Welcome Professionals…
…sometimes we give up too early. This may be the case due to our own interpretations and assumptions. We have not heard a clear “No”, but we assume that the answer is “No”.
This week, I had an experience that inspired me to write this post as a reminder of this simple rule in sales. Never back off before you hear a clear “No”.
I have had a meeting with a client in May, who told me of a certain need. The very next day, I sent a proposal that was addressing this need. I never heard anything. I sent a reminder a few weeks later, asking for an answer. Did not hear anything back. I put it aside and forgot about it. When I reviewed my open client actions in my CRM system after the summer break in August, the open proposal came to my attention. My initial thought was: “They did not answer, so the proposal was probably not good enough.”
I was about to go to my next task when I thought twice. An unanswered email is just an unanswered email. Everything else is an interpretation. It might be correct, but it might just as well be wrong.
I sent the same proposal again to the client. Stating that I had not heard anything, yet. I asked very directly if the reason was: a) no time, b) no interest, or c) the email got lost. The reply from my client came within one hour: “Thanks for the reminder … we do it as suggested … my assistant will schedule a meeting!”
That was it! I was positively surprised and thought about the reasons for my earlier hesitation. I think it is just human that we fear rejection. We need to overcome this. The worst answer would have been that my client does not like the proposal. But then I would have had a chance to revise it.
An unanswered email is just what it is. A reason for you to get in touch with your client – again!
Stay persistent,
Malte
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