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| A Note from the Editor |
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| Friendly Grrrs from SalesDog |
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Scientists estimate that our galaxy contains
some 100 million black holes. As a salesperson, it can
sometimes feel like our prospects have fallen into one.
Where have these once eager prospects gone? Why don't
they call us back? Jill Konrath joins us this week with
answers and advice to help you pull them back.
Do you do business by phone? Whether you're cold
calling for appointments, following up with existing customers,
or confirming a meeting, it's hard to imagine selling
without a telephone. To excel in sales, you need excellent
telephone skills and telesales guru Art Sobczak can help
you get them. I find his advice clear-cut and insightful.
His site is packed with helpful tips. Check
'em out.
Gas prices putting a crimp in your selling style?
With prices going through the roof, some of us would do
anything to avoid another trip to the gas station. But
how do you manage without visiting customers, making presentations
and prospecting in the field? Jeb Blount has four tips
for avoiding the trip to the pump while still making the
sale. Read
all about it here.
All good things must come to an end. For about
another week you get $2,500 worth of bonus sales tools
when you order Selling Power's Sales Training Book. You
might want to check out this interesting deal before it
goes bye bye. Learn
more here. |
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| To your success, |
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Tina LoSasso
Managing Editor, SalesDog.com |
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Reviving Prospects Who Disappear into the Black
Hole
Jill Konrath
Few sales experiences are more frustrating than having a prospect
who falls off the face of the earth. You know the one who doesn't
return your calls or reply to your emails. Jill Konrath has some expert
insight as to why this happens and what you can do about it.
Have you ever had hot prospects who suddenly stopped returning your
call? Then you know how disconcerting it can be - especially when
they'd expressed so much interest in your product or service only
days before.
At first, you assume their lack of responsiveness is an isolated situation
that will quickly self-correct. But after repeated failed attempts
to connect, you start to question your own sanity.
You could have sworn they were interested, but their current behavior
indicates otherwise. And, not wanting to appear too desperate or to
come across as a real pest, you're stymied in terms of what your next
steps should be.
Why they disappeared
As a sales professional, it's always important to analyze what may
be causing this behavior before taking action. In my experience, these
are the typical reasons why prospects disappear into "The Black
Hole."
They're totally swamped. Without a doubt, this is the most
common. In virtually every company today, people have way too much
to do and not nearly enough time to get it all done. They fully intend
to continue the conversation, but not right now.
Priorities changed. This can happen overnight. Changing market
conditions, bad third quarter results, and new leadership are just
a few of the possible root causes. But when this happens, it's darn
near impossible to regain your momentum in the short term.
Lack of urgency. Sometimes sellers confuse a prospect's interest
level with a desire to take action today. As such, they share all
the glorious details about their offering instead of building a business
case for immediate change.
Column fodder. Occasionally prospects just need comparative
bids/pricing to justify their decision to go with another company.
They know everything. When prospects feel they have all the
information they need, there's literally no reason to talk with you
any further.
Different reasons call for different actions. Some you can prevent
by doing things differently in your customer interactions. Always
be open to this possibility since prevention is your best cure. Others
you have no control over. In any case, you need answers! Is it "yeah"
or "nay"? Are they still interested or not? Should you keep
pursing them or find new prospects?
What you can do
When you don't know what's behind their silence, figuring out how
to respond can be a dilemma - especially since you don't want to be
a pest. Here are some strategies you can use in dealing with "The
Black Hole."
Just keep trying. Realize that prospects expect you to carry
the "keep in touch" burden - so do it. It can often take
8-10 contacts before you actually reach them again. Don't panic. This
is normal in today's business environment.
Make each connection valuable. Don't just say, "Hi Eric.
Just getting back to you as I promised about your xxx decision. If
you have any questions, give me a call."
Instead, you might say, "Eric, based on our conversation last
week, I know how important it is to you to shorten your sales cycle.
There's a white paper on our website that addresses this issue. I'll
be sending you a link via email shortly."
Have a sense of humor. After 4-5 contacts, leave a funny message
such as, "Eric, I know you're swamped. But I also know that shortening
your sales cycle is important to you. That's why I keep bugging you.
I'm looking forward to FINALLY reconnecting."
Leverage a variety of mediums. Mix up phone calls with emails,
mailings, invitations to upcoming events, sending articles, etc. To
position yourself as a resource, makes sure each connection educates,
informs or adds insight.
Create multiple entry points. Never let one person be your
total gateway to a company. Identify and nurture multiple relationships
concurrently. When appropriate, reference others you're talking to
in your messages/emails.
Re-evaluate your initial connection. How could you increase
their urgency? Determine if you're just column fodder? Or, tie your
offering more into their business priorities? In way too many cases,
salespeople do a product/service dump when talking to prospects. Instead
you need to focus on critical business outcomes and the difference
you can make.
Plan your next step now. Never leave a meeting without a homework
assignment (for you and your customer) and a firm follow-up appointment
scheduled. If they're unwilling to do this, it's an indicator that
something may not be quite right - which should prompt you to explore
their need and urgency in greater depth.
Let them off the hook. Send an email stating that you thought
they were interested, but perhaps you misjudged the situation since
you haven't heard back from them in the last six weeks. Believe it
or not, this strategy often gets a response and an explanation from
a prospect who is feeling guilty about not reconnecting.
Reduce your contact frequency. If, after ten touches, you still
haven't heard, start contacting them less often. A quarterly schedule
might be more appropriate. Or, you might want to keep on top of what's
happening in the account and reconnect at a more appropriate time.
By leveraging one or more of these strategies, you'll often be able
to re-engage a prospect who has disappeared into "The Black Hole."
Not always, but often. And, if you've continually provided value and
focused on the impact your offering makes, they'll likely be ready
to implement your solution yesterday.
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies and founder of
the Sales Shebang, is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings
and industry events. For more articles like this, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.
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| Praise for Top Dog Sales
Secrets |
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all in one book."
– Michelle Nichols, Savvy Selling International
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that one will learn or ‘re-learn.' It is easy to read,
entertaining, and very broad in topic selection."
– Lori Richardson, Score More Sales
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strategy that will help you take back control of the sale. |
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