your team, and to introduce you to other people who could benefit from the services that you provide. You will still be able to contact everyone in your network at some point during your year. However, you will contact those top Advocates and those who are most likely to introduce you to others more often as they help drive your business to grow.

Chances are, you’ve seen many of your advocates at least once over the last few months. Now is the time to check in with them and see if there’s anything that you can do to help make their lives easier. Of course, it’s great if your business can swoop in and save the day, but remember that you also have a network at your fingertips. Tap into that network to help you introduce others to each other. Not only does this show that you can be of service to them, but it also shows them how to introduce people. This is important when you ask them to introduce you to people that they know who could benefit from your business or services.

Follow up with new contacts

Next, you’ll follow up with any new contacts that you have made during the season. While you have been connecting with others during this busy social holiday time, you were likely introduced to new people who you can add to your network. Whether these are new customers or prospective team members, it’s important that you reach out in a timely manner and connect with them. This allows you to get their temperature to see how likely they are to buy from you or to join your team. 

Although you will continue to reach out to them over the next several months, it’s important to connect with them now so that you can begin to build the foundation for a strong relationship with them. Explain the services that you provide, give more information about your products and your industry, and answer any questions that they may have throughout the process. This not only builds your relationship, but it also builds trust. Since we tend to buy from people who we like and trust more often, each time you reach out to connect with them makes them more likely to buy from you, join your team, or introduce you to someone in their networks who could benefit from your business.

Ask for introductions

In order to grow your network and build a stronger, more resilient business, it’s important to add new people to your network all the time. Even if you don’t wish to grow your business much, you still have to add more people to your network to take the place of those who leave your network. It’s a fact of business that people will come and go out of your network. And, while you hate to see them go, it’s also important to add new people to your network so that it can remain vibrant.

The people who are most likely to introduce you to people that they know are your top advocates. These are the people who believe in your business so much that they will sing your Praises from any rooftop. Chances are, they’re already talking about your business to the people that they know. They just haven’t taken that extra step to introduce you to them. In fact, they may not know that they need to introduce you to them. They may think that you either already know them or that the other person will take it upon themselves to seek you out and learn more about your business and services.

In reality, most people will make that extra step. However, if you reach out to your Advocates and remind them that you want them to introduce you to people that they know who can benefit from your business, then they’re more likely to do so. Even if they don’t have a name at the top of their head right away, they’ll continue to think about it over the next few weeks and may even contact you about a person they want to introduce you to. However, it’s also important to check in with them consistently to see if they have thought of someone who they can introduce you to. After all, they believe in you and want your business to grow. The best way to do that is for them to introduce you. 

After the introduction,  follow up

Once they’ve introduced you to people who can become potential customers or prospective team members, be sure to follow up with the advocate to thank them for the introduction. Even if the person they introduced you to is tepid about the opportunities that you can provide, it doesn’t mean that they won’t turn into a customer, team member, or strong advocate themselves. Remember, it takes seven touches in order to make a sale, meaning, you’ll have to connect with the new person at least seven more times before they have made a decision whether or not they’re going to buy from you or join your team. Be sure to follow up with them consistently so that you can build trust with them.

Let Teamzy help you follow up

Following up is easier with Teamzy. Simply log into your dashboard, in Teamzy will generate a list of people to connect with that day. You can even set your own follow-up appointments, which is helpful when a person says they want you to reach out to them at a certain time or day. Remember, following up is one of the most important things you can do to help grow your business. See how teams can help. Click here to learn more.