Keith Rozelle, Sales Marvel
Apr 23, 2023
Updated: Jul 26, 2023
A Sales coaching client of ours was recently trying to get the attention of a client CEO to move an opportunity forward.
She’d been trying to make contact for several weeks, left a number of voicemails but got nothing in return so, we gave her 2 Top Sales Secrets
I'm going to call her "Emma."
“It’s not fair”, Emma said!
“It’s not for customers to make your life fair” I replied.
Fares are for tourists
It’s our responsibility as salesperson, SDR or account manager to take the pain of persistence with customers and prospective customers in return for making a good living.
Finally, I asked if she’d sent the CEO an email?
Heads up: I almost never suggest sending emails - response rates tend to be very low as everyone else in the CEOs world is sending them emails too.
Anyway, she sent a polite (but business-like) email to this CEO and, guess what? Their “out of office” was on stating they were away until the following week.
Aha! That explains why the CEO is not answering their phone; after all, would you answer the phone on holiday when you know it's a salesperson calling?
You never know what's going on in someone else's world, don't jump to conclusions too soon
"You’ve got their mobile number, have you tried sending a text message?" I asked.
She hadn't. She thought it too informal.
"Try it", I said. See what happens.
So she did. And, guess what, the CEO replied about 90 minutes later, suggesting they set up a Teams meeting for the next week.
I know what you're thinking. They closed the deal and walked off happily into the sunset celebrating their newfound strategic partnership.
Well, life - esp. sales life - is not always that simple, despite what others say.
This is a complex deal she is putting together, with many moving parts and many “actors“ involved and there's more to be done.
At least Emma now has that Teams call scheduled. She has the chance to re-engage with this CEO, understand what’s going on in the client's world (their operating context) and make informed decisions to move forward.
You never quite know what’s going on in someone’s life. There could be any number of reasons they haven’t returned your call.
Timing - there are other things taking the CEOs attention
Medium - you're not using the right medium to get the CEO's attention
Personal need - whatever you're proposing just doesn't meet their needs. If this is the case, you need to start listening harder and asking more questions.
Many people think persistence is the most important quality of great salespeople.
Whilst persistence is indeed a great quality, sometimes you just have to think differently - outside the box, cut through the noise!
Write a personalised, contextually relevant text message or record a direct video (very advanced!) for them to engage with and respond to.
Communicate in a way that works best for the client (not you)
You have to adapt to the client's communication needs, not impose yours on them
It’s our responsibility as sales professionals to make our clients’ lives easier and often that means being easier to communicate with than the other guys (or gals)
Here’s a video explainer that might also help here
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Strategy - Win Strategy. Using our extensive B2B sales experience to help clients win deals.
Outsourcing - let's co-create a sales campaign and deliver the sales results you need.
Coaching - 1-2-1 Deal or sales skills coaching to win that once in a career deal or improve your overall sales capabilities and, ultimately, sell more of your stuff!
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