This Overlooked Keystone Habit Doubles Revenue But Do You Have It?

Some small, seemingly insignificant habits produce outsized results, and I’m going to tell you about a boring one that’s essential for freelancers, consultants, and solopreneurs.

In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg introduces the idea of "keystone habits." Keystone habits are consequential—that is, brimming over with the good kind of consequences—because they can transform your life. Think about a row of dominos. With the flick of a finger, you knock the first domino down. It knocks over its neighbor. The chain reaction begins.

One such keystone habit for solo service providers is following up with past clients and silent prospects.

Ever heard of Zig Ziglar? Years ago, I bought his "Secrets of Closing the Sale" audios for $99 or some obscenely low amount. Basically, I sat the feet of a sales legend, and his soothing Texan drawl made the stories, insights, and key practices that much better.

Get this…

Ziglar recommended that you follow up with potential clients AT LEAST 5 times. Say what?!

Ziglar’s advice brought on thoughts like these:

• “Wait, isn’t that too much?”
• “Won’t I get on people’s nerves?”
• “Won’t I come across as too aggressive or salesy or needy?”

When I actually implemented the habit, because maybe Ziglar knew something I don’t or maybe I needed to be a bit more coachable, the strangest thing happened. I landed more projects.

Even stranger was people’s response. They thanked me for my persistence. They made it seem like I was doing them a favor by staying in touch at regular intervals.

When I started trying to understand why following up is effective at a deeper level, I had several realizations:

• Many people aren’t great at managing their inboxes. Even important emails get buried.
• Many people can’t remember everything they’d like to remember. They forget priorities.
• Many people are busy. Because so many things compete for their attention, some things won’t get attention.

That’s the reality for lots of decision-makers who discuss a project with you or me and then go dark on us.

As time passes, we wonder, “What happened? I thought the discovery call went well. My proposal was solid. What did I miss? Did they hire someone else and not have the decency to let me know?”

Meanwhile, they’re thinking, “I can’t believe it’s Q4 already. My inbox is a disaster, but I can’t think about that right now. I’ve got 15 minutes to prepare for this Zoom call, and then I need to look at what Tasha sent and give feedback.”

That is, lots of folks aren’t thinking about their conversation with you or your proposal at all. Out of sight, out of mind.

It’s really important to recognize, with honesty and humility, that your priority for prospects—that they’d carefully consider what you bring to the table and make a decision—may not be high on their list. Or, if it was right after they talked to you, the priority can quickly fall down the list.

What mistake do we make when we find ourselves in this situation?

We mistake the prospect’s silence for a lack of interest.

Instead, we should assume that the answer is always yes until we get a clear no. We should also assume that the problem isn’t the proposal or price but the other person’s inbox, memory, or workload.

These assumptions will encourage action in the form of consistent follow-ups, and eventually, you’ll experience so much silence from them that you’ll throw in the towel, you’ll get a clear, definitive no, or you’ll catch your prospect when she has enough bandwidth to re-engage and make a decision.

I estimate that 50% or more of my revenue over the last several years came after 5 followups. Ziglar was right!

And I’m 99.97% certain your experience will match my own. Be the friendly pest. Do prospects the favor of following up consistently, and your persistence will pay off in projects and profits.

Now, the #1 thing I hear from my coaching clients is this: “Okay, I’m convinced. I know I need to do a better job keeping in touch, but I’m not always sure what to say.”

I give them my 12 email templates for following up with past clients and silent prospects.

Put in your email address, and you can download them for free.‍

Steal them. Make them sound like you. Go close those projects, friends.

And remember, you’re not “done” until you’ve followed up with that warm lead AT LEAST 5 times.

Make these friendly, unflagging followups a part of your Morning Marketing Habit.

A Morning Marketing Habit is the secret to getting great freelance projects. It’s the path to predictable income. You’ll wonder why you didn’t adopt this keystone habit and start Ziglaring (real word) sooner.

When you’re ready, here are ways I can help you:

1. Free Money. A pricing and money mindset guide for freelance creatives. If you’re unsure about your freelance pricing, this is the book for you.
2. Morning Marketing Habit. This course will help you build an “always be marketing” practice, become less dependent on referrals, and proactively build the business you want with the clients you want. My own morning marketing habit has enabled me to consistently make  6 figures as a freelancer.
3. Custom Business Roadmap. Gain clarity, confidence, and momentum in your freelance or consulting business.
4. Business Redesign. Raise your effective hourly rate, delegate with confidence, and free up 40 hours a month.
5. Clarity Session. It’s hard to read the label when you’re inside the bottle. I've done well over 100 of these 1:1 sessions with founders, solopreneurs, and freelancers who wanted guidance, a second opinion, or help creating a plan.