WEBVTT 00:05.252 --> 00:09.355 [SPEAKER_01]: This is Jeb Blunt and it's Money Monday on the Sales Gritty Podcast. 00:21.063 --> 00:24.305 [SPEAKER_00]: Hi everyone, welcome to this episode of Money Monday. 00:24.586 --> 00:26.887 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Jessica Stokes, filling in this week for Jeb. 00:27.227 --> 00:32.351 [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever had a situation where you wanted to make another outreach to an opportunity? 00:32.771 --> 00:37.295 [SPEAKER_00]: But then you started to think, I just don't want to annoy this person. 00:37.635 --> 00:49.643 [SPEAKER_00]: As sales professionals, we find ourselves trying to balance being present and persistent with an opportunity without becoming annoying or taking somebody off. 00:50.724 --> 00:57.628 [SPEAKER_00]: and sometimes that fear of annoying someone is actually costing you closed deals. 00:58.048 --> 01:04.852 [SPEAKER_00]: I was recently speaking at an event and I arrived about an hour early to do my set up in my mic check. 01:05.172 --> 01:13.196 [SPEAKER_00]: After I was finished I walked around the event space and the caterer was putting some finishing touches on a beautiful breakfast spread. 01:13.416 --> 01:17.739 [SPEAKER_00]: She and I started a conversation, and by the end of it, I'd actually given her my number. 01:17.900 --> 01:25.265 [SPEAKER_00]: I had mentioned that my son's graduation party was around the corner, and I'd be interested in considering her to do the food. 01:25.606 --> 01:27.647 [SPEAKER_00]: Then life happened. 01:27.907 --> 01:31.730 [SPEAKER_00]: She texted me to schedule a call, and I forgot to respond. 01:31.991 --> 01:35.734 [SPEAKER_00]: She followed up again, and I was buried that week at work. 01:35.994 --> 01:37.215 [SPEAKER_00]: Another week went by. 01:37.635 --> 01:38.695 [SPEAKER_00]: She left a voicemail. 01:38.875 --> 01:41.256 [SPEAKER_00]: I still did not reply. 01:41.276 --> 01:44.336 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, this was not because I wasn't interested. 01:44.676 --> 01:57.679 [SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't because I didn't value her service, and it certainly wasn't because I was saying, no, I was simply overwhelmed and focused on bigger priorities in the moment. 01:57.959 --> 02:04.480 [SPEAKER_00]: Eventually, I actually assumed that she had decided to move on and I'd handle the food by myself. 02:04.880 --> 02:08.941 [SPEAKER_00]: Then, about four days before the party, she reached out one more time. 02:09.241 --> 02:09.821 [SPEAKER_00]: Hi, Jessica. 02:10.062 --> 02:12.642 [SPEAKER_00]: I still have a note about your son's graduation party on Saturday. 02:13.282 --> 02:15.923 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're interested, I'd love to connect on the menu. 02:16.343 --> 02:19.304 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, that text felt like a gift. 02:19.804 --> 02:21.985 [SPEAKER_00]: I was so overwhelmed that week. 02:22.365 --> 02:24.406 [SPEAKER_00]: My work calendar was maxed out. 02:24.766 --> 02:32.008 [SPEAKER_00]: I had family coming to town, and there were still a hundred things that I had to get done ahead of my son's graduation. 02:32.608 --> 02:35.709 [SPEAKER_00]: At this point, I really needed her service. 02:36.329 --> 02:42.471 [SPEAKER_00]: I had no time to do shopping, no time to do food prep, so I immediately called her back. 02:43.032 --> 02:51.074 [SPEAKER_00]: First, I apologized for not getting in touch sooner, and then I thanked her for keeping my event in mind. 02:51.534 --> 02:58.657 [SPEAKER_00]: From there, we discussed the menu, and I sent her payment as quickly as possible, so I could secure my date. 02:59.397 --> 03:00.597 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, here's the lesson. 