Don’t Lose the Sale. You’re ready to throw in the towel with this lead. The lead is very interested, but you have been working with them for what seems like an eternity. Around every bend, there is another question or another reason to hold off the purchase.
How long do you stick with a lead that shows interest but just won’t close? Are there any tricks to help get these pesky leads out of the never-ending spiral of maybe laters? If you ask any ten sales experts you will most likely get 10 very different answers. Answers such as:
- Show them the risk of waiting too long
- Explain how the price will be offset by the savings (or revenue potential)
- Help them weigh the pros and cons of making a purchase. Let them see that the pros outweigh the cons
- Offer them a promotion that expires in 24 hours
I could go on, but you get the idea. There are a lot of different views and ideas on the best way to deal with leads who won’t be converted into clients. As an executive who has been on the other side of this equation (yes, I have been that pesky lead), I have heard just about everything. The end result, the more manipulative the salesperson gets the further away from the purchase I run! Often times the above sales tactics have sent me right to their competitor. No one likes to be manipulated (and yes, people do know when they are being pushed).
On the other hand, as a sales professional, I am guilty of simply giving up on leads. After a couple of rejections or ignored voice mails, I simply write the lead off as dead. This is where you get to learn from my mistakes. In sales, leads never die. The trick is to find the balance between scaring the leads off and simply ignoring them until they go elsewhere.
Don’t Lose the Sale
The best way to close the deal with a lead that simply won’t move forward is patience. Stay in contact with them. Find ways to bring free value (through newsletters, webinars, samples, etc.). The better you are at connecting with leads for reasons other than to close the deal the more effective you will become.
At the end of the day, please, please, please, just remember that you can’t force a sale. There is no magic formula for overcoming objections or manipulating someone into purchasing. If you really want to be effective you have to be sincere. Throw out the sales tactics and just be you.
