Avoiding follow ups is like putting your business growth on pause.
Renee Hribar shares the story of Sheila, a bookkeeper who was nervous about reaching out but discovered how a simple, customized follow up framework led to new opportunities, client connections, and even high-ticket sales. With only a few follow ups, she booked presentations, offered free reviews that opened doors, and landed a $4,000 cleanup client, all while staying aligned with her 20-hour workweek goal.
This episode is a reminder that consistent, caring follow ups can transform “not right now” into long-term business growth. By focusing on connection, clarity, and confidence, you can create a reliable sales process that supports both your income and your lifestyle.
Transcript
So comfortability to the edge of her comfort zone. There you go. There are some words I shouldn't say. She sent three on many levels. she sent three follow ups that first week. Wow. That felt like a tongue twister. Sally sold seashells by the seashore pew. I can still do it. Okay. So out of those three follow-ups, I wanna break down the math.
ith a clear conscience every [:Connecting alone by itself will get you. Some clients sometimes, but I'm talking about reliable, predictable income and how much time you need to spend to get that income. That's what I like about what I teach and what I do. So I wanna give you that math. So let's break down the math. What, what did three follow ups, what could your three follow ups look like?
Well, here's what Sheila's looked like out of those, and I'm hoping you're gonna learn something from this. 'cause one of these is really a good example of. An opportunity that presents itself when you look at things with an open mind. So, the first follow up said, thanks, but not right now. Oh my gosh.
it was not rejection. It was [:It just means I can't do it right now. But don't stop inviting me. That's what I want you to think about. Not right now, but don't stop inviting me. Don't take that is as a, I hate you. Do not look me in the eyes. You know what I mean? Which is what I think a lot of people do. They internalize it and they tell themselves a story like I talked about on Monday.
That is just not freaking true. It's just not true. Just because you follow up does not make you pushy, and just because you follow up and someone says thanks, not right now, does not mean they're like, I spit on you. They're not doing that. So cancel clear, delete tip of the hat to Irene Miller. She taught me that.
the math. First one said, no [:She said, I don't need it now because I'm doing my own books for now, but I do wanna know what I should be looking out for. She's a real estate person and like an agent and works at an novice with about 75 other real estate agents. And so what she did was told me, thank goodness, and I said, Hey, real estate offices are always bringing people in to do talks.
rked on a presentation slide [:Plus, with a slide deck, we could put the QR code straight to her calendar. They could hold up their phone and book a call right then and there. And we made not only a really great 30 minute presentation that. Poked the problems they probably didn't even know that they had and got them inspired with a time bound and specific call to action PS we did not go straight to a sale.
We did not break down an offer. We simply said this at the end of the presentation. Well at the beginning and the end. 'cause I'm a big advocate of not everybody's gonna pay attention the whole way through. So the beginning and the end, she said, listen, I've got five free bookkeeping reviews. I usually charge $150 for these, but I'm gonna give away five for free.
e. and you'll see there's a, [:I will give it to you for free. Otherwise, my normal price is $150 for a bookkeeping review. And what I do is I. Look at your books beforehand. I, I ask you questions. We review 'em while we're on the phone. We screen share, and I will advise you on where you should go next based on any gaps that I see. Gaps and opportunities, ways to save money, places to make more money that you don't even, that most people don't even think about because they don't look at books the same way I do.
Again, in this place, I'm playing the role of Sheila, right? So I'm acting as if I'm her right now. So that's what we. Went through. That's what I coached her to do and I'm so excited she hasn't, she like, she hasn't actually had the workshop yet, but is in the works. I think she's booked in for like, I dunno, it's 45 days from now or something like that.
So that was, that was [:Think about it. If you were presented with that, I know what's gonna happen if you were presented, but I want you to think about this as you're listening right now. If you were presented with this by someone, if you were one of those 75 agents sitting in that room, how would you respond if you were even remotely interested?
something that. Sheila would [:So I can't wait to see the reactions of that. I'm gonna get, I'm gonna bank on, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be a, a profit here for a second and say, all right, I think she's gonna get at least, at least two more clients out of that. So there you go. I just called it. But the third one that she followed up with, remember, she only followed up with three people the first week.
The third one was like, oh my gosh. I was wondering when you were gonna follow up with me. Yes. I need you. They needed a cleanup. So if you have ever worked with a bookkeeper or you, you know, you kind of see how their financials come through. Cleanups are a big, a big deal 'cause they might charge, you know, on a monthly basis, anywhere from 300 to a thousand bucks to do the books depending on the type of business and how many transactions and all the different things that they configure.
, that third person that she [:And how, and I'm laughing, is how often does this happen? You start working with somebody and you realize, oh. Oh wait, there's a lot here. And they hadn't mentioned it. It's not, it's not like they were hiding it. They just didn't even think of it because that's not how their brain works. So if you are a bookkeeper or a dashboard builder or a funnel builder, or a sales coach or a business coach, your brain works different than your clients.
[:That's all she has capacity for. That includes marketing, selling, and delivering. Okay? So she does not have a lot of time, and if she can have 20 clients. A year where through the course of that year, she's making about 10 K per client. That means Sheila's top line revenue will be $200,000. It doesn't take that much to hit that yearly customer revenue per client.
can confidently predict that [:Once things shift in her own personal life, she may decide she wants to do something more than that or she might not. Either way, $200,000, top line revenue at 20 hours a week on her own time is exactly what she wants right now. That's what we're working toward. And when I first came in the online space, that was my goal and it really, it it shifted a little bit in the, in the last few years, and now honestly, with the way that my personal life is going, all the good things that are happening, all the opportunities that are coming my way on lots of different fronts, I'm like.
gonna see I do what I teach.[:And so I'm flipping back the curtain. I have a hundred percent transparency here. I'm excited for you to use what you're hearing me talk about for yourself. So here's my reflection question that I want you to consider, right? I want you to think, you know, who could you follow up with today? Not because you're trying to push them, but because you actually care, because avoiding follow ups is like putting your dreams on hold, but taking action, even small action.
One person, like I encourage you to talk to on Monday creates momentum. All right. That's all I got for you today. I will see you soon. Let's do this.
