SALES TALK 2: When They Won't Return Calls

QUESTION: “When there's no response from someone you have been trying to contact through direct mail, follow-up calls and e-mail, what other avenues can you use to reach a prospect? And is there a point at which it's OK to go over that person's head? Has it become customary for people not to return calls?”

A View from the Campus
By Jeff Tanner

ANSWER: I think it has become customary for people to not return calls, particularly given the increasing amount of direct marketing that “relationship marketers” are doing. Since you are asking about a prospect, I can only assume that this is someone who knows what you have to offer but does not value the opportunity to visit with you.

In my research over the past decade, I've observed that the downsizing among buyers has not kept pace with productivity gains. That means they are like everyone else; working harder just to stay even. At the same time, CRM systems have targeted them more effectively, meaning that they are getting bombarded with more marketing messages. In addition, since fewer buyers are buying more, more salespeople are knocking on their door. They don't have time to waste.

The real issue, then, is to get their attention such that they want to hear what you have to say. That means one of two things is happening: your pitch isn't good enough or it is going to the wrong people.

It's hard to tell from the question whether this prospect is someone you have qualified or just how much contact you've had with them. For that reason, I'm going to raise some questions and ideas that may be helpful across a number of situations.

Too often, we focus our attention on the decision maker. My research indicates that decision makers rarely start the buying process; usually someone else at a lower level identifies a need and makes a case to move forward. If your problem is that you aren't getting started with people you think should be interested, don't go over someone's head. Consider going the other direction instead and broadening the attack. Who is most directly affected by what you have to offer? Start with them.

Similarly, there are others who, as Neil Rackham calls them, are the focus of dissatisfaction. They may not traditionally initiate a purchase, but with a little push, they might. All you want them to do is to give you an audience with the buyer or decision maker.

If qualified prospects (people you have talked with and identified that they have the money, authority, and a desire for a solution like yours) aren't returning your calls, then you need to reconsider your presentation. The fault could lie in how you identify needs, how you present, and whether you are closing for the right level of commitment. Alternatively, it could be that the person isn't the decision maker, in which case you need to work on how to identify the decision-making process. Again, they don't see the value in your offer so no answer is the same as a no.

And in that case, it is perfectly all right to go over someone's head, as long as you are willing to take the risks. Right now, you may think you have nothing to lose. But my research on buyers also indicates that those who are upset with the process in today's purchase are more likely to participate more loudly in the next purchase. So if you make someone mad, then recognize that you'll pay for it for at least one more decision and possibly more.

At the same time, you may have nothing to lose. If you are still thinking you should go over your contact's head, consider ways to copy people in on emails and proposals as a way to keep them informed, rather than a blatant attempt to bypass a roadblock.

My own attempts at such strategies have never worked, but that may just be me. Rather, I've found it a lot easier to go find someone with an urgency to buy rather than create life where there was none.

Jeff Tanner, Ph.D., is research director at Baylor University's Center for Professional Selling, Waco, Texas.

A View from the Field
By John Graham

ANSWER: This is the problem that baffles and frustrates everyone in sales. No matter what you do, there's no response. What can you do next? The most common practice is to cross the person's name off the list and move on. Why not? Beating your head against a wall is painful and wastes valuable time.

Not so fast! Most of us get upset with the prospect. “Don't people return calls?” the questioner asks. Of course we return calls––but only those that are important to us at the moment. If it's not essential, we don't.

Here's the point: the purpose of prospecting is to figure out ways to get qualified prospects to want to do business with you. Unfortunately, the customer sets the time schedule, not the salesperson. Just because you and I want to make a presentation doesn't mean the person wants to hear it.

Actually, this turns out to be the good news! There is absolutely nothing worse that presenting to those who do not have a felt need for what we do or sell. Let's get it straight. The goal is not making the presentation; the objective is for the prospect to ask for your presentation. What we as salespeople want is a motivated prospect, someone who recognizes the need for a solution, one who has come to believe in who we are, who we represent and who has a regard for our competence.

All this must happen before you make the presentation. Too many companies try to make a presentation to establish credibility. Credibility must precede presentation. Keep this in front of you at all times: The sale must be made before the presentation is given. If it isn't, it's no sale.

Those who think that all they need to do is get in front of the prospect to close the deal, don't understand what's happened with buyers today, be they businesses or consumers. Today's buying signal is getting the go-ahead to make the presentation. The purpose of sending literature and other types of information, using email and even the telephone should be to help pull prospects closer to you, not to try to grab them by the neck and force them to their knees, even though there are salespeople and sales managers who subscribe to this approach. It's a dead-end today.

Working with prospects requires a plan, not a random telephone call. Developing and then implementing a step-by-step strategy to educate and motivate prospects so they select you when they get ready is the goal. Today's prospects want to be sure you know what you're talking about and that you will be there when you're needed. The overall prospecting process should be designed to show you can be counted on to deliver on that promise.

Now, a word about going over someone's head. You may want to reconsider your decision about contacting this particular person. Could you be focusing on the wrong individual? Perhaps you should be cultivating two people instead of one.

Otherwise, it can be dangerous and dumb to go over someone's head, unless you want to send the message that you will go to any lengths to get what you want. If that's what you're all about, do it. But don't count on the order.

In other words, think about the prospecting process; don't let yourself be preoccupied about just getting through the door. Where you really want to be is somewhere else ––inside the customer's head.

John Graham is president of Graham Communications, Quincy, Mass.