Here is a true story that makes my heart ache. About 15 years ago I was targeting a particularly lucrative client that was ripe with endless opportunities. A unicorn. A white whale. A real humdinger of an account. Like always, I put my all into prospecting this account trying to find and meet the right person. It wasn’t easy, but when I finally did meet him things got easier. Almost too easy if you know what I mean. He was congenial, communicative and transparent almost to the point where I felt that not only was I lucky, but I really met him at the perfect time based on the need he told me about. ‘Wow!’, I thought, ‘I really am good at my job.’ He began introducing me to all the right people that I would be helping in his organization and introducing me as if the decision was already that we would be working together and I haven’t even given him an estimate yet. Of course it felt too easy, but I had been lucky before so best not to overthink this one. When it finally came time to give my proposal to his team I asked if he would give it his endorsement. ‘I’ll shout it from the highest mountain’. I’ll never forget those words, especially one week later when he announced on social media that they were proud to have chosen my competitor to work with. But, wait… didn’t you just tell me that it was a sure thing for me. You never even told me no. Not once. How in the world did I lose this one? I was frustrated, ashamed and angry. Clearly I missed something.
That wasn’t the first time that happened to me, but it was the biggest one for sure. Customers who say all the right things, but when it comes to making the commitment they leave you standing at the altar. Are they too polite to tell us ‘no’ before things get out of hand? Are they playing us for chumps because they enjoy tormenting salespeople? Were they using us as leverage against our competitors? It’s usually one of those three, but keep in mind that I have had other stories like this that had a happier ending where I did get the sale. I was fortunate enough to meet the right person, they were cool to deal with and we enjoyed working together. But I think we have at least one, if not more, stories of heartache where we thought we had a really great sale on the line and did all of the right things only to watch it evaporate even though the customer never told us ‘no’. Here are 5 simple signals to look for when customers are too polite, or too unprofessional, to tell us ‘no’.
They won’t commit to a next step – Interested prospects naturally move the sale forward, so when every conversation ends with “I’ll get back to you,” without a clear next step, it’s often a warning sign.
They compliment you instead of challenging you – Customers who ask difficult questions are usually engaged, while those who simply agree with everything may have already made their decision.
They become less responsive over time – When emails slow down, calls aren’t returned, and meetings become difficult to schedule, pay attention to what their actions are telling you.
They avoid discussing the decision-making process – If you don’t know who is making the decision, how it will be made, or when it will happen, you’re probably selling in the dark.
They won’t let you present your proposal – Customers who won’t invest time in discussing your recommendation may not be giving you a genuine opportunity to earn their business.
