Rule #29 – Get Them to Call Back

Effective salespeople get people to communicate with them. It’s not always easy. You leave a message, send an email, then wait for something, anything that lets you know they know you’re there. But they’ve gone dark on you. It’s happened to all of us. It happens even more in tough economic times. What’s a salesperson to do?

One thing to do is to be calm and realistic. There are 3 Reasons why people don’t return your calls:

1. You’re not compelling.
Sorry, but there’s a very real chance that your sales pitch or message is just not striking or compelling enough for the prospect to respond. Welcome to the sales club. It’s not the end of the world. Change your message if you’re finding people are consistently not responding to you.

2. They’re too busy.
This is most common as people are often interested but are tied up with other projects or issues. Remember that other people have Top 10 lists or even Top 20 lists. You might be #17. They’ll get to you eventually. The suggestions below will be most helpful for these busy types.

3. They’re not interested.
There’s a high likelihood that they are just not interested in your product or service. Again, this is not fatal. It happens all the time. Better to have a “No” than a “Maybe” that will waste your time.

Here are some steps to increase the likelihood that prospects or customers return your calls:

• Develop a Compelling 20–40 Second Phone Message.
Remember in Rule 26 we learned to compose a powerful 20–40 Second Speech. This can be easily adapted to a compelling phone message. There’s a logical flow to a crisp message/pitch that hooks one to listen, respect and respond. Note: your email should have the same structure.

• Follow up Appropriately.
Don’t give up too soon, but don’t overdo it. Place up to 4 calls over 2 weeks before moving on, or call back next quarter, as appropriate. Keep track of the follow-up details in your CRM. Many salespeople fall short here as they fail to stay systematic in their territory sales activities.

• Remember Not Everyone Buys.
Some people/companies are just not good prospects right now. Not everyone is ready to buy your products now or potentially ever. But don’t blow your chance to even possibly do business with them in the future. Be gracious, professional, and “live to sell another day.” (Rule 27)

Are you getting them to call you back?