"I called him back 8 times, nothing to do, no answer"! Ouch, you are embarrassed. On the one hand, you don't want to be seen as a strongman, nor do you want to put your customer off. On the other hand, he left you saying: "We are very interested, we will come back to you soon". In short, the fog. How did we get to this point, and what should we do with this customer who no longer responds?
1. Upstream - Establish a rhythm
Sales is like music: you have to keep the rhythm!
- Play the right notes, but in any order, you have noise.
- Play these same notes in a precise order, with the right tempo, and you have a melody.
And as a salesman, you are more than a musician: you are the conductor!
Look at each interaction with your prospect as a series of notes, giving a melody.
The difficulty: to be present, without being heavy.
- => If you do too much, you will end up being ignored.
- => If you don't do enough, you will be forgotten.
A real tightrope walker.
So obviously, you don't want to harass your customer every 30 minutes. Each of your actions must be precise and make sense.
Tip 1: Maintain a connection with your prospect between milestones.
In other words, between two appointments, be polite and occupy the space:
"I've just got off the phone with {name of current customer}, he'd love to be able to share with you how he feels since using our solution. If it's good for you, can I give you an introduction in the afternoon?"
"By the way, I didn't tell you about it but we also have a newsletter. I'll put the link here if you want to know more."
"I came across this article that addresses the issue you mentioned! You might find it interesting."
Mail or phone, as long as your advice is useful and relevant, you will get feedback.
Tip 2: Establishing a rhythm also means taking advantage of each interaction to validate the next step.
And for that, it is better to approach the subject twice than once!
- Talk about your next steps at the beginning, when you announce the plan.
- Of course, bring it up at the end, when you "officially" plan to meet again.
And a good plan is established at the first meeting!
"Just before we start. If you like what I present, what do we do next? What would be the next steps if we want to move forward together?"
You have not yet started, and your interlocutor is already planning. In this way, you get the other person to give the next steps themselves. He will be less likely to stand you up.
If you have created enough interest during this first meeting, you will maximize your chances for the next one:
The reflex: With each interaction you have, systematically validate a next-step, while sending the invitation in the prospect's agenda. Always.
And for that, don't hesitate to be proactive, be DI-REC-TIVE:
❌ "Is it still OK if we meet on the 9th? What time would you ideally be available?"
So I can confirm that we'll see you on the 9th at 9am on video. I'll send you the invitation."
If your prospect has a busy schedule (like everyone else in 2022), or just seems a little gun-shy, reassure them that they are not committing to anything.
❌ "Would you have availability in two weeks?"
✅ "I'm proposing a progress update in two weeks. To make sure we don't forget, I'm marking this in our calendars. Feel free to modulate this item if you are ultimately unavailable."
The commitment is minimal for the person you are talking to, and you have your next step.
Always take the time you need to organize what comes next:
2. No answer? Opt for transparency
Case 1: Your prospect is slow to get back to you, but still responds.
=> Play the emergency game. Blow on the embers before they go out!
"You told me that the next month was going to be very busy on your side, so I wanted to know where you stood so we could take advantage of your availability to move forward."
"Within a week, I will no longer be able to guarantee the offer I told you about"
If it's important, your prospect still has time. It's just a matter of priority. Be his priority.
2ᵉcase: Haven't heard from her in a while. Ouch. Now that sucks.
Don't waste time: Call him right away. Be transparent. Be direct: Do we continue or not?
There is no point in going through the motions:
"Hello, I was coming back to you following our exchange last week. I've done all the legwork on our end. We're all set. So I wanted to know if there was still interest on your end?"
Okay, you've reached her email address. In that case, here is a process to follow to maximize your chances of getting back:
- Call him once, early in the morning.
- Call back a second time => Leave a voice message.
- SMS in the aftermath => "Can you please call me back?"
- Send an email => "I've been trying to reach you."
Short pause, then ... - Call back at 12 noon with another number (your own, a colleague's).
- If it is really important, duplicate the process at the end of the day: Call back twice.
Golden rule: Calls: always in pairs! It gives a sense of urgency. No stats on this, but it works extremely well!
Stretch this process out over a period of time that suits you. The important thing is the sense of urgency and the multiplication of channels. Despite all this, no response?
Well, maybe your prospect is on vacation? Maybe something happened to him? Even if these are plausible possibilities, stay clear: it doesn't smell good.
Don't beat yourself up. It's hard, but consider it dead. At least, for now. That way you can focus on the hot topics.
An infinite number of factors can affect your prospect's availability. You can't do anything about bad timing on their part. What you can do, however, is to programme reminders at regular intervals over a period of ten days.
You won't sign it this month, but if you stay around long enough, you're bound to get a return at some point.
3. Know when to let go
One of the few qualities observed in the best sales people is that they know the difference between the hopeless cases and the golden opportunities. This is what makes them never waste their time.
Yes, it's hard. You fought tooth and nail to make that appointment. You worked your butt off to make the best presentation possible, and this is how you get thanked. The game is tough.
Don't worry, what's happening to you has also happened to all the best salespeople you know.
As in seduction, at this point, it is better to play the distance card. If he is interested, your prospect will come back on his own when he needs you.
On your side, what will make the difference is your ability to bounce back quickly, and move on. Don't hang on, and who knows, you may be called back in a month or two ;)
Conclusion
Selling is like music: learn to play the right notes at the right time. If your prospect doesn't respond, give it a try - for a short time. If that doesn't work, schedule regular, but infrequent, gentle follow-ups. Now we look ahead. Next !
You have other things to worry about.
Best,