03:01.058 --> 03:02.458 [SPEAKER_00]: People are busy. 03:02.958 --> 03:06.500 [SPEAKER_00]: People forget people get distracted. 03:07.060 --> 03:09.441 [SPEAKER_00]: Your persistence matters. 03:09.961 --> 03:16.263 [SPEAKER_00]: If she had assumed that my silencement rejection, she would have lost the opportunity. 03:16.823 --> 03:24.306 [SPEAKER_00]: She did a wonderful job and I appreciated that she did not give up on me as a prospect. 03:25.170 --> 03:35.773 [SPEAKER_00]: The biggest mistake that many salespeople make is confusing no response with no interest and those are not the same thing. 03:36.433 --> 03:40.314 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes prospects aren't avoiding you, they're just overwhelmed. 03:40.794 --> 03:43.055 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes they're dealing with budget cycles. 03:43.835 --> 03:45.956 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes they're putting out fires. 03:46.496 --> 03:48.217 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes they're traveling. 03:48.777 --> 03:53.498 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes they are simply just trying to survive the work week. 03:53.959 --> 03:58.980 [SPEAKER_00]: Your job is not to decide whether they're interested based on silence. 03:59.721 --> 04:06.063 [SPEAKER_00]: Your job is to professionally stay visible until they make a decision. 04:06.750 --> 04:14.532 [SPEAKER_00]: So let me give you five tips for staying pleasantly persistent without coming across as pushy. 04:15.372 --> 04:19.053 [SPEAKER_00]: First, stop assuming the silence. 04:20.133 --> 04:26.914 [SPEAKER_00]: When a prospect does not respond to your call or email, the story you're telling yourself could be wrong. 04:27.414 --> 04:30.355 [SPEAKER_00]: Most salespeople immediately jumped to conclusions, 04:31.353 --> 04:34.136 [SPEAKER_00]: They say things like, they must not be interested. 04:34.697 --> 04:37.600 [SPEAKER_00]: They must have one with a competitor or they must have changed their mind. 04:38.161 --> 04:41.645 [SPEAKER_00]: But the reality is, you don't know. 04:42.386 --> 04:45.409 [SPEAKER_00]: Silence is simply missing information. 04:46.230 --> 04:51.116 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't create a negative story when you don't have all of the facts. 04:51.924 --> 04:57.265 [SPEAKER_00]: Tip number two, don't let optimism replace reality. 04:57.925 --> 05:02.906 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes salespeople are guilty of positive thinking in the wrong places. 05:03.607 --> 05:07.427 [SPEAKER_00]: The prospect stops responding and we try to tell ourselves the good news. 05:07.847 --> 05:09.988 [SPEAKER_00]: We try to say they must just be busy. 05:10.628 --> 05:15.209 [SPEAKER_00]: We try to convince ourselves that they're still interested but they probably just need a little more time. 05:15.949 --> 05:18.710 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they are, but maybe they're not. 05:19.470 --> 05:28.113 [SPEAKER_00]: The problem is that we often create these stories because we're afraid of facing the truth that the opportunity might be dead. 05:28.633 --> 05:36.856 [SPEAKER_00]: We allow the silence and maybe even welcome it so that the deal stays in our pipeline. 05:37.296 --> 05:41.418 [SPEAKER_00]: Great salespeople don't assume positive or negative. 05:41.958 --> 05:43.580 [SPEAKER_00]: they seek the truth. 05:44.120 --> 05:50.787 [SPEAKER_00]: So instead of guessing, they follow up consistently to uncover what is really happening. 05:51.588 --> 05:55.271 [SPEAKER_00]: Hope is not a strategy, and neither is assumption. 