I recently had a conversation with one of my sons about life and about that narrow margin that separates a winning effort from that other less desirable outcome. The conversation got me to thinking about how often in my life I had won business, given business, or received a referral to business based upon nothing more than simply being the one person who gave attentive follow-up or was pleasantly surprised to have received it.

We often like to over-complicate things in this already complicated life. One widely held notion is that you’ve got to be perfect to win. While that is sometimes true, I think that much of the time, getting to the medal stand is as simple as executing against the plan, and following through on logical next steps. My business involves me giving and sometimes getting referrals to new business. I am amazed at times, how when I try to give business to certain businesses, they do not impress with their follow-up on the opportunity.

There are,  no doubt, some good reasons why sometimes good people don’t follow-up, like illnesses, legitimate distractions like vacations, travel, business over-load, etc. And yet, I cannot help but wonder how a sane business person can fight so hard for a referral, and then squander it nearly immediately, by not prioritizing the execution of courteous timely follow-up when it has been received. It happens too often…

When you’ve been introduced to a new business opportunity, you owe it to yourself to make executing your follow-up contact and actions a highest priority. You will never get a second chance to make a great first impression. Often, a simple phone call or email will indicate your interest in pursuing the opportunity, even if you are booked solid for the next day or two. Don’t let a potential business opportunity dwindle on the vine for lack of attention.

In today’s crazy world, I have become increasingly attuned to working with the people who seem to “get” the importance of communication and execution. I have canceled orders with companies who forced me to accept “their” schedule and discounted the importance of placing me first as a customer. Conversely, I have given business to some great companies because they impressed me with their customer focus and ability to execute courteous follow-up today, rather than tomorrow.

I hear from businesses large and small that are struggling to find new methods to drive revenue and profit growth. Could the answer be as simple as focusing on your execution? Could excellent follow-up be the next growth strategy? Experience tells me that businesses that focus on follow-up and make it a regular aspect of their daily execution unlock the potential for new prospects, and increased repeat business and greater profits. What’s your view? My son agreed with me, that sometimes, all it takes is showing up. Sometimes, it really is that easy…