The importance of a follow-up

Following-up can make all the difference. What you do with follow-ups can take you to another level or leave you stuck like superglue.

It was a follow-up that helped me close a 40k+ project last year. Consistent follow-up landed me most of my jobs before running my business – this was huge since I was under-qualified for every corporate job I had in the tech world.

It’s because of consistent follow-ups that two people decide to get married. Regular follow-up appointments with a doctor gives a mother peace during pregnancy. Follow-up workouts help obtain fitness goals.

As you can see, the discipline of following up goes beyond the business realm. It pours into all aspects of life.

A follow-up is an action or thing that serves to increase the effectiveness of a previous one.

That’s how Dictionary.com defines it and I agree with it.

Follow-up practices, follow-up appointments, follow-up conversations. They’re all geared toward improvement.

Sticking to your guns and following-up can take you to another level.

NOT following up can hold you back and sometimes even cost you. Here are 3 downfalls to a lack of discipline in following up.

1. Lack of follow-up equals a lack of improvement. This is obvious but many forget that forfeiting follow-ups is forfeiting improvement. Practice makes perfect, good habits prevail, and follow-ups increase chances of success. Objectives become stagnate and that’s not good for anyone.
2. Your effectiveness may be questioned. People who don’t follow-up tend to be people who say they will but never do. This can lead to having a bad name among any of your relationships. No one trusts someone who doesn’t follow up on things.
3. Your self-esteem can lower dramatically. Have you ever met someone who has zero confidence in their ability to accomplish anything? I know I have. Many of them won’t try to accomplish anything because they don’t believe they have the discipline. Following up often means following through.

Next time you have an objective, remember to follow-up until you see it through. It makes all the difference.

What’s the biggest reward you’ve received by following up? Share it with me on Twitter or LinkedIn.