You made the cold call. You sent the email. You had the conversation.
And then… nothing.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone (this is how the majority of health insurance world participants act, in reality), but you’re also not off the hook.
Because here’s the brutal truth: the follow-up is where deals are won or lost, and most brokers are failing at it spectacularly.
The Follow-Up Problem Is Much, Much Bigger...
Sales follow-up is the single biggest problem most businesses face – and brokers are no exception. In many ways, the follow-up call is harder than the cold call. And nobody wants to do the cold call.
So what happens? People quit.
- 48% of salespeople never follow up even once.
- 64% of companies have no organized system to nurture leads.
- 44% of sales reps give up after the very first conversation.
Think about that. Nearly half of all salespeople make contact once and walk away forever — leaving money, relationships, and closed deals sitting on the table.
Here’s what the data actually tells us about how deals get done, and this part is my favorite one, because it actually proves that there is no such thing as “the right time”::
- It takes an average of 8 cold call attempts just to reach a prospect.
- 60% of customers reject an offer four times before making a purchasing decision.
- Only 8% of sales professionals follow up 6 or more times – yet those are the ones closing deals.
- 70% of sales reps send only one email to a prospect. But sending more can give you a 25% chance of getting a response.
- 92% of all customer interactions happen over the phone.
- 42% of prospective customers say they’d be more likely to buy if their sales rep simply called back when they said they would.
The pattern is clear. The reps who follow up consistently, creatively, and persistently win. The ones who don’t are simply handing their competitors a gift by bringing up the topic.
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One-and-Done Is the Same as Never
I don’t hear enough people bringing this topic up, but every call or message you send just once is wasted time. Your prospect will not remember your name. They won’t remember your company. They won’t remember your offer – not in a few days, and certainly not in a year or two. Without consistent follow-up, you’re invisible.
And yet, 66.7% of sales reps reach out to 250 or fewer leads in an entire year. That’s not a pipeline. That’s a wish list.
Non-Gambler Brokers Think Differently
Here’s the mindset shift that separates the best brokers from the rest:
Average brokers think: “Lost sale = No Deal, Ever.”
Great brokers think: “Lost sale = Next Time.”
Great brokers never give up on unsold clients. They’re absolutely convinced that someday, the unsold will become a client. Every month you’ve spent following up on a prospect who went with someone else isn’t wasted – it’s an investment that hasn’t paid off yet.
The brokers who dominate their markets aren’t the ones with the best pitch. They’re the ones who are still in the room – or in the inbox, or on the phone – long after everyone else has moved on.
In prospecting, patience is the tax you pay for real influence.
The Golden Rule of A Follow-Up
1. Make the Follow-Up Call Count
The follow-up call isn’t just a check-in – it’s a strategic move. Here’s how to do it right:
- Use your notes. Reference what you learned in your initial call. Ask if anything has changed since you last spoke. Show them you were listening.
- Do your homework. Research company news, leadership changes, new products, or industry reports before you dial. Give yourself something meaningful to talk about.
- Time it strategically. Calling at the right moment dramatically increases your odds of getting through.
- Go multi-channel. Supplement calls with LinkedIn outreach. Meet your prospects where they are.
- End with a clear next step. Every effective follow-up call ends with a call to action – a specific, defined next move that keeps the conversation alive.
- Use a script. Not to sound robotic, but to make sure you hit the points that matter and move the prospect forward.
If you see them once, you send them a follow-up email, and then by not staying in touch, you’re basically telling them:
‘Forget who I am and lose my number.’
There’s always something to talk about – interest rates, inflation, changes in their industry, shifts in their company. You can find it with a simple Google search before you pick up the phone.
2. Master the “Saw This and Thought of You” Strategy
This is one of the most effective – and underused – follow-up moves in the game.
Collect interesting articles, reports, blog posts, or social media content relevant to your prospect’s business, role, or industry. Then reach out with a simple, human message:
“I saw this report and immediately thought of you.”
“Came across this book – felt like it was written for what you’re dealing with.”
If they respond positively? Send them a physical copy – book, article, report – with your logo and contact details on it. It’s memorable, it’s personal, and it keeps you top of mind in a way that another email never will.
3. Get Creative with Long-Term Prospects
If you’ve been following up with someone for months or even years, you need to stand out. One surprisingly effective tactic: a personalized singing email.
Yes, really.
Record a short, funny, personalized video or audio message – or hire someone on a freelance platform to create one for you. It’s unexpected, it’s human, and it’s nearly impossible to ignore. In a sea of templated emails, a little creativity goes a very long way.
4. Build a Newsletter or Blog That Keeps You Front of Mind
A regular newsletter or blog isn’t just a marketing tool – it’s a long-game follow-up strategy. Done right, it establishes credibility, builds trust, and keeps your name in front of prospects even when you’re not actively reaching out.
One important note: your newsletter shouldn’t be all about healthcare. The goal is to be the first name your buyer thinks of, which means delivering value about their world. Industry trends, business insights, economic updates, data relevant to their sector. Give them something useful, and they’ll keep opening your emails.
Don’t go quiet in the spring and summer when everyone else does. That’s exactly when you should be doubling down, especially with larger groups who make decisions earlier in the cycle. Get ahead of Q4 by starting the conversation now. A quick call, a preliminary meeting, a piece of useful intel; that’s how you build a pipeline that’s already warm when renewal season hits.
Marketing is optional. Prospecting is Oxygen.
In a world obsessed with impressions and “brand voice,” it’s easy to forget what actually moves money in B2B. And it’s not visibility. It’s not content calendars. It’s not clever copy.
It’s conversations.
It’s context.
It’s timing.
It’s persistence.
Marketing might open the door. But prospecting is the one that walks in, shakes hands, and stays until the deal is done.
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