Sometimes your prospect breaks up with you and you’re left wondering…why? Or worse, they’ve never wanted to talk to you in the first place.
“It’s not you… it’s me,” might take you back to some terrible high school break up. Every action has its consequeces.
I believe there are seven reasons a prospect could go dark on you. Good news is, there’s something you can do about it.
I talk about this, as well as how to prevent ghosting in this month’s Masterclass. It’s live now, and you can enroll for $59 to learn how to follow up with your prospects like a pro.
1. Failing to see value
If they can’t see the value you’re going to deliver right away, you’re dead in the water.
Too many times you’re pitching your product or your service and they don’t see how it’s going to link to the challenge they have. The value is in the benefit and the outcome that they’re going to receive. I have to make sure that they can understand that clearly, because otherwise the prospect is going to fail to respond.
2. Lack of interest
A lack of interest might be because they’re not the decision maker, or because it’s just not important to them due to everything else going on. Lack of interest might be for any number of reasons, but typically you haven’t made it engaging enough and about them enough yet.
When you involve them, it’s amazing how people will actually remain in communication with you.
“Well, Mark, what if I’m not speaking with the decision maker?” I believe if I can make it about them and I develop enough of a relationship, they will take me to the decision maker.
3. No new insights
If what you’re sharing is what every other salesperson has been talking about for the last five years, or exactly what they’re already doing as a company, you’ve lost.
If you’re not bringing new information to the table, forget it. And remember, you have to make sure that the information you’re sharing is of value to them. Seek to share things that are of interest and relevance to them.
4. Turned off by sales tactics
Don’t do that slimy stuff. “Hey, let me bounce this email to the top of your list….. Oh, I just want to check in to see how you’re doing…” Please, don’t do stupid things. This turns off prospects more than you realize.
“You must be really busy, I’ve been trying to reach out to you and you haven’t responded, so here’s the email I’ve already sent you five times…” Don’t do that. It may get a response, but it’s not going to go anywhere.
Instead, I want to deal with prospects who are going to turn into customers.
5. Other more pressing issues
What you sell is not the most important thing in their world. On the contrary, they may be dealing with takeovers, acquisitions, competitive issues, regulations–any number of issues. What you have is important, but may not be the most pressing issue.
For example, you may know that you need to lose weight, you need to get in shape. However, you’ve got other more pressing issues that are distracting you from taking care of it. So guess what? You never get around to doing it.
6. Timing
Unfortunately, sometimes the timing just isn’t right. You’re reaching out, and what you have is right, but you know what? They have a contractual obligation to another company for another two years …or another year. So you could contact the prospect all you want, but they probably will choose not to respond.
I run into this a lot with many different salespeople that I coach and companies I work with. We have to understand the timing that the prospect is working under, and then we can time our sequence to it.
If you want to expedite your prospecting efficiency ratio, all you have to do is figure out the timing that the prospect is going to be buying under.
Learn more about knowing your prospect and their buying process in my Ideal Customer Profile masterclass.
7. Status quo
What you have is great, maybe even important, but it just isn’t worth the effort.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re an accountant, and you prepare taxes. You’re calling prospects and you know you can do a better job.
But you know what the prospect says? “You know, it’s a hassle to change accountants, I’m going to stay with the status quo. I know, I know you could probably do something better for me, but the status quo is just plain comfortable.”
Unfortunately, that’s where you’re going to stay. I see this happen all the time.
Your follow-up doesn’t have to settle for the status quo. You can take it to the next level, and insert my techniques into your routine. Better follow-up means more sales.
Therefore, this month’s Masterclass could easily pay for itself. Enroll now for $59 and enjoy an in-depth look at this vital part of the prospecting process.
I’ll teach about prospect engagement, and walk you through building the process and executing your plan. Bonus topics include:
- Dealing with Multiple People / Teams
- Overcoming Objections
- Acceleration Techniques
- Alternate Strategies When All Else Fails
Don’t wait, act now! Only one more day of early-bird enrollment that guarantees you an invite to my exclusive follow-up webinar on 9/24.
If you consider yourself a lifelong learner, then The Sales Hunter University is the place for you. You have three different levels to choose from when you become a member. Level 3 packs the most punch, as you get access to EVERY Masterclass, live coaching, monthly office hours with me, plus all the perks of Levels 1 and 2. It’s really a great opportunity to invest in yourself and upgrade your prospecting. Learn more here!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
