Closing The Loop Personal Use Ebook

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What is Follow Up?

Why do some people seem to consistently get more positive results? Why do some people have an almost uncanny ability to close an important sale, get tickets to a sold out event, obtain a reservation at a popular restaurant or get more repeat business from their customer base? The answer isn't magic and it isn't a trick or a tip. People who consistently get better results in life have internalized an important lesson: Being tenacious achieves results. In short, these people are less willing to take no for an answer than people who consistently fail to get positive results out of their activities.

Now tenacity has nothing to do with being pushy or rude or obnoxious. Quite the opposite. Tenacity is all about applying a consistent and even pressure against the obstacle that you face. It is not about rushing in. It is not about destructive force. It is not about crushing the competition. Instead, tenacity is about staying in the picture and the game, not giving up and waiting for the best possible moment to make your case and get the results that you desire. So, where does follow fit into this process?

Well, follow up, in a very real sense, is about not giving up. It's about believing in yourself and what you have to offer and having the tenacity to wait as long as it takes for other to realize this. You see, success is very often about communication. You can't be successful unless you are able to effectively communicate with someone else. Follow up is about keeping the lines of communication open. It's about keeping your foot in the door. Most of all, it's about remaining positive in the face of impassivity.

There's a story about Bono of the Irish rock band U2 that perfectly demonstrates the process and power of the follow up. Before U2 were huge international stars, they were four young Irish kids from the tough streets of Dublin trying to get signed to a record contract. One of the places they were trying to get signed was at Island Records, a company owned by Chris Blackwell. Blackwell had already discovered and signed talents like Bob Marley and Bono was determined that Island Records was the place for U2. Bono had already sent the Island A&R representative a tape of U2 performing, to no good results. The A&R man was noncommittal. So, he decided to go straight to the top and deliver the tape directly to Blackwell himself...over fifteen times.

He would travel from Dublin to London about once a week and stop in at the Island Records headquarters and ask to speak with Blackwell. Each time he brought a copy of the same tape and left it for Blackwell's attention. After some time, the Island staff got to know him by name and to expect his regular visits. After weeks of this, his persistence paid off. Blackwell contacted him and asked him why he was bothering his staff. Within weeks of that conversation U2 were signed to Island Records and the rest is history.

Bono easily could have taken the non-committal A&R man's indifference as a no and left it at that. Instead, he followed up his initial contact with a steady, yet polite, stream of follow-up contacts that, over time, bore spectacular fruit. His tenacity in the face of impassiveness is what allowed him to reach his desired goal, in this case a record contract. This is the essence of the follow up process. If you want to get to where you want to be you have to be prepared to go the extra mile and keep the channels of communication open, even if the other party you're trying to communicate with remains silent. Insistent persistence is what the follow up is all about.

Another excellent example of follow up comes from superstar chef Grant Achatz. Achatz is the owner and head chef of the world renowned, three star Michelin restaurant Alinea, among others. Achatz is known as being at the forefront of the molecular gastronomy revolution in cuisine, and his restaurants regularly are listed as among the best in the world.

However, back in 1996 Achatz was an unemployed 22 year old, recently graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, who had a dream. You see, Achatz wanted to apprentice under Thomas Keller, the famous chef and owner of the French Laundry restaurant in Northern California. Achatz didn't know Keller and had no contacts who knew Keller, but he didn't let that stop him. Every day, for twenty-nine days in a row, he sent his resume to Keller. Finally, on the thirtieth day he received a call from Keller whose first words were "What is wrong with you?" Shortly thereafter, he traveled to California for a tryout. He worked at the French Laundry for four years, rising to the position of sous chef before he left to start Alinea.

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