Author: Patty Cisco, Creative Catalyst, August 25, 2010

Into the drive-thru intercom I asked, “Would you like an apple pie with your meal today?” “No” came the reply. Ugh, that feeling of defeat and failure when I heard those words during my early years of sales. I’m sure as a senior care marketer you can relate. After all, no one likes to hear the words “no” when you are so passionate about the services that you know will make a difference in the quality of health or life for someone else.

Everyone would love to say they capture and turn 100% of every lead they connect with, however it just doesn’t happen. Actually I equate it to playing tennis. Sometimes my serve is an ace…yes! However, sometimes it may hit the net or be long, and although I may be disappointed, the one thing that I always do is take a moment to reflect on the one I missed, and determine what adjustment I need to make to do better on the next serve.

I was recently working with a sales rep and I asked them what they did when they received a “no” from a prospect and their reply was, “I don’t take it personally. It’s not my fault they don’t want my service and I just move on.” OUCH! Wow, that organization must have an endless pipeline of leads in order for that kind of attitude to exist.

The response resonated with me on a deeper level, and reminded me of the often forgotten sales lessons that are necessary for constantly improving our sales skills and filling our pipelines.

6 Forgotten Sales Lessons

The answer? Work the system. Do the basics, and do them well.

1. Debrief. A sales professional should “feel it” when he/she fails to convert the lead. After every sales interaction, the leader should debrief with the sales rep and review the loss and what contributed to it. In this manner, the sales rep grows more intelligent over time, and their win percentage rises.

2. Focus attention and effort in generating new leads. For a sales rep, that means getting the word out through the communication channels that are most effective for your target audience. It means redoubling efforts to develop “expert” status and thereby attract others to you.

3. Make the calls. Warm and cold calling still has its place because it works. Reach out to enough people with a clear, real presentation of value, and a certain percentage of those prospects will agree to meet with you … and a certain percentage will request a tour or consult … and a certain subset will become your customers. Yes, it’s work. And yes, it’s tougher today to get to the decision-maker. And yes, you will experience rejection. But if it really bothers you when someone decides that what you have doesn’t meet their needs, you’re in the wrong business. Quit whining and start calling.

4. Contrary to every urge, slow the process down when you get a “live one.” Take the time to develop the relationship and fully qualify them. Know what their criteria are for choosing a senior care provider. Once the lead requests fee information, make sure your “benefit” statement clearly addresses those criteria.

5. ASK for REFERRALS. Once the patient, resident or family member agrees to utilize your service begin NOW to ask for referrals. Your customers know others who could benefit from your services…so ask them who they are; this is the most budget friendly kind of marketing you could do.

6. Recycle. No doesn’t have to mean forever. Be sure to provide a response to your “no” that goes something like this: “While we regret that we’ve been unable to help you on this occasion, we respect your decision. We will leave you alone for a while, but we obviously want to keep in touch and be ready to help you should the need arise in the future. Here’s what we propose: I’ll ask a colleague (NOT A SALES PERSON) to give you a call once a quarter. Each time he/she calls, they’ll ask you just two questions: ‘Have things changed relative to last time we spoke? And ‘May I send you another or additional information to help your awareness of senior service opportunities available.’ Would that be OK with you?”

Try to touch base with “no” leads at least every two months, but communicate as frequently as weekly in other circumstances and in certain markets. But you need to take care that your tactics are welcomed and not resented. If you are sending emails, direct mail pieces, invitations, case studies etc, make sure they are loaded with true value, not just promotions and “service information” that holds more interest for you than for them.

Remember, selling senior services is about building relationships and that takes time. You won’t make every sale and you don’t want to get caught up in the ones that “got away”; however learn from each experience so that you can improve your chances of catching the next “live one.” And always look for opportunities to fill your pipeline with new or recycled leads.

What lessons have you learned from “no” responses?

If you’d like to use this article in your own newsletter or on your web site, you are welcome to reprint it in its entirety with an active link to our web site and the following author info:

“By Patty Cisco, Creative Catalyst for CISCO & CO. For effective marketing, sales and customer strategies that connect you with your customers visit www.ciscoco.com.”