Olivia: Here’s a wild statistic: 44% of salespeople quit after just one follow-up. But 80% of sales are made after the fifth contact. Jackson: Whoa, hold on. That gap isn't just a number—it's a graveyard of lost deals. It’s like four out of ten runners in a marathon just decide to sit down after the first mile marker, even though the finish line is way down the road. Olivia: Exactly. And that massive, opportunity-filled gap is where our topic lives today. It’s the exact problem that sales expert Jeff Shore tackles in his book, Follow Up and Close the Sale. Jackson: Jeff Shore. I’ve heard his name. He’s not your typical sales guru, right? There’s something different about his approach. Olivia: That's the key. His background isn't just in sales; it's in the psychology of buying. He spent over 30 years figuring out how to climb inside a customer's mind. So his work isn't about pushy tactics; it's about aligning with how people actually think and make decisions. Jackson: Okay, that makes sense. Which brings us back to that horrifying statistic. Why are we so bad at this? Why do we hate following up so much? It feels so… needy. Olivia: That is the perfect question, and it gets right to the heart of the first major idea we have to unpack. It’s a fundamental mindset shift. We think we’re being pests, but Shore argues we’ve got it completely backward.

Jackson: Backward how? Because every fiber of my being screams, "Don't send that third email! You're going to annoy them!" Olivia: Shore’s most profound point is that effective follow-up is not about you or your commission. It’s an act of service for the customer. Think about it this way: you and a potential customer had a great initial conversation. They were excited, you built a connection, you showed them a solution to their problem. Then, you disappear. Jackson: Right, because I don't want to bother them. I figure, if they're interested, they'll call me. Olivia: But from their perspective, your silence feels like you didn't care. The connection feels like a charade. Shore tells this great, relatable story about meeting someone at a wedding. You have this amazing, three-hour conversation, you connect on a deep level, you exchange numbers with a promise to call… and then the call never comes. Jackson: Oh, that’s brutal. You’d feel like a fool. You’d think the whole thing was fake. Olivia: Precisely. You wouldn't think, "Oh, how polite of them not to bother me." You'd think, "Wow, they must not have meant any of that." Shore argues that failing to follow up in a sales context is the same kind of betrayal. It invalidates the initial trust you built. The truly rude act is to start a conversation about solving someone's problem and then abandon them. Jackson: Huh. I have never, ever thought about it that way. That not following up is actually the more selfish action, because it’s about protecting my own comfort at the expense of the service I promised to provide. Olivia: You’ve nailed it. He quotes Martin Luther King Jr., "Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" And he applies that directly to sales. Your follow-up is the answer to that question. It’s proof that you care. And caring, as he says, is an action, not an attitude. Jackson: Okay, I get that in theory. It’s a powerful reframe. But in practice, how do you do that without sounding like every other salesperson with a lazy, "just checking in" email? That phrase makes my skin crawl. Olivia: That’s the million-dollar question. And the answer is, you never, ever just "check in." Every single point of contact has to provide new value. It’s an extended conversation, not a series of pokes. Jackson: What does "value" look like in this context? Are we talking about sending them discount codes? Olivia: It could be, but it's usually more creative. Did the customer mention they were struggling with a specific industry problem? Send them a link to a fascinating article about it. Did they mention their kid plays soccer? Send a quick note wishing them luck in the championship game. Did you learn something new about your product that directly addresses a concern they had? Share it. The goal is to be a resource, not a reminder. You’re continuing the conversation you started. Jackson: So you’re moving from being a salesperson to being a helpful consultant who just happens to sell something. Olivia: A trusted ally. You’re showing them, through your actions, that you were listening and that you are still thinking about their problem. That builds an incredible amount of trust, far more than a perfect initial pitch ever could. It’s a long game. Jackson: It’s interesting, because this approach seems to require a lot more emotional intelligence and creativity than the stereotypical bulldog sales persona. Olivia: It’s all about that. And that’s why so many people fail at it. It’s easier to just make more cold calls than to do the hard, thoughtful work of maintaining a relationship. But that’s where the money is. And that brings us to the strategy behind it all. Because once you believe you’re helping, not harassing, you need a playbook for how to do it effectively.

