Voices | Your Business Follow-Up: The Salesperson’s Secret Sauce Follow-up is the often unrecognized hero of the sales process, and following up on an initial or ongoing conversation is taking the next important step in any business relationship. By Lindsey Davis IT CAN BE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR when someone new joins the team – energizing and invigorating. I had a moment like that earlier this year when Michele Schwartz joined PPAI’s business development group as sales manager. Michele hit the ground running. I mean that, literally. We flew her out to Las Vegas for The PPAI Expo on her very first day. But Michele’s a trouper, with a deep well of experience to draw on, including almost a decade in sales leadership at industry supplier Fossil Group. Nothing brings a team together like working an event the scope and scale of The PPAI Expo. The same goes for PPAI’s own staff. As I was getting to know Michele better, the discussion frequently turned to sales tactics and philosophies. She’s an expert, so it would be foolish not to take the opportunity to learn from her. One of the things that immediately stood out to me in our conversation was how important follow-up is as part of the sales process. On the face of it, that’s a silly thing to say. It’s obvious that after you meet a new contact or Nothing brings a team together like working an event the scope and scale of The PPAI Expo. inspiring.team / Shutterstock.com 28 • APRIL 2024 • PPAI
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