When to hang up

How do you improve your business development? Part of it is knowing when to walk away.
 
If you’re looking to develop new leads and increase sales, few things can be as disheartening as the “almost” prospect: the one that seems to be a winner or big catch, but then becomes elusive, or downright evasive. It’s enough to make you wonder: “What am I doing wrong? Was it my breath?”
 
In this article, we’re going to cover this issue from a few angles, with lessons learned, war stories, and a touch of psychological insight.
 
What you’re doing right
 
First off, no one wants to be sold to. So if you’re attempting to market your services, expect an uphill struggle. That’s just the nature of the beast. We know of firms with sprawling marketing departments devoted solely to researching, culling, and chasing down leads for days, weeks, months, if necessary. In other words: If that first email or call of yours doesn’t get a reply, don’t consider the cause lost. Thicken your skin and press on.
 
That doesn’t, of course, mean that you should be pushy or obnoxious. There’s a delicate balance between “staying in touch” or “keeping top-of-mind” vs. “becoming spam.” Check in at appropriate intervals. And if someone tells you “Not now,” then simply ask: “When?” It’s nicer than it may seem. Say, “I don’t want to be a pain, but want to keep in touch. When should I check back with you? Next week? Next month? Next year?” When you couch it that way—very polite, low-pressure, and open-ended—you may be pleasantly surprised by the gracious and candid answers you get.
 
And when you get them, heed them. If that prospect says “check back with me at the start of the third quarter,” then by all means, calendar it. Use whatever method—Act, Outlook, iPhone alarm, Post-It note—works for you. And retain the thread, too. It’s always nice when you can quote the person back to them, politely; it shows you were paying attention and respect their wishes. (“Hi Jake, Back in February, you’d asked me to check back with you ‘once the third quarter rolls around and we’re out of our current swamp.’ Well, it’s third quarter… have you escaped the swamp yet?”)
 
How to build business and grow leads: warning signs
 
A few years ago, we were referred a prospect via a fairly distant connection. We were politely cc’ed on the introduction, wherein we were asked to contact this new prospect, since they could use our services.
 
And so we did.
 
We did get a reply, mind you, but it was, well, strange. It came from an assistant: “[Client Owner] can talk to you on June 2, 2021, at 3:52 pm; will you be available then?”
 
That’s not the exact wording, but you get the idea. The request was… off. Something felt wrong. We were asked to book a phone call months in advance. When the date finally arrived, we got new emails from this mysterious assistant, requesting to push back the call, by even more months. What was going on?
 
Before we tell, you, here’s another, analogous story:
 
A while back, we worked with a vendor on a project, and this vendor did a good job… right up until almost the very end. It was time for final revisions, when this vendor simply vanished. No returned emails. No returned calls. Nothing. Total black hole.
 
What do these two stories—the Tale of the Elusive Prospect and the Story of the Vanishing Vendor—have in common?
 
It was this unfortunate connection: Google News.
 
Yep. If you find someone acting flakey, or oddly, or otherwise amiss, simply open Google News and type their name into the search field.
 
You may want to sit down.
 
For the mysterious prospect, we found out that they were being sued (for things like fraud) from lots of reputable companies. For the vendor who mysteriously vanished, we discovered his mug shot. ‘Nuff said.
 
Now we’re all for “innocent until proven guilty,” but we still have a business to run, and so do you. There’s just not enough hours in the day to pursue cases like these. Move on.
 
Shrink fit: What a psychologist will tell you
 
Many years ago, we were privileged to interview a top clinical psychologist for a writing project which featured a character who was a psychopath. What’s a psychopath? The dumbed-down definition is “someone without a conscience.” That’s why they can turn to, say, a life of deceit and crime.
 
But here’s what that psychologist told us, which we’ll never forget. “The one thing these psychopaths have in common, when you first meet them,” he explained, “is that they’re charming.”
 
It’s kind of surprising, until it isn’t. Without any social mores to heed, the psychopath is free to lie, and tell you whatever you’d love to hear, in order to ingratiate himself to you and expose your vulnerabilities. It’s pretty creepy, but that’s how it works.
 
Now think back to people you’ve had the misfortune to do business with, in the past, who have burned you. Do they fit the mold? It was sure the case with that prospect, that vendor, and one or two others we’d just as soon forget.
 
The lesson here is to be wary, and remain sensible. “Was it my breath?” No. It wasn’t. If they’re acting odd, they may well be odd.
 
Looking to boost your business development without the painful pitfalls? We can help. Contact us to learn more today.

---