Gaining the attention of and access to prospects has increased in difficulty over the last few years and this challenge does not seem as though it will be getting easier anytime soon. I’ve had the fortunate (and sometimes unfortunate) opportunity to straddle both sides of the fence by being both the promoter and target of prospecting outreach. Here are a couple of reasons that I and other prospects would ghost you — how you could gain our interest.
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You Don’t Have Our Attention
Buyers like me are busy and have little discretionary time and bandwidth. That means that sellers are finding it more difficult to breakthrough in order to get noticed by their prospect. Without first earning their attention, your message will fall on deaf ears.
The first step is to stop sounding the same as everyone else. Competition is fierce and your outreach needs to be unique and different. First off, you need to constantly be changing up your tactics. When you find something that is effective, use it. Then, change it up within three months. Do NOT fall in love with a tactic. It will become detrimental to your long-term success.
Oh, and one last thing — not all prospects are created the same. Your communication with them needs to be personalized and in their context and your outreach should be configured using multiple methods. It takes more time, but this approach will deliver better results.
Are your prospects ghosting you? Maybe it’s because you lack credibility.
You’re Trying to Help Yourself, Not Us
I’m in sales and I don’t want to be sold. Sales can be an awesome career, but on the scale of careers that are viewed as trustworthy, sales does not rank very high. You need to accept that you’re already starting in a credibility hole. Prospects want to be helped and feel you care. They need to feel that you have listened to them and understand the current challenges the face and the goals they want to achieve.
Start by sharing insights with them that come from sources outside of your own company. By sharing these insights from other sources, you’ll be seen in a different light than other salespeople. Also, change up your mindset. When looking at your prospects, ask yourself “How can I help this company, today?”.
You’re One and Done
Sending out one email to a prospect and moving on is a weak strategy. It might make you feel like you have accomplished something, and maybe you have, but you will not have long term success with this type of strategy.
I would suggest building out a nine week sequence or cadence. (A sequence is a series of activities a sales rep initiates to try and establish contact with a prospect or make a sale with potential clients.) This method will help to insure that prospects are not falling through the cracks and that your brand is staying relevant to the prospect.
