You Are Not My Customer

Wouldn’t it be great if prospects told you right from the get-go that you would have a bad experience with them if they became customers? Maybe they could wear a sign on their forehead or just leave something on their outgoing voicemail like, “Just so you know, 99% of the vendors that I work with give me a one-star rating.”

Well, maybe there is a sign but just not one stuck to their forehead. This sign comes in the form of professionalism. Recognize it and you will save yourself a lot of grief.

You are in hot pursuit of a prospect. But not just any prospect, a company that has actually reached out to you and shown some interest. They asked you to call. So, you do...

Voicemail. You try again...

Voicemail. You try again ... and again ... and again and again and again and again and again.

You try an email. Nothing. More calls, more voicemails. More emails, more nothing.

Hey, I’m all for diligence. Pleasant persistency is one of the four keys to sales success and the single most important characteristic a salesperson can have, but come on! It’s completely unacceptable for someone who has asked a vendor to follow up not to return a call or reply to a message.

Unacceptable!

And yet, there is your sign. This prospect is demonstrating a lack of professionalism. This is exactly the kind of experience you will have if you are “lucky” enough to make them a customer. Take them on at your own risk, for somewhere down the road something will happen with that relationship —perhaps they stiff you on a bill or quote out an idea that you give them — and you will look back and think, “I should have known. When they did not have the courtesy to return a call, they were showing me who they are. I should have known.”

It’s important to realize that not every prospect is your customer and that it’s okay to end your pursuit and walk away from the opportunity.

“You are not my customer” are words that should be in the sales vocabulary.

Want more? Need sales? Check out the new SalesPro Fundamentals certification course at www.idealliance.org/salespro-fundamentals/

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Bill Farquharson can be reached at (781) 934-7036 or bfarquharson@idealliance.org