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When To Drop A LeadCall us back in a few weeks. I'm nearly ready to move on this project; can you get in touch with me next month? Any sales rep has heard similar put-offs from potential customers innumerable times. But what happens when the same lead puts you off week after week, showing no visible progress? At some point, even the most dedicated salesperson has to say "Enough is enough". Selling for many is the hardest part of doing business. It forces you to deal with a plethora of businesspeople on a daily basis, each with their own needs, budgets, and personalities. In the end you want to close the deal with every potential client possible, while still keeping your other leads and accounts happy. For those new to the game, it is a humbling lesson in time management and self-organization. For anyone in the business, closing a promising lead is the most critical step. The first step towards being able to let go is realizing that some deals are not going to happen. Often this is clear from the start: you hear an emphatic "No" and accept it. However, potential clients can be tricky. Many will seem interested at first, only to give their business to a competitor. If your contact for a lead continues to make hollow promises or put you off repeatedly, it may be time to re-evaluate. How valuable is the account? How much time have you spent already pursuing it? If you cannot justify investing more time in trying to close the deal, let it go. You have dropped the lead. Don't waste time examining just how many hours were lost to a fruitless effort. Instead, re-invest the time you now save into building other business. Building upon existing relationships is an excellent way to regain your sales confidence and bounce back from a loss. If you can learn the hard way and move on to new prospects, you will find yourself ahead of the game. |
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Copyright 2006 by Erudite Systems, Inc. |
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