As an executive I get sales calls every day. If I answered even half of them I would not get anything done. What is a bit perplexing however is how few of these sales representatives ever call back. It’s as if they have already determined that since I did not take their initial call I have no interest. I may indeed have an interest, but like most company executives I do some traveling and have a busy schedule. When I return to the office I probably do not have these people on my return call list because I expect that they will call again, but very few do.

Some leave meaningless messages such as, “my firm’s product is being used by 100 major corporations around the world.” They never indicate what their product offers in the way of value to my business so I hope that they don’t call back. But there are some calls that I do have an interest in, just not at that time or that day. Most of the time I never hear from these people again. Don’t they use automated sales systems like CRM software to remind them to follow-up with another call? Or do they simply think if an executive does not take the initial call there really is no interest?

To be successful in sales you need to be persistent. If you have a customer relationship management system that reminds you when to follow-up with a potential prospect that’s great, but if you don’t that’s no excuse. You don’t need a CRM system to tell you to make follow-up phone calls. It’s common sense, and it is the difference between being a successful sales professional and someone who’s in the bottom half of the pack. Keep calling until you reach the prospect. It’s the best way to improve your selling results.

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