It is always a crapshoot answering your mobile phone from a number that you don’t recognize. In one particular instance, what I thought was a phone call from a recently signed client, turned out to be a cold call from an organization that had reached out to me via LinkedIn previously. Their LinkedIn message had struck me as being professional, with a promise of a valuable offer, and they had politely asked if they could contact me over the telephone.
However, being 56 with a mind like a steel colander, it was no surprise that the LinkedIn exchange quickly slipped from my mind. When the call came from a pleasant and professional sounding woman, I was immediately turned off. “Crap,” I thought. “I just got sucked into a cold call sales pitch.”
But, I still listened to the narrative, hoping the opportunity would arise for me to gracefully bow out, without seeming rude. However, when I realized that she was following up with me from the LinkedIn exchange, my attitude changed. I became attentive.
She asked me some key, qualifying questions, trying to determine my chances as a prospect. As I answered, it became clear that the service the company was offering was not a good fit for my unique situation. Now, it is usually at this point that most sales representatives would be pushing to find some way to push a square peg into a round hole.
But then, something amazing happened. This woman, after realizing that I was not a prospect, said “David, I really don’t think you are a prospect for us. But I would like to thank you for your time in chatting with me. Have a great rest of the day!”
How refreshing it was to come across someone who takes the time to speak to me, and after realizing that I was not a prospect, let me go back about my day. How awesome it was to have someone realize that it is important to not waste another person’s time.
Consultative selling is important, yet few companies practice it. It is about asking key questions that frames the prospect’s need for a product and service and then being able to tailor your pitch to match up with those needs and focus on the specific benefits for the prospect. This yields stronger prospects and should make closing easier. But, when there is clearly not a fit, you should politely and professionally cut the prospect loose. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen very often, they push for the sale as hard as they can.
This time was different. The woman realized I wasn’t a fit and chose not to waste either of our time. The only thing I would recommend different from the experience I related above, is to ask for a referral.
When she decided I wasn’t a prospect and was cutting me loose, I was very appreciative of that. It was the perfect time for her to ask, “David, do you know of anyone or any company that would be a good prospect for our services?” I would have been more than happy to provide her any references, but she had not asked.
My advice for anyone who will be put in the same position of that woman, is: Be professional – Be mindful of people’s time, use consultative selling to quickly qualify prospects. If they are not a prospect, thank them for their time and ask for referrals.