Here are two real-life stories that underscore the importance of understanding the impacts of persistence.
In the first story, the manager is constantly pushing their seller to phone their network weekly in order to get more appointments on the books. The catch is that their product serves a niche market, is quite expensive and is only purchased when a breakdown occurs or an upgrade is necessary. Weekly outreach to the same people is not the answer.
In another, the sales manager assigned ‘leads’ to new sellers, giving them 3 weeks to get an appointment. If unsuccessful for whatever reason, the leads were then passed on. Even though several of these suspected leads said they weren’t interested, many were called by up to 6 different reps within a 4-month period. Some became quite irritated and claimed they’d never do business with the company because of the harassment.
In both cases, the manager’s wants and the market’s needs were disconnected.
Not paying attention to what their prospects are really saying resulted in pestering vs. meaningfully persisting. Also, each seller became greatly frustrated and are now either seeking other employment.
Being top-of-mind when your clients are in need is critical. You own that position by understanding where they are in their buying process and adjusting your communication accordingly.
Today’s buyers are savvy; most have done their research and have an idea of what they want from whom. Understand where they are right now and connect with them there. That’s the best way to get them where you’d like them to be.