The Essentials of Following Up No Ever Thought You | Corrie George - 2026

Most salespeople treat follow-up like an afterthought: a quick check-in email, then nothing. I sat down with Corrie George, founder of YESA and Canada First, and former president of Grant Cardone Canada, to talk about the follow-up system that's actually helped him close hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.Most Sales Are Won After the Fifth ContactAccording to Salesforce, less than 20 percent of sales happen in the first few points of contact.82 percent of sales happen between the fifth and twelfth point of contact.Most sales reps stop following up long before they reach that window, which means they're walking away from the majority of their pipeline.Know Where Your Buyer Really Is in the Buying CycleBefore you follow up, figure out where the buyer actually is. Some people aren't even aware they have the problem you solve yet.Corrie says salespeople often compete with a purchase in a completely different category, not just a direct competitor.Understanding that stage changes how, and how often, you should be reaching out.The Four Types of Follow-Up: Information, Education, Entertainment, and ServiceCorrie breaks follow-up into four categories, and they have to happen in order: information, education, entertainment, then service.Skipping the order, especially jumping to entertainment before you've built credibility, makes a rep look unprofessional instead of likable.Information Follow-Up Covers Your Product and CompanyThis is the follow-up most reps already do: spec sheets, product comparisons, and warranty details.Corrie also uses this stage to introduce the buyer to the service team they'll work with after the sale, so promises made during the pitch feel real.Education Follow-Up Turns You Into an AdvisorEducation follow-up gives the buyer something useful whether they buy from you or not, like an honest guide to navigating your industry.Corrie points to the movie Air, where Nike won over the Jordan family by telling them exactly what to expect from competitors before ever pitching a shoe.This step also means telling buyers the hard questions they should ask your competitors, even when it makes your own company look more exposed.Entertainment Comes After You've Earned TrustEntertainment, things like memes, a pizza delivery, or a Rubik's Cube with a clever note, only works once you've already built credibility.Trying to build rapport before trust exists makes a buyer more suspicious, not less.Service Follow-Up Closes the LoopService follow-up means offering something small and free, like a low cost version of your product, a free workshop, or a discounted service, to prove your competence before the big ask.It comes last because you don't want to give away value to buyers who are still early in the process.Physical Follow-Up Beats DigitalEvery digital follow-up competes with hundreds of unread emails and notifications already on a buyer's phone.A physical card, book, or package sits on someone's desk with no competition, and Corrie treats that as one of the most underused tools in follow-up.Play the Long Game With Every ProspectSome deals will close this month, some in three months, and some won't close for a year. Reps need to plan follow-up around that reality instead of giving up early.Corrie's rule: do something today that your future self will thank you for."Don't expect him to spend fifty grand with you if you won't spend fifty dollars on him." — Corrie GeorgeResourcesLearn more about Corrie's sales trade school, YESA.Learn more about Corrie's home security company, Canada First.Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help creating podcast production content.Join our LinkedIn cohort and learn to prospect the right way.Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.