 Prospecting &
Marketing - Why Don't Your Clients Want to Talk to You
By C.J. Hayden We spend a significant amount
of our sales and marketing effort on filling the pipeline with prospects and following up
with them. With a full pipeline and consistent follow-up, you are bound to make plenty of
sales, right? Well, much of the time that is true. Finding the right people to contact,
and actually making those contacts, will in many cases produce results. But sometimes, it
is not enough.
To close a sale, you need to get your prospective clients to agree to
some sort of presentation. It may happen in person or over the phone, take five minutes or
be hours long, but at some point you must have a conversation where you find out what they
need, tell them what you offer, and see if there is a match. When you find yourself making
lots of contacts, but rarely getting as far as an actual presentation, there is something
in the way. Assuming that you have a service your target market needs, and it is priced
within the range your market can pay, what else might be preventing people from wanting to
hear what you have to offer? Here are some suggestions:
1) You Are Not Using The Right Words - When you send a
letter, call on the phone, or when prospects call you, they are usually not clear on how
you can help them at the start. Your sales pitch will need improvement if it is not clear
and to the point. Your approach must position your service in such a way that prospects
immediately grasp what is in it for them.
Before getting into your sales pitch, spend the time to find out what
exactly your prospect is looking for including what their expectations are of your
service, qualifying their allotted budget, time lines, etc. This will give you a better
idea of what you really should be pitching.
2) Your Telemarketing Skills Are Not Up To The Task -
This is very common. It includes being nervous or unprepared when you get on the phone.
The end result: not being able to engage people in conversation. To improve your skills,
take a class, listen to tapes, or practice with friends or a coach.
Another suggestion is to know the industry before calling. What is it
that you have to offer that can benefit them. Do your research first. The internet is a
great place to start, especially if you have your prospects web address in advance.
3) The Prospects’ Representatives Are Not Qualified Enough
- Some representatives that are in management or purchasing positions do not have
a need, cannot pay, or are otherwise not ready to take action. Find out right away who the
decision maker is and choose to work with them directly.
Are you actually approaching the right prospects? Another approach
includes learning more about your target market, interview current and former clients,
take a survey, talk to colleagues, or read the trade press. Identify which segment of your
market is most likely to act on your offer and concentrate your efforts there.
4) Evaluate Your Business Community Presence - If you
are not known well enough, or have not been recommended, some prospects may be hesitant to
take their time to talk with you. Consider increasing your professional visibility through
networking, building referrals, public speaking or writing articles.
If you are introduced, referred, or the prospect already knows your
name, your response rate from prospects will increase dramatically. Key point: ask for a
referral.
5) Your Competition Seems To Have The Market Locked Up -
This is where no one wants to talk to you because someone else is already serving these
other prospects. You may need to reposition your service in your marketplace. How can you
show prospective clients that your service is higher quality, more effective, totally
unique, or better for the bottom line? Try to find out what they like about their current
supplier in the first contact before pitching your added value.
6) You Are Offering Your Prospects What You Think They Need, Instead Of
What They Think They Need - If your prospects do not see how your service fits
into their plans then you are not listening, are not prepared and are wasting both your
and their time. Listen to how people in your target market talk about what they are
already buying. If they are not spending money on “executive retreats,” then
call what you are offering “an intensive three-day training program.”
7) The Way Your Services Are Packaged Does Not Make Sense To
Your Prospects - For example, they may want to pay a flat fee, and you are
charging by the hour. Can you be flexible enough to meet their needs? Can you create an
added value that will support your procedure as well as give the prospect the need to buy
from you anyway.
8) You Are Offering Too Many Services - If your
prospects cannot figure out what you actually do, and how it matches up with what their
needs are, you’ve lost the sale. It may be entirely true that you can do almost
anything in your area of expertise but people do not buy “anything”, they buy
something specific. Narrow your focus and pitch the service most likely to get the
attention of prospects. Once you are able to get them in conversation, there will be
plenty of time to discuss your other abilities.
C.J. Hayden is the author of “Get Clients NOW!”
Thousands of business owners & salespeople have used her simple sales & marketing
system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of “Five Secrets to Finding
All the Clients You’ll Ever Need” at www.getclientsnow.com |