Jackson: Okay, so we’ve got the right mindset. We’re here to serve. But the customer is busy. They’ve talked to three of my competitors. Their kid just spilled juice on the new rug. How do I stay on their radar? Olivia: This is where Shore introduces two brilliant concepts. The first is what he calls "Emotional Altitude." Picture the moment a customer is most excited about your product. It's usually during that first meeting or demo. Their hope is high, their vision of a better future is clear. That’s peak Emotional Altitude. Jackson: I know that moment. Their eyes light up. They’re leaning in. Olivia: Exactly. Now, the second you let them walk away, that altitude starts to drop. Life gets in the way. The excitement fades. Logic and doubt creep in. He tells this perfect story about a guy in a bike shop. The guy is in love with a bike, he can picture himself riding it, his Emotional Altitude is through the roof. But he says, "I need to think about it." Jackson: The classic line. Olivia: The salesperson says, "Okay, let me know!" and never follows up. A week later, the customer has had a bad week at work, his budget spreadsheet is staring him in the face, and the emotional high of that bike is gone. The sale is dead. Not because he didn't want the bike, but because the emotion that drives the purchase evaporated. Jackson: Wow. So the follow-up isn't just a reminder. It's an attempt to refuel their Emotional Altitude. To get them back to that feeling of excitement and possibility. Olivia: You’ve got it. Your job is to be the steward of their excitement. And this is critical because of the second concept: "Passive Elimination." In a world of infinite choice, the default outcome for any prospect is to simply forget you exist. They don't actively decide against you; you just fade from their consciousness. Jackson: That's so true. It's cognitive overload. If you're not in my inbox or my feed with something interesting, you don't exist. So what are the "superpowers" Shore talks about to fight this passive elimination and keep that emotional energy high? Olivia: He focuses on two that are incredibly potent: Speed and Personalization. Jackson: Let’s start with speed. How fast are we talking? Olivia: Faster than you think. Shore advocates for what he calls the "four-hour rule." The first follow-up should happen within four hours of the initial meeting. It could be a quick text, a short email, or a video message. Jackson: Four hours? That feels aggressive. Olivia: But think about it from the customer's perspective. They just left your office or ended a call with you. Getting a quick, valuable follow-up that soon shows you are on top of it, that you care, and that you take action. It sustains the momentum. It’s like the difference between getting a thank-you note the day after a party versus a month later. One feels thoughtful, the other feels like an afterthought. Jackson: That makes sense. It reinforces the positive feeling from the meeting. Okay, so what about the second superpower, personalization? This feels like the antidote to the generic "checking in" problem. Olivia: It is. This is where you show you’re a human connecting with another human. It’s about remembering the small details. Shore tells a great story about his dentist. Six months after a visit where he mentioned a big project, the dentist asked him how the project went. He had jotted it down in his notes. That small act of remembering made Shore feel incredibly valued. Jackson: It shows you were actually listening, not just waiting for your turn to talk. Olivia: Exactly. And this is where technology can be a huge asset. Use your CRM or notes app to capture those little details—their kid's name, their favorite sports team, a hobby they mentioned. Then, you can weave those into your follow-up. It’s not creepy; it’s considerate. Jackson: Can you give me a concrete example of this in action? Olivia: Absolutely. Shore shares a fantastic story about a new home salesperson named Blake. A prospect called, very skeptical, saying she needed a large, wooded lot and didn't want to waste her time. She was tired of salespeople. Jackson: A tough customer. Olivia: Very. So what did Blake do? He didn't just email her a list of lots. He took out his phone, walked to the perfect homesite, and recorded a raw, one-minute video. He said, "Hi, it's Blake. I know you were concerned about trees, so I wanted you to see this for yourself." He panned across the beautiful, wooded lot. It wasn't slick. It was authentic. Jackson: Oh, I love that. It’s a demonstration, not a claim. He’s showing, not telling. Olivia: And it worked perfectly. The prospect’s guard came down completely. She showed up for her appointment, not with skepticism, but with a smile. He used speed—he did it right after the call—and personalization to completely transform the dynamic. He wasn't just another salesperson anymore. He was Blake, the guy who took the time to walk out to a field for her. Jackson: That’s a world of difference. It’s about effort. It signals that you’re willing to work for them, that you see them as an individual. Olivia: That’s the entire philosophy in a nutshell. It’s not about a single tactic. It’s about a consistent, disciplined approach rooted in service.

Jackson: You know, as we talk through this, it’s clear that this isn't about memorizing a list of scripts. It’s a total philosophical shift. First, you have to genuinely believe you're helping, not harassing. That’s the mindset piece. Olivia: Right. You have to reframe it as an act of service. Jackson: And second, you have to realize you’re not fighting against the customer’s rejection. You’re fighting against the human brain’s natural tendency to forget everything in a sea of information. Your job is to be memorable and valuable enough to survive that cognitive churn. Olivia: That’s a perfect summary. Your competition isn't just other companies; it's the sheer noise of modern life. And Shore’s most practical advice for cutting through that noise is what he calls the "Lead Conversion Hour." Jackson: I like the sound of that. It sounds focused. Olivia: It is. He says to block one hour on your calendar every single day. No email, no social media, no distractions. For that one hour, you do nothing but focused, valuable, personalized follow-up. It’s not a heroic act you do when you feel like it; it’s a non-negotiable habit, like brushing your teeth. Jackson: That’s so powerful because it turns it from a vague, dreaded task into a concrete, manageable system. It’s not "I should follow up more." It’s "Tuesday at 10 AM, I do my follow-ups." Olivia: Exactly. It builds the discipline that makes all the difference. Because in the end, the person who wins the sale is often just the one who cared enough to show up one more time than everyone else. Jackson: It really makes you wonder, doesn't it? How many opportunities have we all let drift away, not just in sales, but in life—friendships, creative projects, personal goals—simply because we were afraid to send that one extra message? Olivia: A profound and maybe slightly uncomfortable question to end on. It shows how these principles go way beyond just closing a deal. Jackson: They really do. This was fantastic, Olivia. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.