Navigating New Connections: Tips for Following Up with Unknown Contacts

[krzymomof4]

I am still fairly new to this. I am just now breaking out of my circle of friends and family. Here is my question(s).
1) To those people whom you do not know; but have gotten their name from someone else..How do you handle it? I have sent a letter and made a call but got her answering machine. No reply from her.
2) Also, if you send a letter and leave a message, do you follow up with another call or just leave it alone?

I don't want to be known as TPC Stalker

 

[speedychef]

I'm sorry I can't help, but I have the same fear...being a PC stalker...A friend's mom said she was really interested in having a catalog show and I called her once a week for 3 weeks. I figured after that, I would just drop it. I don't want to have a show with someone who is hard to deal with! So I figure though I'd love to have the business, it's not worth it to me...One thing I'm toying with is coming up with some way of saying, "If you're not interested or changed your mind, that is FINE! Just let me know so I don't continue to bother you! I'd love to continue to be your Kitchen Consultant, but if you don't want to have a show, I can understand that." I feel like sometimes people are trying to avoid me and not hurt my feelings...I'd rather they just say NO THANKS! and I can move on.

 

[pamperedbecky]

This is what I've heard some people do on a regular basis and I've tried it occasionally. By like the third message I leave for someone, I'll leave a message something like this....."Hi this is ______________ calling from TPC and I'm just trying to catch you in to check in and see if you're still interested in hosting a show (or whatever the case may be.....) and to tell you the awesome upcoming specials. Since I don't want to become a Pampered Chef Stalker, if I don't hear from you within the next week, I'm going to go ahead and remove you from my database (or call list....or whatever you call it) because I don't want to pester you. If you'd like me to remain in contact with you, please call and let me know." Or something to that effect. I'm tired and my brain isn't thinking right, but something like that so you're acknowledging you DON'T want to be a pest AND they'll be missing out on something if you don't keep in touch with them. I've probably done this a handful of times and nobody has called me back right away and said "OH NO, don't take me off your call list!!!! I just can't do a show RIGHT NOW." But I have heard this happening to other consultants.

My thought on this is if someone isn't at least trying to get back in touch with you after 3-4 attempts, don't waste your time. Maybe put a reminder in Contact Management in PP to call them in 3-6 months or something.

My problem currently is I just can't find the time to make calls! It's so frustrating! My calendar is looking good through the end of October but I'm afraid if I don't get on the phone, November and December will be pretty slow, which makes for a slow start in the new year for me. I wish there were more days in the week!

 

[tpchefrebecca]

Honestly, I have had the same reaction as you. No one seems to be home. What I do is I make two phone calls and send an email (if they have one) then give it a month or two and try again.
My tip: The best thing is EMAIL! I worked a booth at the County Fair and received a good amount of leads, but no response. However, they all had email addresses. I let them and any leads, guests, and hosts know if they want monthly updates, and recipes then please give me an email address. From the fair I have had two bookings in which the hosts emailed me months later on their own time. I was so excited when I touched based that they as well were really excited.
Don't give up! Once you come up with your own strategy it will get easier

 

[AnaCash]

!Hello there! Congratulations on stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching out to people you don't know. It can be intimidating at first, but it's a great way to expand your network and grow your business. To answer your first question, when reaching out to someone you don't know but have gotten their name from someone else, it's important to be respectful and not pushy. Make sure your letter and call are friendly and informative, and if you don't hear back from them, don't take it personally. They may be busy or simply not interested at the moment. It's always good to follow up once, but if you still don't hear back, it's best to move on and focus on other potential customers.As for your second question, it's always a good idea to follow up with a call if you've already left a message. Sometimes people can miss or forget about a message, so a follow-up call can be a helpful reminder. However, if you've already followed up and still don't hear back, it's best to leave it at that and not come across as pushy.Remember, it's important to respect people's time and boundaries, so if you don't hear back from them, don't take it personally and continue to focus on building relationships with those who are interested in your products. Best of luck to you!