In most cities across the country, one sure sign of persistence
is facing the daily commute. Prime time commuters are superstars
at the art of persistence. Most don't have a choice, so they
face the daily crush with steeled nerves and tight jawed
commitment.
Most salespeople believe that they don't have a choice, either.
Worse yet, they have been taught to believe that nothing takes
the place of persistence. That the price of success is dogged
and determined tenacity.
There is a fine line between being persistent and being
obnoxious. Perhaps the most misunderstood and underutilized
secret to selling anything is to understand the critical role
that timing plays in successful sales. You see, customers and
prospects buy when they are ready to buy, not when salespeople
need to make a sale. Not when they are worn down by pesky
salespeople.
I'll bet that whenever you have made a successful sale, no
matter what you sell, there are certain essential
characteristics that your new customer had. Here they are: · A
need for your product or service · An awareness of the need for
it · A sense of urgency about obtaining it.
It was not your dogged determination to pursue them to the end
of the earth to either (a) create a need, (b) make them aware of
it or (c) create a sense of urgency that made them buy. In fact,
I'll suggest this to you. If, after three attempts to secure an
appointment with a prospect you are still getting the brush-off,
find another prospect!
Invest your time with the right people. But you're probably
asking this: "How do I make sure my non-responsive prospect
doesn't buy from a competitor while I'm out talking with someone
else?"
Good question. The truth is that the very prospect who scorned
you will likely become a qualified prospect at some time in the
future. That person may even be a highly qualified prospect
right now. But not for you.
The secret is to develop tools that will allow your prospect to
respond to you when they are ready, interested and motivated to
do so. We call this Permission Based prospecting. A far cry from
bothersome phone calls, staged drop-in visits and thinly veiled
and contrived networking events, this process is proactive and
positive.
How do you do this? Start with a good contact management
software system. Then go ahead and develop a strategy of
frequent yet unobtrusive ways to stay in touch with your key
prospects. Worry more about qualitative, value laden contacts
than a pure volume of bothersome phone calls.
Give some serious thought to providing your prospects valuable
information they can use rather than simply trying to persuade
them that they need to see you. Newsletters, postcards, reports,
information of value, audio tapes, video tapes and other items
that help them to do what they do even better are some great
ways to stay in front of prospects in positive, productive and
powerful ways.
The real secret is to give prospects a chance to respond to your
varied offers. Be sure to include a fax-back form, 800 phone
number, response card with pre-paid postage or even a return
E-Mail address that will allow your prospects to respond to you
when they see how you can help them solve problems or work
through challenges they face on a daily basis.
This strategy will yield a more positive perception, enhanced
receptivity and a greater sense of professional acceptance. It
is also far more sophisticated; is less heavy-handed and far
more likely to be successful than the traditional idea of
believing that personal persistence really does pay off.
|
