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At What Point Do I Give Up?
Ask Chuck
By Chuck Piola, For The Bulletin
I have had several promising sales, but no bites. In two cases, the prospects expressed interest, but do not return my calls. A third case has been dragging on for almost six months. The prospect said he wanted to do business with me but we’ve been mired in a case of extreme phone tag. I don’t know if any of these prospects are simply blowing me off and I wonder at what point should I give up?
— Eric, West Chester
Don’t give up. Imagine you’re standing in the middle of a river and you’re fly-fishing. You constantly have to go back and forth with your rod, dropping the fly at various spots looking for a bite.
That river represents all the people out there who can buy from you. You must never stop dropping your fly in different spots in the water looking for a bite. This guy who keeps avoiding you, yet, does talk to or message you once in a while, is like an elusive trout that sees the fly, but isn’t hungry enough to bite… yet.
Keep looking for a reason that will make him bite. Don’t give up. There are plenty of motives. You just have to find the right one. The next time you get him on the phone, ask him if he’s ever done this before. If he says “yes,” ask him how it worked out? If it didn’t work out well, you just found his objection. He’s afraid to jump again. Then you can deal with it. A “no” answer indicates fear. He might be leery of uncharted waters. Your job then is to reassure him that he’s not making a mistake.
Ask him if money is the issue. Perhaps the investment is more than he can handle. If not, then ask if he’s worried about customers buying the product, and then be ready to show him letters and e-mails from customers who’ve had success with your product.
The bottom line is that you must find the source of hesitation, and then deal with it. After that, close the deal. Ask “How do we get started?” or “Do you need an invoice from me?” or “Where do you want me to ship the product?”
You may also say, “I visualize our product placed here on one of these racks…” In other words, lay out some marketing ideas for him.
My personal attitude is that just because someone doesn’t buy, does not mean that the sale is over. I would go back again and again — sometimes a year or two later — to revisit the whole thing with new information.
A sale I once made to a major credit card company took over three years. Over that time, I built a rapport with the gatekeeper. She liked gardening, so we talked plants, flowers, soil —whatever she was into. I found out that she had a fetish for frogs; the kind you use as garden ornaments. So after one visit, I stopped at a garden store and bought a ceramic frog key hider. I had the garden store send it to her as a joke. It was just one more thing that boosted my chances of being mentioned at the next committee meeting.
Remain persistent. You’ll develop a relationship and it can become personal. I was a history teacher and the gatekeeper’s husband was a Civil War re-enactor. The more we spoke, the more commonalities we discovered. There was never a lack of topics for discussion.
I had to stay in the area one night and was free for dinner, so I called her at 4:30 in the afternoon and said, “What are you and your husband doing for dinner. I’m lonesome. I need a stimulating conversation or I’m going to blow up.” She laughed and arranged to meet me at a museum that was also a restaurant. She and her husband showed me the town. It was phenomenal.
This guy who seems like he’s avoiding you is still a prospect. Remember, you are constantly fishing, so have fun with it. Eighty percent of what a good salesman does is prospect.
You can email Chuck Piola business-related questions at askchuck@thebulletin.us. You may also mail correspondence to Ask Chuck, PO Box 212, Swarthmore, Pa 19081. For more information about Chuck Piola visit www.ChuckPiola.com. To book Mr. Piola as a speaker or to find out about cooperative marketing opportunities with Going In Cold visit PR Coordinates at www.PRCoordinates.com or call 610-338-0229.
— Eric, West Chester
Don’t give up. Imagine you’re standing in the middle of a river and you’re fly-fishing. You constantly have to go back and forth with your rod, dropping the fly at various spots looking for a bite.
That river represents all the people out there who can buy from you. You must never stop dropping your fly in different spots in the water looking for a bite. This guy who keeps avoiding you, yet, does talk to or message you once in a while, is like an elusive trout that sees the fly, but isn’t hungry enough to bite… yet.
Keep looking for a reason that will make him bite. Don’t give up. There are plenty of motives. You just have to find the right one. The next time you get him on the phone, ask him if he’s ever done this before. If he says “yes,” ask him how it worked out? If it didn’t work out well, you just found his objection. He’s afraid to jump again. Then you can deal with it. A “no” answer indicates fear. He might be leery of uncharted waters. Your job then is to reassure him that he’s not making a mistake.
Ask him if money is the issue. Perhaps the investment is more than he can handle. If not, then ask if he’s worried about customers buying the product, and then be ready to show him letters and e-mails from customers who’ve had success with your product.
The bottom line is that you must find the source of hesitation, and then deal with it. After that, close the deal. Ask “How do we get started?” or “Do you need an invoice from me?” or “Where do you want me to ship the product?”
You may also say, “I visualize our product placed here on one of these racks…” In other words, lay out some marketing ideas for him.
My personal attitude is that just because someone doesn’t buy, does not mean that the sale is over. I would go back again and again — sometimes a year or two later — to revisit the whole thing with new information.
A sale I once made to a major credit card company took over three years. Over that time, I built a rapport with the gatekeeper. She liked gardening, so we talked plants, flowers, soil —whatever she was into. I found out that she had a fetish for frogs; the kind you use as garden ornaments. So after one visit, I stopped at a garden store and bought a ceramic frog key hider. I had the garden store send it to her as a joke. It was just one more thing that boosted my chances of being mentioned at the next committee meeting.
Remain persistent. You’ll develop a relationship and it can become personal. I was a history teacher and the gatekeeper’s husband was a Civil War re-enactor. The more we spoke, the more commonalities we discovered. There was never a lack of topics for discussion.
I had to stay in the area one night and was free for dinner, so I called her at 4:30 in the afternoon and said, “What are you and your husband doing for dinner. I’m lonesome. I need a stimulating conversation or I’m going to blow up.” She laughed and arranged to meet me at a museum that was also a restaurant. She and her husband showed me the town. It was phenomenal.
This guy who seems like he’s avoiding you is still a prospect. Remember, you are constantly fishing, so have fun with it. Eighty percent of what a good salesman does is prospect.
You can email Chuck Piola business-related questions at askchuck@thebulletin.us. You may also mail correspondence to Ask Chuck, PO Box 212, Swarthmore, Pa 19081. For more information about Chuck Piola visit www.ChuckPiola.com. To book Mr. Piola as a speaker or to find out about cooperative marketing opportunities with Going In Cold visit PR Coordinates at www.PRCoordinates.com or call 610-338-0229.
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