I had a company contact me today….
- They sent me a “newsletter” this morning. I didn’t ask for it so deleted it before even reading it.
- They followed up by phone asking me if I received the newsletter. Erm, Yes, but I deleted it.
- I re-opened the email just out of curiosity and it was all about them, not about helping me.
- They told me how well everyone else was doing. How does that help me?
- The news was old news I’d heard sometime ago from another source.
The approach was wrong on so many levels, maybe next time they should:
- Get permission beforehand to send the newsletter. This can be a personal email.
- Send relevant news to my business, not general stuff I need to filter through.
- Give me an significant incentive to follow up with any business requirement.
- Keep giving consistently over a long period before expecting a return from me.
- Build some real rapport so I trust you before doing business.
Don’t try and jump into bed with the client on the first date. It’s a turn off (unless there desperate) or even worse makes you look more desperate.
Get to know the client. Do lots of research. Know the facts. Speak to industry insiders. Dig deep before popping the questions directly. How can YOU help them with a paticular problem you KNOW exists?
Don’t be pushy but always learn to walk away sooner rather than later from indifferent prospects.