If they didn’t buy from you before, they won’t buy from you now

Have you ever prospected someone who you called on years ago? Sure, this happens a lot. They keep their title, same responsibilities and just switch to another company. So you call on them, they remember your friendly voice, you remember their programmed vendor response but you think things will be different now because they are at a new place, new budgets and new level of influence. Get real- if they never bought from you before chances are they won’t buy from you now. Why? Here’s my theory on this topic:

1. There is an unspoken pact that has been made between you two- somewhere in negotiation land, you two made a pact that you would not work together. Perhaps it had to do with the many years you spent contacting them and they no longer saw your value as a potential vendor but more as a resource consultant.
2. People like to do business with people they like- I know we hear this all the time but it’s really true. When something clicks with two people on a business relationship level, things move a lot faster.
3. Hope is not a strategy- I wish I came up with the title of Rick Page’s book because it is so true in sales. We sit around hoping and wishing for something to happen and we actually believe it will (because we know that person?) which is not a good reason.
4. Get tough with your new approach or let go- take the time to approach this differently, change the score, turn the tables around, raise the bar and don’t go back to them with the same old offerings.