Anyone who works in sales understands that they are responsible for reaching out to potential clients and introducing themselves and their company. The primary purpose behind these calls tends to range from the basic introduction to providing them with additional information they may have requested. While some of these connections may end in a business relationship that relationship may not always be a long-term one. This is something that has plagued sales professionals since the beginning of time, but I think I can give you some insight into why your clients may not be returning as often as you would like.
The average day of a sales professional begins with you having their best interests at heart or a new service that can make their business more profitable; yet, you just can’t connect with them to share that information with them. You leave messages, you email, but you still do not hear from them. To help you understand why your efforts may be not giving you the results you want, I have listed some of the most common reasons why your clients may not be returning your calls or replying to your emails.
One of the most common reasons why your clients may not be returning your calls is simply that they are busy. What we sometimes forget is that they work too; they work on their managing their business and projects throughout the day just like we do. In addition to their daily obligations, they are also being contacted by suppliers, vendors, employees, and clients. With so many demands on their time each and every day, they most likely have to prioritize which calls they return and which ones can be put off until later. As a sales professional, it is your job to leave a message that leaves them eager to speak with you about your latest opportunity. To achieve this, your message should include a statement that is so compelling that it earns you a higher spot on their call-back list.
The next reason why your calls may be going unreturned is that they simply do not speak with vendors. Your clients likely return calls to those who are involved in their business, such as, co-workers and their superiors. These calls are often given top priority above anyone else, which means if you’re trying to get your sales call returned; your odds are pretty high. In order to stand out and get noticed among the other vendors who may be calling, you need to position yourself as more of a business consultant than someone who is trying to sell them a product or service. When you establish yourself in a role other than that of a vendor, your odds of getting a call returned go up significantly.
Another reason why your efforts to connect are going unnoticed is that they may simply not know why you are calling. We all leave messages stating who we are and the business that we represent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know why we’re calling. As sales professionals, we often include our tag line that was designed to reference the services provided by our company; but all that really establishes is that we are, in fact, a vendor. To get through to a potential repeat client, you need to let them know that you have valuable information for them that can add value to their business. These types of messages are often returned more often than any other. When you take the time to properly research what your potential client does, you can then tailor your message to include information that will resonate with them and compel them to return your call.
The world of sales can be one of the most demanding yet rewarding fields to work in. While you may have to work a little bit harder to establish yourself, once you do the rewards will make all of your hard work worth it. The key to developing a long-term relationship with your clients is to provide them with services and products that can be beneficial to them. The hardest part of that is to get them to actually return your call. The information I included earlier should be able to help you tailor your messages in such a way that you receive a higher percentage of return calls than you previously did. Sales can be a demanding field, but once you learn how to create compelling messages you should develop long-term relationships with a large portion of your clients.