Let’s discuss two sides of a question. While we all know
that we should never prejudge anyone and should always give others the benefit
of the doubt, what do we do when we just cannot get a concrete answer from a
prospect? Do we keep trying to gain a commitment from someone who refuses to
make a decision, or do we throw our hands up and walk away from future attempts
to gain the prospect’s business?
We all have met this person, and we have heard the comments:
“I really want to do business with
you, but…”
“As soon as I have cleared my
schedule, we will meet and I’ll sign up with you.”
“I have committed my entire budget
this year/quarter/month, but I’ll call you when I start planning…”
“Your product/service is perfect
for us, but…”
Gratitude Marketing means that we stay in touch
with people and acknowledge what they do for us and/or for other people. It
does not mean that we keep beating on a dead horse or pounding our heads against
the wall of rejection. When someone has more excuses than clients and more
reasons to delay making a decision (no matter what it is), they probably cannot
be motivated to change their decision to not make a decision.
When we practice Gratitude Marketing, we stay in touch with
people who we appreciate and keep them in our networking relationships. We may
never gain these networking partners as clients, but we should remain in
relationships with them, pass referrals back and forth, and consider them as partners.
We are never going to sign all our partners as clients, but we can keep them as
partners in networking relationships.
People who cannot make a decision to become our client may
not be able to make a similar decision to become our networking partner. We
must recognize that situation and realize that the relationship will probably
not become what we want it to be. Then we have a decision to make of our own,
whether to stay in touch with the person and keep them in our contact list for
future reference. Why not; what would it cost us?
The costs of operating a business include various expenses
with varying purposes and results. To keep someone in our realm of contacts, staying
in touch with them, and perhaps giving them information or referrals
occasionally does not cost us much, especially when it is a part of our ongoing
marketing. Then, maybe one day, that person will return a call with an inquiry
to become a client.
Stop trying to lead people to the client table when they
cannot decide what to do. If they probably will never become our client, or even
a networking partner, we should devote time to those prospects who will. Just
be patient, keep in touch, and keep giving to give, not to get. Let karma take
its time and see what happens. Remember that everyone else we meet can be that
next prospect, or client.
Great post Jim. We all must find our own way, with our own passion. Letting go of any expectation that efforts will result in certain actions is hard to achieve, though success is gained when we just share more often.
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