No Call Back Policy

My manager says to forget about "Call Backs." I don't know if he's telling me this so that I'll push harder while I'm there or whether "Call Backs" really do not convert well.

What does everyone else think about this? -Newbie

When you say "Call Back" I'm assuming you mean that the prospect didn't make a buying decision and asked for you to come back at a later time for that decision.

If that is the case then I would also support a "No Call Back Policy" for the same two reasons you mentioned. -SalesGuy

Please pardon my ignorance on this subject, I can understand that you would want to have your sales force be aggressive when they are there. But what's wrong with an little follow-up. Maybe, is this an industry specific thing? -Doc MC

IMO, this is definately an "Industry Specific" thing. I should have qualified my statement.

For instance, for the salesperson who is selling "home improvements" this "No Call Back Policy" makes sense. For the salesperson selling "Major Medical Equipment" this would not be appropriate. -SalesGuy

Thanks for the input. -Newbie

I've been ingrained with the "no such thing as a be back," but I have converted followups to sales. I've actually had customers call me back. This is my 2 cents: 1). If they give you the ol' "I'll think it over..." routine, you better try to pull objections out of them, they may very well be lurking and there will not be a follow up sale if you do not clear these out while you are presenting 2). Try like heck to close them while you are there, because the prospect is most definitely the greatest at that time, but not to the point of burning your bridge. 3). IMO, a product that offers real value will still have appeal even after the customer has "slept" on it, if they liked you, believed you, and saw benefits to them.

I will follow up with prospects who didn't buy if I feel they seemed like a strong candidate, but I consider these sales are bonuses, because I write them off in my mind, if they did not buy the first time around. -RainMaker

To me, that's the way to think about it. Anything else can lead to false hope. -SalesGal

I'm not sure if I am in favour of a blanket policy.

If you are truly working from the Buyer's perspective then you need to work the way they work and forget your own agenda.

I take each relationship as an individual and will always call back if it is part of the buyer's work process.

Sometimes, it can take 4 or 5 calls to get a complex sale through the system...

Sometimes, it is obvious that the buyer doesnt have a percieved problem to solve and are just trying to get you off the line... -Julian

I agree with your approach RainMaker. False hopes won't pay the bills. sd2; -Iceman

If you are using the right kind of sales process, you can quickly determine the probability of closing a prospect.

If the probability is low, there is about a three percent chance that you can stay there, keep pitching, and come out with an order. If you don't close it, there is then a five percent chance that you can get back in later.

The best strategy is to terminate the sales process immediately and leave. Tell the prospect that you are willing to come back at a latter date when they are ready to make a commitment. In that case, if you continue to call them with prospecting offers, there is a 48% chance of getting back in when they are ready to buy. -JacquesWerth