12 Most Unassuming Excuses to Follow Up with Your Customers( phrase, script)

1. “I just wanted to call to wish you “Happy _______!”

Holidays are the perfect time to follow up with any customer. Who doesn’t love a season’s greeting? Okay, so wishing your customer a Happy Valentine’s Day could be awkward, but birthdays, Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza, Thanksgiving, and the 4th of July are all okay. You might even get a laugh out of your customer if you call them during an obscure holiday. Give it a try.

2. “I wanted to give you a call to make sure you got my email…”

Send your customer an email and give him a call to follow up on it. Most of the time, he will not have read it. Just repeat the general ideas of the email and ask for his feedback. It’s a great way to keep the conversation going.

3. “I wanted to find out if everything went okay with…”

If it’s a customer that has already purchased from you in the past, you will be able to ask the customer how her experience has been with your product or service.

4. “I just thought of something…”

If you aren’t thinking about your conversation with that customer, you should be. If you have been, then you’ve got something to talk about. Call your customer and tell him what you’ve been thinking about.

5. “I just read an article that made me think of you…”

Are you reading up on your customer’s industry? Certainly you’ve come across an article that can relate to her situation. Call her and tell her about it. She will welcome that sort of conversation.

6. “I heard about _______ happening in your industry”

If you watch the news, there is likely something that has occurred recently that effects your customer’s industry. Call him and tell him about the event.

7. “I talked to x and he/she said…”

Talk to someone that your customer knows and use that conversation as a springboard into a conversation with your customer. Customers always respond better when they know you’ve been referred to them by a friend.

8. “I’ve been thinking about what we spoke about last time we met…”

Use something from your previous conversation as a springboard into a new discussion. Further elaborate on what you said during the conversation or ask your customer to elaborate on what she said.

9. “I forgot to tell you…”

Surely, you didn’t get out everything you want to talk about in your brief meeting with your customer. Now is your time to tell him what your were thinking about just as you walked out of her door.

10. “I wanted to know if you had heard about the upcoming _______ …”

Is there an event, conference, trade show, or other presentation occurring in the next few weeks that could be relevant to your customer? Call and tell them about it.

11. “I have a free _______ that I would like to send you…”

If you aren’t yet doing content marketing, you should be. Send your customer a free eBook, slides from a webinar, or white paper about his industry. Then, call and talk to them about the ideas in the work.

12. “I wanted to thank you for…”

You can always call to say, “Thank you.” Your customer has been gracious enough to give you her time. Thank her and ask her what more you can do to help her.

None of this is meant to be pretentious or manipulative. Don’t ever call your customer if you don’t have something valuable to say. And don’t call customers just because they are on your list. Be better than that. Be worth doing business with.