Stop “Checking In”: How Successful Consultants Manage Follow Up | Ep. 218

In this episode, Melissa Lieberman addresses a common pain point for independent consultants: the difficulty of following up with potential clients. She emphasizes the importance of follow-up in the consulting business and shares a personal story illustrating how easy it is to forget or delay follow-ups and how human distractions often contribute to this situation. Her narrative serves as a reminder that ghosting is a common experience on both sides of client relationships.

Melissa defines follow-up as expecting someone else to take action after an initial conversation, proposal, or exchanged information. She identifies various scenarios in which follow-up is appropriate, such as after sending a proposal or when anticipating introductions. The discussion outlines what constitutes ineffective follow-up methods, including disappearing from discussions, excessive badgering, and sending non-value-added communications.

The episode introduces a strategic framework for effective follow-up that emphasizes offering value. Melissa instructs listeners to use short, direct communication and to employ various outreach methods creatively, such as texting or LinkedIn messaging alongside email. The core of this framework revolves around reframing follow-up as an opportunity to provide additional insights or resources rather than merely seeking a response.

Melissa shares five actionable strategies to streamline the follow-up process: 1. Create permission for follow-up within client interactions; 2. Make it easy for clients to respond by providing options; 3. Simplify the follow-up process for yourself with frameworks; 4. Cultivate a positive mindset around follow-up; and 5. Avoid relying solely on one client interaction for overall business success. These strategies aim to alleviate the pressure surrounding follow-up communications, promoting a proactive and confident mindset.

The episode concludes with an encouragement for listeners to reflect on their mindset regarding follow-up. Melissa prompts listeners to consider how they see themselves and their potential clients in follow-up situations and encourages them to approach follow-ups with the intention of adding value. Additionally, she highlights the importance of having a structured, systematic approach to client acquisition in consulting.