Are You Chasing Sales Unicorns? (It’s not WHAT you sell, but HOW you sell)

What thoughts go through your head when you call someone and don’t get a callback?

How do you feel when you get no response to an email you sent a prospect?

Sellers tell me that the biggest frustration and source of pain in their job is feeling like they’re being ignored by potential customers. For anyone with business development requirements in their position, this frustration makes new business acquisition a tough process. Some overcome it but many succumb to the idea that they can’t “win” and wallow in a pipeline full of prospects that go nowhere.

If you’ve felt that frustration, I want to challenge your thinking here with this shift in how you view your efforts and your buyers’ responses.

You might think that buyers are ignoring you if they don’t answer your calls, return your voicemails or reply to your emails.

They might not respond...but they are paying attention.

You’re leaving a “sales trail” for your customers to follow. Your actions are establishing your credibility and speak volumes about future encounters or interactions.

How you sell is just as important as What you sell

We have fallen into the trap of believing that prospecting and acquiring new customers should be “easy” and that there is just the one perfect thing to say or do that compels people to respond to our offers as if we’re the puppet master and our prospects are dancing monkeys.

Think about what happens when you reach out and connect with your prospects – email, phone, LinkedIn, et cetera—before they delete an email they will see who the sender is and grab a few lines of copy and context. Before they delete your voicemail, they’ll listen to the beginning if not all the way through to know if they need the information.

Maybe they weren’t compelled. Perhaps not impressed. Maybe they’re just busy or don’t have a need right now that drives them to respond.

But what you have done, is left bread crumbs. Started the selling process. Put your name and voice out there to start a relationship.

Yes, you’re starting a relationship. Which can take time. And needs persistence, but, with integrity, of course. You keep working at, even if it’s one sided for now.

Getting a buyer’s attention is less about these one-off thunderstruck moments where you have this flash of brilliance that taps into your buyers’ brain and they fall into your arms and SPEND SPEND SPEND.

If you are looking for that “One Phone Call Unicorn” or the “Email that laid the Golden Egg” you’re looking for the easy button that includes gimmicks or manipulative techniques.

Here’s the shift:

Deliver a continuity of experience that communicates value with persistence and integrity.

Keep showing up. Vary your message and approach. Try different channels to reach them. Offer multiple insights. Show you’ve done your research. Be real and earnest. Persisting with integrity means you are not self-serving in your endeavors. You’re not a “pest” if you continue to offer value and a means to serve your customer base.

Those who are persistent enough to continue to deliver and not give up too soon will reap the rewards.

Buyers are paying attention to what you say and what you do. They’ll recognize your name. They’ll string together some of the messages that were “sticky” and relevant to them.

It takes more than one call or email to be memorable. Don’t risk making a terrible impression with gimmicks or manipulation.

String together a series of memorable experiences that will be more compelling than trickery or Hail Mary attempts.

Think about HOW you are selling:

• Are you consistent?
• Are you persistent?
• Do your messages offer value?

Forget chasing the Unicorns or Leprechauns that promise one call will make prospects fall in love.

Revise your sales process and your communication to think about creating a “continuity of experience” that reflects your knowledge, dedication, humor, personality, and helpfulness.

Next time you’re sitting at your desk, feeling frustrated, staring down a pipeline full of opportunities that don’t seem to go anywhere, don’t throw in the towel yet! Let’s talk about your sales process and how YOU communicate with your customers. There is a better way to stand out and get results.