Leave ‘Em Wanting More

Last week Fire Enterprises (FEI) FEI Marketing Tribe Leader Marka concluded demand generation discussions by telling the tribe how to continually nurture prospects from their Website in order to turn them into qualified prospects and, eventually, new customers. This week, Zoot shows sales apprentice Ganymede how to get his hard-to-reach prospects to call back by leaving them wanting more. Remember, fire = print.

Zoot walked past Ganymede’s desk to find him looking glum.

“Why the long face?” Zoot asked.

“I’ve got a big problem,” Ganymede groaned. “Since I started working in FEI’s sales department, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had customers or prospects pledge to return my call, only to never do it! I hate to admit it, but it’s gotten to the point where I’m dreading making follow-up calls because I’m afraid of being a pest, or worse, having to leave another dreaded voicemail.”

“Your problem is a common one that salespeople face,” Zoot said empathetically. “But remember: prospects need more than a rushed pitch of FEI’s advantages to return your call. Next time you find yourself striking out with a hard-to-reach prospect, try enticing them with an old entertainer’s trick.”

“Juggling?” Ganymede asked.

“No, Ganymede. Leave ‘em wanting more!”

Ganymede scratched his head. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Let me give you an example from my own sales career,” Zoot said. “I once had a prospect, Biggie at Biggie’s Bagels, who was thinking about switching his baking operations from open-flame baking to kiln-based. I left voicemail after voicemail, touting the impressive capabilities of FEI’s kilns from every angle I could think of. Finally, I left a voicemail saying ‘You know, Biggie—We once had a customer, a bagel shop just like yours, that switched over from open-flame baking to kilns as well. The results were quite interesting. I’ll fill you in on what happened next time we talk.’”

“And how did he respond?” Ganymede asked.

“He called the same day, leading with ‘OK, tell me the rest of that story!’” Zoot exclaimed.

“Wow! I’ll have to try that out.”

The next time Ganymede ran into a high-potential prospect who wouldn’t return his calls, he tried the ‘half-story’ approach. Sure enough, the prospect called back, and Ganymede eventually closed the account!

Next week: Marka advises the tribe on how to avoid three common marketing mistakes.

Today’s FIRE! Point
Top prospect not returning your calls? Leave them wanting more by telling a “half story” on your next voicemail or e-mail, promising the rest of the story once they call back.