Do multiple messages make prospects hate you?
Many salespeople worry whether or not prospects are annoyed by their repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact them. If that's a concern for you, here are my guidelines on how often you can touch potential customers on a weekly basis.
- Call and leave a message: 2 to 3 times a week.
- Send an email: once a week.
- Send mail: once a month minimum. Twice a month to rank higher in the top-of-mind hierarchy.
When you know a need exists and people don't respond after 3 or 4 contacts attempts, assume it's because the prospect is currently too busy to to deal with vendors.
Voice tone is CRITICAL! Multiple touches aren't enough to make people hate you, but if you start to sound annoyed because they haven't picked up the phone . . . well, let's just say that you're not helping your case.
If you know you may need to leave 5 or 10 messages, script them out so they help form a picture of your value in the prospect's mind.
Good selling.
(PS In latest session of The Sales Meeting we discuss 10 reasons why buyer's don't buy. If you are looking for a way to outsell the competition, check it out.)
October 7, 2009 |