05:55.932 --> 06:04.160 [SPEAKER_00]: Your job isn't to convince yourself or your manager that the deal is alive, your job is to actually find out 06:04.881 --> 06:14.144 [SPEAKER_00]: So don't assume they're buying, don't assume they're not, stay curious enough to uncover the truth. 06:14.884 --> 06:17.965 [SPEAKER_00]: Third, always bring value. 06:18.425 --> 06:26.547 [SPEAKER_00]: If every follow up just says, I'm just circling back around or just checking in, then you're easy to ignore. 06:27.067 --> 06:28.748 [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, bring something useful. 06:29.508 --> 06:40.819 [SPEAKER_00]: Share a link to an article, provide some industry insight, offer an idea, mentioned a customer success story, give them a reason to want to engage with you. 06:41.479 --> 06:45.583 [SPEAKER_00]: The best follow-ups are creating value, not pressure. 06:46.144 --> 06:50.208 [SPEAKER_00]: Number four, vary your communication channel. 06:50.815 --> 06:56.637 [SPEAKER_00]: If you've already sent three emails and you're not getting anything back, stop sending email. 06:57.037 --> 06:59.738 [SPEAKER_00]: Mix it up, pick up the phone and give them a call. 07:00.298 --> 07:03.439 [SPEAKER_00]: Send a message through LinkedIn, record a quick video. 07:04.019 --> 07:07.360 [SPEAKER_00]: Different people respond to different communication channels. 07:07.660 --> 07:15.003 [SPEAKER_00]: The goal is to create familiarity and increase the likely of being seen and getting engagement. 07:15.903 --> 07:19.705 [SPEAKER_00]: Last, stay professionally persistent. 07:20.245 --> 07:25.808 [SPEAKER_00]: The caterer did not contact me every day, but she was reaching out weekly. 07:26.308 --> 07:32.071 [SPEAKER_00]: She wasn't aggressive, she wasn't pushy, she simply stayed present. 07:32.751 --> 07:33.651 [SPEAKER_00]: That's the goal. 07:34.152 --> 07:36.093 [SPEAKER_00]: Persistence is not pressure. 07:36.613 --> 07:38.754 [SPEAKER_00]: Persistence is professionalism. 07:39.094 --> 07:43.237 [SPEAKER_00]: Remember, your competitors are often quitting too early. 07:43.737 --> 07:55.065 [SPEAKER_00]: Opportunities frequently go to the salesperson who is actually stayed engaged the longest, not necessarily because they're more talented or because they had a better product. 07:55.646 --> 08:00.169 [SPEAKER_00]: It was because they were there when the prospect was finally ready to act. 08:01.538 --> 08:03.880 [SPEAKER_00]: So this week, take a look at your pipeline. 08:04.240 --> 08:07.783 [SPEAKER_00]: Who have you mentally written off because they didn't respond? 08:08.303 --> 08:10.145 [SPEAKER_00]: Who needs one more call? 08:10.645 --> 08:13.967 [SPEAKER_00]: One more email, one more thoughtful touch point. 08:14.388 --> 08:16.770 [SPEAKER_00]: You may be closer to a deal than you think. 08:17.270 --> 08:24.976 [SPEAKER_00]: And just like the caterer, your next follow up might be a gift to someone who genuinely needs your help. 08:25.476 --> 08:31.545 [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for listening today, and if this episode encouraged you, share it with another sales person who might need this reminder. 08:31.966 --> 08:34.871 [SPEAKER_00]: Keep showing up, keep dialing, keep moving forward. 08:35.231 --> 08:37.394 [SPEAKER_00]: You've been listening to the sales gravy podcast. 08:37.735 --> 08:38.837 [SPEAKER_00]: This is Jessica Stokes. 08:39.297 --> 08:40.920 [SPEAKER_00]: Make today awesome. 08:41.360 --> 09:01.347 [SPEAKER_02]: I need some sea notes, I'm jetting in a stack of ants, I need a bowl of dough, I'll need no face for friends I need a pack of snaps, a handful of feeding wipes, a rubber band of my green bags Looked off, don't be playing with my paper, I need every rest in, that's why I brought my little scraper 09:07.843 --> 09:07.943 [UNKNOWN]: You