Measuring whether follow up is working rather than assuming

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Introduction

Follow-up is either the most under-done activity in a small business or an intrusive waste of time, depending on who is arguing, and the argument is never settled because nobody has the data. Whether deals were followed up at all is not recorded, so the comparison that would resolve it cannot be made.

The measurement required is unglamorous and simple: note which quotes were followed up and how many times, then compare outcomes. Two or three months of that produces a figure that ends the discussion, and it usually ends it decisively in favour of following up more than the business currently does.

1. Measuring whether follow up is working starts with recording whether it happened

The missing field.

A column with the number of follow-up contacts per quote. Without it every subsequent question is unanswerable, and this is why the debate recurs indefinitely. One number per record, added at the time, is the entire data collection requirement.

2. Compare conversion by number of contacts

The core analysis.

Quotes followed up nought, once, twice, three times, and the proportion won in each group. This is a spreadsheet exercise and it is the most useful thing in this whole area. Three months of quotes is usually enough to see the shape.

3. Watch for the confounding factor

The honest caveat.

Promising deals get followed up more, so higher conversion partly reflects which deals were chosen. Comparing within similar value bands reduces this. Stating the caveat honestly is better than presenting the raw comparison as proof.

4. Look at the second contact specifically

The decisive comparison.

The difference between one follow-up and two is where most of the available gain sits, and it is the change most businesses have not made. If the data shows nothing else, it usually shows this.

5. Count the replies, not just the wins

The intermediate measure.

How many follow-ups produced any response, including a no. Response rate tells you whether the messages work, separately from whether the deals were winnable. A low response rate points at the wording rather than at the activity.

6. Track time to response as well

The speed dimension.

Deals followed up within three days against those followed up after two weeks. This is usually a larger effect than the number of contacts. It is also easier to change than anything else on this list.

7. Attribute the eventual win honestly

The record-keeping.

When a deal closes months later, note whether follow-up kept it alive. Without this, long-cycle wins are attributed to nothing and the activity that produced them looks unproductive. Ask the customer if you are unsure; they usually remember.

8. Include the deferred opportunities

The category that pays later.

Revenue from contacts who said not now and were followed up on schedule. This is frequently the largest single return from the whole activity. It is also the part most likely to be omitted from any assessment.

9. Watch the negative signals too

The other side.

Unsubscribes, complaints, requests to stop. If these are rising alongside the conversions, the frequency is wrong even though the conversion figure looks good. Both numbers belong on the same report.

Be careful about drawing conclusions from small numbers. Forty quotes split across four follow-up categories leaves ten in each, which supports a hypothesis rather than a policy. Keep recording for a few quarters before changing anything substantial.

Conclusion

Record whether follow-up happened, because that is the field that makes every other question answerable.

Compare conversion by number of contacts within similar value bands, look specifically at the difference between one follow-up and two, count replies as well as wins so you can judge the messages separately, track how quickly the first follow-up went out, attribute long-cycle wins to the contact that kept them alive, include revenue from deferred opportunities, and watch unsubscribes and complaints alongside the conversion figures.