There comes a time in every salesperson’s schedule that they need to make a call on which prospects are really worth pursuing, writes experienced B2B sales trainer Austen Hempstead …
I think politely binning uncommunicative prospects is one of the tasks that many salespeople struggle to do. And yet (in my experience) it is one of the most profitable. If a prospect stops communicating with you it’s probably because:
1. They were never going to buy from you. You’ve been used (for one of several possible reasons).
2. Their priorities have changed and they haven’t bothered to tell you (yes, you’d think they’d have enough courtesy and professionalism to let you know, wouldn’t you?).
3. They’ve found someone else to buy from (again, you’d think they’d have enough courtesy and professionalism to let you know, wouldn’t you?).
There comes a time when you must stop ‘following up’ and asking questions such as, “Have you read my proposal?” or, “Have you managed to have a word with your MD yet?” or, “Are you ready to move forward with my proposal?”.
At that point, tell the prospect you’re pulling your proposal off the table if you don’t hear from them in the next 48 hours. If you don’t hear from them, they were never going to buy, were they?
Be honest – are you more comfortable chasing uncommunicative prospects than binning them and finding prospects who value your time in the same way you value theirs? If so, the only way to get comfortable binning prospects is to do it. If you’re going to become as effective as you can be at selling, you must develop this sales skill.
Binning an uncommunicative prospect leaves you free to spend time talking to new prospects that want to talk with you. That’s where you can bring value, and (importantly) you’re valued. That’s where the sales are. That’s where your bonus waits. That’s how you hit target.
