I go through this horse manure 3x per year -- any suggestions?...

Imagine this...

As a result of your marketing methods, 100 people raise their hand -- in the for of contacting YOU (not you contacting them) to express their interest. They give you their contact info, etc.

Then, as a dutiful sales servant, you contact them (you're responding to the interest THEY expressed).

Then you eventually discover that NONE of the 100 respondents show any initiative and NONE of them call or email you back -- EVER.

Then you discover that trait of not calling back is NOT an indicator of whether they are truly interested or not.

You also discover that if you DON'T keep all the initiative (read: you sit back + wait for them to finally call), it will result in NO sign ups.

There's the conundrum.

What would you do?

How to break the cycle of the marketer having to keep a FULL 100% of the initiative -- even (especially) amongst those prospects (+ previous customers) who have raised their hand(s)!

Just trying to clarify.

-- TW

[Ankesh]

Thanks TW,

I was once involved in fund raising for a club I was a member of. We did very well in getting people to pledge for funds during a get together. Many people wrote their names and the $ they would give on a long paper.

But then, it was a all different game when we had to go and actually get the pledged money. Many people were now hesitant. We had to call on a few of them 4-5 times.

The error in our case was simply: we didn't close when the prospects were the most enthusiastic. Many of them pledged money because they were in a group setting. They really didn't want to give money. They were simply pressurized to save face.

Yes - its a problem in the sales technique. We could have used the silent tender way of getting people pledge money (would mean lower donations but also getting money from only those who wanted to give). Or we could have done a better job in persuading the people in why its in their best interests to donate - and get rid of some of their objections. And we should have definitely followed up within half a day of their pleding. Not on Monday - like we did.

It all boils down to the initial sales approach and the expectations that are set.

---

From what you've been saying, I think the problem is:

You have a strong personality while selling. That makes people raise their hands. But you are not covering all their objections. Their is a flaw somewhere in your initial selling technique. And thats why, on further thought, the prospects clamp up. They don't respond because they don't want to face you and be persuaded* again.

* It could be something as simple as speaking very quickly. Its a known way of pressurizing people to say yes. But always leaves them thinking later on - with a bad taste in their mouth.

----

I'm a bit surprised TW. Glenn so kindly offers to help to rewrite your script (which everyone who has read it has said its not that good). And you say "maybe"...

Were you just looking for validation?

The script he offers to write is about hot buttons. I don't see that as the problem (but maybe it is).

I'll give it a shot.

-- TW

PS: I like Glenn -- I think he's a very cool guy. I don't know if he remembers me, but I bought stuff from him way back (on ebay).