The Truth May Not Be Easily Discovered

Persistence in sales is one of the most highly praised values you can have. However, when a client becomes evasive even after he or she has expressed an interest in hearing what you have to say, it can be extremely frustrating and confusing.

Rather than completely change our approach by calling every single day to follow up on this seemingly hot lead often running into gate keeper receptionists and voice mail road blocks and losing confidence, you need to know that what you're doing may not have any impact on the decision that the client is making.

Knowing the truth about what motivates a client to seek a vendor's service over another is a dicey game to say the least. As sales professionals we often become excessively filled with the hubris of thinking that we alone control whether that decision is made by virtue of our outstanding sales skills and that further implementation of them is the only surefire way to convert a sale from a reluctant client who has already requested more information.

When a roadblock like this happens it shouldn't change the way you feel about your skills as a sales person, or the effectiveness of your pitch, product, or service. Sometimes, the truth is the client just doesn't want to reveal why they can't make a decision. Sometimes it is out of a complete lack of courtesy that phone calls are not returned, emails are ignored, and the receptionist is told to relay that the client is not available, nor will he or she ever be available.

So what should you do? We've already established that continuing to call and make your pitch makes no sense, but the client was at one point ready to make a decision and might be at that critical juncture at a future date. You need to stay in their face, but in a more subtle way. Phone calls and direct contact might result in you hearing that the client is definitely not interested and you can move on to another prospect. But the truth is they might just be saying that to get your voice off of their voicemail.

So be creative. Send information in emails or letters or reminder cards. Don't be too aggressive, but passively let your client know that you're still there for them. They will appreciate you for it and it might just be the difference in getting a sale