Purposeful Persistence in Sales, Without Pestering the Prospect

One of the biggest challenges in sales is walking the fine line of persistence with a prospect, without becoming a nuisance. I know every salesperson is energized when he or she gets a new membership prospect on the phone. The temptation is to rattle off as much information as you can, but resist the impulse to pepper the conversation with myriad details and the “Top 10 Benefits” of joining the association. This approach tends to put the prospect off.
From my experience, it takes approximately 10 contacts to close a sales deal. Your first contact should be more of a conversation. Let them talk. You listen. Going forward, you’ll need to temper your approach and nuance your conversation in such a way to avoid becoming someone they want to “avoid!”
For example:
You’ll quickly become a nuisance when: You make your phone call all about “sales.” When the conversation is more about you, than it is about them.  Also, stop “just checking in” with them. And, avoid the impulse to ask, “Hey, where’s your application?” “When are you joining?” Believe me, your prospect will go dark – quickly.
My advice?
A great strategy is to send your prospect an article about a topic you know will be of interest to them. Invite them to an upcoming event or webinar on a subject they’ve mentioned in the past. By intentionally delivering value, you demonstrate why that prospect should join the association.
Trust me, you’ll close more deals by doing so.
As the Moery Business Development Director, Bethany’s focus is on running membership and sponsorship sales campaigns for our association partners. She can be reached at bethany@moerycompany.com. Be sure to follow her on Twitter @bmurphy388.