How to re-engage dead prospects and turn the tables on your sales results

Many people assume that just because a prospect has not responded in a while that it’s a dead issue. In truth, you just need to reconnect that lost thread.

It happens all the time. You have a perfectly good flow of communication going on; in fact, you may have even met with your prospect face-to-face. Since then, crickets. And you thought it was going so well!

Anticipating your next steps

So, what can be done to re-energize that lost connection? Sales leads drop off all the time. How you bring them back into the fold is what separates the great salespeople from the merely good ones. Being able to recognize the signs that they’re about to vaporize will help direct what you do to keep them engaged.

Some of the signs that your prospect might be about to go dark include:

1.They are not concerned with moving on to the next step

Even if your call or meeting went swimmingly, if they are not ready to make a concrete plan for going forward, this should raise a red flag. This type of response could stem from one of these causes:

  • They are not a decision-maker
  • They don’t have the clout to escalate the decision to a decision-maker
  • There is a specific reason why the deal won’t happen but they are unwilling to share that with you.

2.There is no urgency to purchase

When speaking with a prospect, one of the first things every salesperson should ask themselves is “Why are they buying?” and “Why do they need this?” if you cannot answer these questions, clearly, the deal isn’t as strong as you thought. Be sure that you understand their business needs before you spend time selling them something they don’t really have a use for.

3.They are too relaxed about the process

If your prospect doesn’t ask questions, is not interested in what the competition has to offer, and has no concerns about budget or affordability, this should be cause for concern. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

How you can turn your “dead” prospects around

Even though there are numerous issues that you have no control over, such as staffing changes, budgetary restrictions, and so on, there are plenty of things you can do to save the deal.

  1. Be diligent about the follow-up. To make sure it’s relevant, include new information and updates in your communication.
  2. Make sure they understand the value proposition and the perils of not moving ahead with the purchase.
  3. Anticipate their objections. If they voice concerns, ask them for background. Look at the red flags (above) and address each issue directly.
  4. Include detailed notes in the CRM that state why the prospect backed out. If it was due to lack of a feature, you can then follow up with them when/if that feature is added.
  5. Offer promotions, such as discounts, incentives to buy, free training, onboarding support or more flexible billing options.

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