#237 – When does following up become chasing?

The sales website Saleslion mentions,

"60% of customers say no four times before saying yes."

"Persistence is key," they say. But when does persistence become insistence, the characteristic if annoying trait of the Ego and the Ghosts?

My sales coach told me most prospects would say no up to eight times before saying yes, because, "No in sales means 'not now.'"

So I prepared myself to be rejected up to eight times by the same prospect before materializing a sale.

The first two or three emails were easy – I kept my spirits high and approached the task with a smile.

But as I wasn't even getting a no, I suspected my emails went straight to junk. That's when my Ghost of Not Following Up started to feel sorry for me.

Every time I opened the email app, I saw its sad, chubby face, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes closed as it shook its head, putting its chocolate-stained hand on my shoulder – why bother?

A millisecond later, the Ghost of Need to Prove was slapping my cheeks, as if wanting to wake me up from its competitor's spell. Quit now? No way! Show them what you're made of!

Then I showed my fangs and pounded out another email.

But what would my True Self have done? And what will it do in the future?

It depends:

• Does my desire to sell X to Y person/organization come from self-interest, or the desire to serve, helping them meet a real need?
• Am I helping them by following up, or am I trying to help myself (and hence pestering them)?

Seth Godin once told me that while helping organizations build better interpersonal relationships seemed crucial, most didn't understand why they needed it—and therefore wouldn't buy it.

So, of course, my prospects at the time just felt like I was pestering them. Stopping to follow up was the rational thing to do.

I could've changed my approach to meet prospects where they were until they experienced how team coaching would improve their work.

But caught between my competing ghosts, I remained stuck with an unsuccessful strategy—chasing prospects rather than following up.

The truth is, I wasn't serving anyone. And marketing devoid of service is just unwanted pressure.

What drives your follow-ups, and when might you be crossing into chasing?

Love,

Carolina