Prospects who told your salespeople “no” yesterday could be ready to buy today.  Remind your salespeople that every “no” is valuable when approached the right way.

Here are a few tips your salespeople should consider when they’re revisiting prospects who turned them down in the past:

• Learn from lost sales. Think critically about what you did or didn’t do that may have lost the sale. It’s a good idea to use an outline to review what could have been done better. Try to list three things you learned and plan to handle differently when you revisit the prospects.
• Approach these prospects as if they’re brand new. Avoid any reference to a prior rejection. Focus on where the prospect is now. There’s a chance he or she might not even remember your previous call, so you can start with a clean slate.
• Examine why a prospect may have turned you down. It may be a good idea to put those who cited a tight budget as their primary reason for passing at the top of your new call list. Try to address budget concerns early in your proposal.
• Keep a journal of positive customer feedback and repeat sales. Compare that feedback to what you get from prospects who turn you down. It might lead to a breakthrough.
• It’s time to be bold. It’s estimated that four out of five deals are closed with buyers who’d previously rejected a similar offer. It’s OK that you were there for the first rejection, as long as you’re back when the prospect’s ready to buy.

Adapted from “Cleaning Up Your Sales” by Jack Daly, sales consultant.

Tags: budget concerns, call list, feedback, lost sales, rejection