Strategic Sales & Marketing Solutions

Salespeople often refer to the number of “touches”…instances of contact, whether via phone, email, regular mail or in person…that it takes to close a sale. While this might be an interesting number (and could potentially shed light on trends in specific targeted businesses), it lacks consistency and context. There are too many variables: the mood of the prospect on a certain day, whether your first contact was a true “cold call” or a connection through a mutual colleague, an unexpected ebb or flow in their finances, or the attempts of your competitors to under-bid your already quoted price.

How many “touches” does it take to close the sale? The answer is deceptively simple. It takes as many as it takes. Your primary responsibility as a professional salesperson is to never abandon your relationship with a prospect until you have complete assurance that you have no other options.

Even if you do determine that nurturing the relationship with one or more of your prospects is not the best use of your time and that no sales are visible on the immediate horizon, you can still drop a helpful article of interest in an envelope (with a brief, handwritten note and your business card) one or two times a year. You can leave a short, enthusiastic voice message about an upcoming event that they might enjoy, especially if it is directly related to their business. Doing so reminds your prospect that you are still alive, still interested in doing business with them, and still qualified to save them money, solve a problem, or both. Do not attempt to pressure the prospect into a sale during these moments of contact. Present yourself as a man or woman of service, someone with a genuine interest who is available to help them meet a need. They know what you’re selling and they know why you’re contacting them. Now is the time for you to focus on long-distance running, not a sprint to the finish line.

The challenge in effectively managing prospect “touches” lies in the salesperson’s ability to function fully in the moment, to listen, and to receive every verbal and nonverbal “clue” provided by the prospect.

As an example, when the prospect asks “How much will this cost,” the salesperson might reasonably acknowledge this as a strong potential signal that the “benefits” phase of the sales cycle has been successfully concluded. It stands to reason that while human beings are curious by nature, a prospect will have no interest in the cost of a product or service unless they also have a need, desire, or both. If the price question is raised before the salesperson has been given the opportunity to offer their presentation, the prospect is attempting to qualify or disqualify them solely on the basis of price. The prospect is primarily interested in finding the fastest way to show the salesperson to the door. There are very few prospects that will engage with a salesperson at any length unless that salesperson has captured their interest.

The intuitive powers of the salesperson come into play when the price question, coupled with tone of voice, body language, and any number of nonverbal cues, add up to a prospect who is ready to buy. This requires a salesperson willing to reject the smoke and mirrors of a “magic formula” in order to go the distance and invest the proper amount of time…no more, no less…in nurturing quality relationships.

During a recent sales cycle with a prospective new client, the number of “touches” I experienced between initial contact and a signed contract was two. This was not a trend. This was an isolated incident, specific to the players involved and the services being offered.

In other situations, I have maintained contact with prospects over a number of months. I have had prospects ask me to “Call back in a month,” which in reality meant “I’m willing to bet that if I call you back in a month, you will either forget or give up, and I won’t have to tell you yes or no.” I’ve had other prospects make the same request, and when I called them back in a month, the sales process moved forward. On some occasions, the follow-up call resulted a closed sale. Making the call is what made that possible.

A good friend who runs marathon races and seldom finishes first, second or third was once asked how he felt about crossing the finish line after many of the participants had already left. His reply was “I beat all of the people who stayed home.” The same is true for professional salespeople. Your persistence will pour out the gold that might have gone to the other salespeople who gave up too soon and too easily.

You can never really know in advance if the “sure things” will go belly-up or the “long shots” will come through for you. You also cannot pin all of your hopes on a few “wobblers” in your pipeline. At some point, you need to purge those who are not interested or not qualified in favor of those who are. But the only way you can achieve that elusive “Top 2%” of sales success is to use your intuition, be persistent, and view your sales education…no matter how lengthy or credentialed or impressive it might be…as nothing more than a launching pad that allows you to go into each new selling situation with a clear mind, a fresh perspective, a desire to win, and the confidence that comes with knowing that by consistently and earnestly practicing all of the disciplines above, you are already a winner.