Do you ever catch yourself following up like this:
"Would it be okay for you if we met up this week?"
"Hey there, just checking in. Have you had time to see this?"
"I know you're busy, but maybe you had a chance to view this? (pls)"
"Is it okay if I..."
"Do you have time to..."
"Would you be open to..."
...Each line unconsciously positioning you as someone who needs permission to exist in your prospect's world -- instead of the other way around.

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4
min read
This is not a follow-up. It's just you spending energy to lose frame.
"What's the issue, Can?" — I already hear in the distance.
In the last article I announced that I am working on a copy and paste system for you, which will allow you to never forget a follow up again.
I want to give you this system and I want you to use it, but I don't want you to harm yourself with it. And just looking at Pareto's principle, it is extremely likely that you would do more harm than good.
80% of business owners operate in a frame of scarcity because they get SO few leads that they genuinely make themselves believe that there is a very limited amount of prospects qualified for their service.
The other 20% of business owner get 80% of the leads and are living in abundance.
So, for the former 80% of business owners, neediness is a huge issue.
They NEED the deal.
They NEED this to work.
They NEED you to reply to their email.
Can you imagine how your dating life would be if you NEEDED a relationship to work out?
The universe doesn't bow to intensity, but it bows to consistency.
Which is great because the system I am going to give you is going to make you consistent.
But also terrible if I don't give you a user's manual with the system.
People need to understand that they need you.
The answer to this isn't being arrogant or playing "hard to get". Quite the opposite. It's about creating an environment where prospects want your permission to move forward...
If you are selling on a high level, you will have understood that every interaction either seeks or grants permission. There is no neutral ground.
And if someone is sitting in the call with you right now, they want you to be the person that gives permission to move forward.
They want to be the one that NEEDS the service. Because they actually do.
They are on a call with you because they need something from you. And your job is to gauge whether this is worth your time.
Here are some hands-on examples on how to set this up for yourself.
Replace your usual follow ups mentioned above with: "I'm following up on our conversation about X."
Turn your "just checking in emails" into clear decision timelines: "Based on our discussion, you needed this solution in place by Q2. To meet that timeline, we need a decision by Friday."
Here are a few more subtle shifts you can make in your calls.
Opening a call: "Tell me about..."
Ending the sales call: "I'll reach out next Tuesday to continue our discussion."
When sending proposals, replace "Please let me know when you'd like to review this" with "I've set aside a slot on Thursday at 2 PM to walk through this together."
These subtle changes are sub-consciously going to signal that you are NOT needy.
These subtle changes will create an environment in which the prospect is going to look for your permission to move forward.
These subtle changes to your sales etiquette will give you so much frame that not even scientists understand its exact extent.
It's almost unfathomable. And you have to do this.
Your service is valuable. Your time is valuable. There is only a finite amount of people that you can serve and this means that you have to cherry pick whom to work with.
Not because you are trying to bullshit people, but because that's the way it's supposed to be. It's unnatural for you to be needy if there are 50x more leads out there than you could ever possibly handle.
You need to create an environment where prospects want your permission to move forward. Not the other way around.
Talk soon,
Can
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