Customer’s Not Interested…Now What?

"We're not interested". (says the customer)

Now what?

It depends. I often get calls and emails from salespeople (since I'm listed as my company's CEO) and often they are trying to sell me something that is completely outside the scope of my business. I will literally never be interested, no matter what.

However, you will often encounter prospects who reject you, but it's not a true rejection because it could be simply:

👉 It's not a good time. They're busy with other things, and although they could be interested, it's not a priority yet (no compelling event).
👉 Their current stuff is still fine and fairly new and therefore they haven't budgeted.
👉 They think they want a different vendor.

Polite persistence is your goal here. Did you know that most sales reps give up after the 2nd try (source in comments)?

Keep trying. One of my biggest deals ever came after two years of calling every month. I stayed in front of the customer, and eventually their equipment started failing (creating a compelling event) and I was in the right place at the right time.

Of course, that wasn't an accident. I was in the right place at the right time due to my polite persistence.

Get permission to follow back up by saying, "Would it make sense for me to follow up in a month or two?"

The customer will almost always grant permission, if for no other reason than to get you off the phone :-). So keep trying!

Polite persistence pays off.

And you might even be able to create a compelling event! Another post on that to come. Make sure to subscribe for more sales tips