When am I being too pushy!

Thanks... great! Now i'll figure out how i'll go ahead with this!

Want - definitely.. I saw their product line and they approved of our samples(which in most cases was same as what they asked us to make!).

Budget - yeah sure, they r resellers this is their main business & never expressed the price was high on samples!

Authority - yeah I am dealing with the owner or the main decision maker.

Urgency - this is what I am not sure... b'coz I guess they could be happy buying from their current suppliers...! Which s understandable b'coz the popular notion is to establish a relationship with current supplier! Now we gotta get our foot in this situation!!!!!

a4khatri,

You have several options.

First, simply calling once or twice isn't pushy--and isn't enough. Continual communication will help you build a relationship with the prospect. Now, calling 7 or 8 times in a month is not going to do anything but make them mad--that's pushy. But maintaining contact over a period of months isn't pushy at all. However, when you call, you must have a reason. Simply calling to ask "have you made a decision" isn't going to get you too far. Every time you communicate with a client or prospect you're either training them to pay attention to you because you have something of value for them, or you're training them to ignore you because all you do is waste their time. You have to bring value to every communication--verbal or written.

Secondly, if you suspect that you're just being strung along, there is nothing wrong with simply asking if they are really saying "no." That's hard for a lot of salespeople to do because they hate that dreaded "no." But some prospects are simply too meek to use the word.

Third, ask to put in a very small selection of your best sellers on consignment for a short period of time. If you have the confidence, let them see how well your product sells. Your only request is that your consignment batch be given a prominent position for display.

Or, simply ask for a definite date to come back or call back for an answer. There isn't anything wrong with asking for a decision either.

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Thanks ...This was awesome... that definitely helps a lot! Appreciate your effort!

A quick and easy way I find is by watching the customer or clients body language. If you notice the customer seem fine to start with then changes to wanting to "think about it" or "talk to my partner" you have more then likely pushed that boundary.

Q: When am I being too pushy?

A: When they ask you to stop calling.

Good point Houston

Sales is many things but a key for me has always been persistence and determination!

Persistance certainly pays off but you can't win them all. In saying that it doesn't mena you don't try again later.

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I know this was posted a while ago.
I think the problem here is that you are not supporting the prospect in making a buying decision. Most of what you are coming up against are objections or excuses to get rid of you. These prospects dont sound as if they are very committed to doing business with you, but it is possible to reduce this type of response from future prospects by helping them with the decision making process:

I would start asking questions like:
"How would you go about making a decision to buy these types of items"
"What else would you need to know to be sure you were making the right decision about purchasing these"
"Who else is involved in the decision making process"
"what impact would buying these, have on your budget"
"How would you know that these products would be right for you - how would you measure the success of that purchase"
"What needs to happen/ in place for you to be sure it is the right time to buy these products"
"Under what conditions, would you consider using me as a secondary supplier"
"What more would you need to know, about the work I do, to be happy that I can fill your requirements"
"What criteria would I have to meet, to be considered as a supplier"

Hopefully you will have now sorted this out - so I hope it may help for the future.

Good Luck