Don’t be a cry baby! You’ve got to call the parents back at some time.

I know there is a high level of stress and anxiety associated with a follow-up phone call. 

It’s your second go-round with the parents. 

Your thought process is probably ‘will the parents be receptive or will they just blow me up?’

Let’s assume in your first face-to-face meeting or phone call everything went great.

They liked what you had to say, but they needed some time to make a decision.

This is often the scenario during your first encounter. The ‘wait and I’ll get back to you’ game.

Finally, the moment of truth has arrived.

You must make that second phone call. Unfortunately, inexperienced scouts often screw this part up for various reasons.

Preparation is the key ingredient to the follow-up phone call.

I’m assuming the last conversation ended with the parents saying they’ll think it over or something to that effect. 

I’ve been in the business long enough to know that the parents are not sitting around every moment of the day thinking about the previous conversation.

It is safe to assume that, in regards to the parents, the moment the conversation ended they’ve completely forgotten everything you talked about. They forgot your name, the name of your company, and even what was discussed.

Here are the steps you should follow.

Call them back within 5 to 7 days.  

You’re not giving them time to think about it, you’re giving yourself time for preparation. 

The moment the first conversation has concluded that’s the exact moment you start your preparation for the follow-up phone call.

You must know exactly what you’re going to say to the parents before you punch in those phone numbers.

Example: Mr. Jones, the last time we spoke it was regarding Spencer’s football career and the recruiting process. What can we do to get this process moving forward with Spencer today?

The Point: You want to get right to the point without hesitation. You’re not wasting time, or words or any of that. You already know exactly what you’re going to say so be brief, be self-assured, be strong in your voice, and be confident in your approach.

Failure to get right to the point will allow parents an opportunity to cut you off or shut you down; to distract or try to intimidate you, by responding with ‘we’re not interested’. If you allow parents to have that kind of control, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot!

The Objection:  Be prepared for an objection because there’s a high probability it will happen. That’s the normal response from most parents. The real question is, how are you going to handle it? Will you be prepared?

Preparation:  Roleplay possible objections and how you would deal with each and every one of them. Write down the objection and your response to it. Continue to practice until perfection. Continue to practice until all has been committed to memory.

To eliminate confusion. You don’t need a separate rebuttal for every objection, keep it simple. 

Example:  When the parent says we’re not interested, no thank you, or just plain NO or any kind of objection, your response should be the following:

What exactly is it that you’re not interested in?

What exactly are you saying No to?

You’re feeding the objection back to them. Many times, parents don’t even know why they are objecting in the first place. You’re trying to find the hidden objection and, generally, there always is one.

The Hidden Objection:  

If the parent has an objection and they can’t elaborate on it, then I would suspect there’s a hidden objection somewhere. 

Your job is to dig deeper in order to uncover any and all hidden objections.

‘Not interested, no thank you, we’re going to pass on it, or just flat-out no’. These are common objections. 

The strategy is to feed the objection back to them. 

An extraordinarily large number of inexperienced scouts will accept the first objection, or any objection, the parent hits them with. This kind of mindset is a recipe for disaster.

By simply accepting that objection and walking away you could potentially ruin your career and be out of business permanently.

You want to achieve a certain level of financial freedom, but I guarantee you if you do not master the art of the follow-up phone call you will be in financial ruin. 

I’d would like to know what you think of this topic. Please leave a comment in the comment section below. Your comments are the options in we need to grow.