KNOWING WHEN TO SAY, "NEXT!"

There are two contradictory truths in selling. One is that
in many industries the great majority of sales come after
the fifth, eighth, or even tenth call, and the tragedy is
that too many sales people never make those "fruitless"
follow-up calls.
The second truth is that in other cases, sales follow the
"law of large numbers." This law says that if someone
doesn't buy after two or three calls, they will probably
never buy and successful salespeople know when to move on
and find a new prospect. In these situations, the best
salespeople make one or two contacts, give their best
presentation, then quickly learn to say, "Next!" They move
on without hesitation.
Which truth applies to you, your business and your
customers? Knowing the answer is critical to your success!
And what happens if you have to decide on a case-by-case
basis? Think about car buyers.
Some customers visit a car lot to dream or "kick the
tires." They are just looking and will keep on looking,
perhaps until their current car falls apart. Repeated
invitations to come back because we "just got a new model,
and it's your favorite color" are a waste of time. When
they are finally ready to buy (and who knows when that will
be?) they'll come in, negotiate a price and sign the
papers. They've been "looking" for years and they know what
they want. Until then, repeated calls make no difference.
Other customers, however, are ready and want to buy, but
need hand-holding. They want to be encouraged. They want to
be valued and they will respond to a second, third or
fourth invitation to buy.
Being able to "read" the intentions and buying styles of
individual customers makes all the difference. It's a skill
and it can be learned. If you are in business, you are in
sales. Get good at it.