I recently had a response from a prospecting email that gave me pause. I had sent the prospect 2 emails in one week and they are sent 4 days apart. His response was, “Hey, you are being aggressive.” Really? I was amused because I thought this light touch email campaign was slightly passive. At the very least, I had caught his attention. Good, bad or otherwise, that’s the first step I always want. Let’s face it, prospects are your biggest critics because some people enjoy the power they think they have beating up on salespeople. But you and I know better. I did not respond to his email, but here is what I would have said if I thought persuading him was worth my while.
“Dear Prospect, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. I can understand what I view as being determined can come across to you as being aggressive. I think it is important for you to understand why I am being aggressive.
- I am determined to succeed.
- I am determined to get the attention of my prospective buyers.
- I am determined to offer you something that I am certain will benefit you.
- I am determined to not let sales objections like yours get in my way.
- I am determined to find customers who were glad that I took the time to reach out to them.
- I am determined to not be discouraged by rejections.
- I am determined to make sure that, no matter what, I will never give up.
- I am determined to silence the criticism.
- I am determined to do whatever it takes.
- I am simply determined!
Mister Prospect, it’s okay if what I am offering is not a good fit for you. Perhaps you meant your simple words to be insightful, and I suppose they were, but I think you would do well to notice the difference between being aggressive and being determined. After all, I bet you wish you had more determined sales people on your team like me and, if you did, you probably would respect my approach instead of criticizing it. Again I thank you for your feedback. It reinforces my desire to succeed.
I share this with you because as a salesperson, you face more critics than anyone else in your company. Stay determined because what you are doing is not only correct, but also noble. I am not telling you to be aggressive, that’s a sin of a different sort, but don’t let others hold you back from your success. Press ever forward mighty salesperson. You can do this.
