Sales Contact Strategy to Outperform Your Competitors
There are indeed secrets to success that you should know in order to be one of sales’ elite top performers. Successful people just seem to do things differently than everyone else and this article should give you insight into one of the great tips that all highly successful salespeople already know. And so should you!
Consistent contact with sales prospects is key to your success. I think we would all agree that in order to keep an existing customer a regular schedule of customer contact must be maintained. If you don’t stay in touch with your clients your competitor will.
Why then do the majority of sales professional’s think that calling on a prospect just once or twice is sufficient? In the sales profession it is well known that it will usually take a minimum of 7-9 contacts with a prospect before you make your first sale. The seasoned veterans can also provide far more instances where it took fifteen or more touches before success was achieved. Yes, sometimes you get lucky on the first or second call but do you really want to build your sales career on a foundation marbled with luck?
Here's what the winners know:
- 60% of the players in the race will drop out after the first lap.
- 10% will move on after the second trip around the park.
- An additional 10% will drop out after the third go-round.
That leaves a much thinner field of competitors in the race.
Human nature assures you that much of your competition will always quickly drop out of any race, until winning is largely about preparation and staying power.
- Those that quit early were just looking for the low-hanging fruit, they were never in it to do any real work.
- The ones that dropped out in the middle were interested but unprepared for the task.
- The remaining competitors all have a very good chance to win the business.
So at this point what you need to win is 'an unfair advantage'. That advantage is your total preparation and there's really nothing 'unfair' about it.
So how do you view the concept of 7-9 contacts before success? Does it look like a lot of work or an opportunity to prepare and be the only one left rounding the home stretch?
Author : Phillip Crum
Phillip Crum, Lewisville, TX, is a 20-year sales veteran in professional fields including restaurant management, real estate, insurance, securities, and document production. Tap his common sense collection of free sales training tips at http://www.salestipdigest.com/ Phillip can also be reached for interviews through http://www.salestipdigest.com/contact/ or at the Denton County Probation Office if you have that number. |
