Everyone always talks about how much busier our customers and prospects are today than they were in the past, and that’s their reasoning for not being able to set appointments. I don’t think that’s true.
The reason they’re not scheduling time with you is because they don’t need you like they used to. Think about it: where did your prospects and customers learn about the newest video or access control technology in 1998? They learned from you, the sales professional. Maybe you weren’t their only choice, but you were a primary source of information. They would see you because they needed to know what was happening out there.
Not today. All they have to do today is open their email. They have dozens of articles and blog posts providing a plethora of information. If they have a specific question, they can find the answer online in less time than it takes me to type this sentence. So, why would they see a sales person?
I hope this doesn’t discourage you. I hope this perspective opens your eyes and helps you develop a better strategy to get in the door. Your prospects will tell you how busy they are, but that’s not it. They don’t think they need you. If you don’t have content for them that will make them better, then they don’t need you. However, if you can illustrate that you’re a subject matter expert and can save them from sifting through all those emails every day, you’ll become their preferred provider. They’ll open their doors to you much more often than they do to your competition. As you’re emailing or calling to schedule appointments, think about this perspective: your customers don’t think they need you, so bring something of substance to every meeting that will make them better.
One last note: they’d rather have one trusted source of information that have to read through dozens of emails each day that are mostly promotional ads disguised as articles.
