You’ve put together an amazing sales pitch. You’ve organized your best products according to your lead’s pain points and interests. You feel like you’ve definitely got this in the bag.
But then, against all odds, your prospect says no.
Rejection certainly isn’t the most enjoyable part of prospect marketing, but it’s more of an opportunity than you might initially think.
However, how you respond after being turned down by a prospect makes all the difference in the world.
In this post, we’ll tell you how to win back prospect marketing leads and turn a no into a yes. By the end, you’ll be more confident in your selling techniques than ever before.
Shift your Prospect Marketing Mindset
We know that sometimes, it can be difficult not to take a prospect marketing rejection personally.
However, especially in the world of network marketing, it’s crucial to remember that rejections are the norm, not the exception. This means that the rejection often isn’t the fault of a poor sales pitch or your lack of knowledge about a particular product.
It simply means that, for reasons that may be far different than you assume, now is just not the right time for the lead. Your client’s financial situation might not be right. They may be dealing with personal matters that make it difficult for them to even think about making a purchase.
They may even be fielding multiple offers from other prospect marketing professionals.
The good news?
A rejection isn’t always permanent. Just because today isn’t the day, doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get them to say “yes” in a few weeks.
They key is to strike the balance between consistent follow-ups and high-pressure sales tactics.
You don’t want to come across as pushy or desperate. However, you do want to let your lead know that, should they change their mind, your offer will always remain on the table.
Let’s take a look at how to make that happen now.
How to Turn “No, Thanks” Into “Yes, Please!”
Believe it or not, a no isn’t always a firm answer when it comes to prospect marketing.
Sometimes, it just means that you haven’t yet found the right way to connect with your lead. You need to figure out how to speak to them in the right terms, get to know their true issues, and understand their perspective.
Read on to learn how to master the art of turning a no into a yes — even when it comes to the most stubborn of prospects.
Understand the Why
When a lead turns you down after an awesome prospect marketing pitch, we know that you’re desperate to find out why!
However, finding the right way to get the answer to this question is essential.
If you suspect it might be financial, try something like, “If money wasn’t an issue, would you be interested in using this product?”
This will help you to figure out whether or not the prospect actually thinks that your product offers something valuable to them. It will also help you to work together to find room in the budget so that the prospect can get what they need.
You can then ask them something like, “Who can I speak to on your behalf to help your company to see the value of this product?” Or, you can ask something like, “How can I help you to get what you need in order to be able to buy today?”
You can also ask more directly, “What is keeping you from saying yes to this offer today?” This is an effective way to establish the fact that you have a direct interest in the lead’s problems, and to make it clear that you feel your products can offer a solution to those issues.
Plus, once you’ve understood the way, you can adjust the remainder of your pitch accordingly.
Ask About Their Goals
In order to further refine your prospect marketing pitch, you also need to make sure you’re clear on what either an individual’s or company’s current goals are.
Perhaps their priorities have shifted since you last spoke. Maybe the product that you’re currently pitching to them actually isn’t as useful at their current phase of business as another product that you offer.
Ask them about the consequences of not achieving those goals, and try to redirect the conversation towards those consequences as you continue with your adjusted pitch.
In addition to understanding what your lead’s goals are, also ask them about their overall timeline. When would they like to have these goals completed? What smaller steps do they need to overcome or accomplish on the way to their larger goals?
Help them to understand how your product can help them to speed up that timeline, as well as to exceed their goals and set newer, larger ones.
Let Them Talk
In the world of prospect marketing, many sellers make the mistake of talking too much.
Not only can this end up coming across as far too aggressive, you can sometimes even end up saying the wrong thing!
When you’re not sure what to do next, the best thing to do is to say nothing. Your silence will likely encourage your prospect to open up and begin talking directly to you about what they need.
Plus, you’ll be able to show them that you’re listening, and to make them feel valued as a lead and a potential client.
Determine if They’re Still a Viable Lead
In some cases, the only way you’ll really be able to turn a no into a yes is by figuring out whether or not they’re truly still interested in buying your product.
There are a few key questions that you can ask to help you to figure this out.
Ask them when would be a better time in the future for you to pitch them again. Offer them a timeline of the expected ROI if they push back their buying timeline with you by a few months.
This is a smart move, because they’ll understand how much money they’ll lose by not saying yes to you today.
You can also ask them what circumstances will change within their next business quarter that will put them in a better position to buy than they’re in right now. This will help you to avoid wasting your time if it turns out that they’re simply not interested.
You can close by offering them an anecdote regarding a past customer of yours that was also in a similar situation to their own.
Then, tell them that, even though the choice to buy that day was difficult and required some sacrifice, it paid off for them in the end.
When a No is Really a No
Of course, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to turn a no into a yes, it’s simply not happening.
In the world of prospect marketing, it’s important to both understand and accept just how much power the customer actually has. A hard no is a learning opportunity, and a great way to re-examine your pitch and selling process.
Plus, at the end of the day, you still got to practice delivering your pitch.
Now, let’s take a look at what you can do after getting a definitive no from a client.
Ask for a Referral
Asking a client for a prospect marketing referral is one of the best ways to get the most out of your rejection.
There are lots of ways that you can go about this, especially if you’re concerned about coming off as overly aggressive.
You can give them a few of your business cards, and ask them to give them out to people they feel might be interested. You can also ask if it’s OK for you to send them a pitch email that they could forward to friends they think might like what you’re selling.
Of course, you can also ask them outright if they’d be willing to provide you with the contact information of people who might serve as good leads for you.
Ask them to Write a Review
Online reviews of your products, and even taking the time to rate you as an individual representative, are an awesome thing to ask of a rejection.
After all, they still listened to your killer sales pitch, and came into direct contact with your products!
You might not think that asking them to leave a review even though they didn’t buy anything makes sense, but hear us out.
In the future, when potential customers are looking up your profile or your reviews, hearing from a past customer who walked away without buying anything is important.
People want to know that they can still say no, and that you are able to accept rejection. They also want to know that, even though the lead didn’t end up buying, the two of you still maintain a good business relationship.
Think About What you Could Improve
Above all, getting a rejection from a prospect marketing leads gives you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes.
First of all, think about whether or not you were actually speaking to a true decision maker. Was your lead the person with the power to say yes or no, or were they just being forced to listen to your pitch so that someone above them wouldn’t have to?
If so, in the future, how can you work and research to ensure that you’re actually speaking to people with buying power?
Additionally, did you make a concerted effort to get to know their pain points, their needs, and their wants? Did you present them with products or services that directly addressed and ameliorated those issues?
Did you offer them external resources outside of your pitch, so that they could independently verify the claims that you were making about your products? Did you do everything possible to empower your lead?
More than anything else, do you feel like you have a clear understanding of why the lead said no?
If not, it’s completely OK to ask for clarification.
If you don’t want to put them on the spot, you could always send them a survey in a follow-up email to ask for their feedback.
Focus on Long-term Success
So, your prospect marketing network turned you down. You feel annoyed, angry, and above all, like you wasted your time.
This isn’t the right mindset, because you’re clearly ignoring the long-term success that you’ll have in the future by dwelling on the no in the present.
It sounds corny, but remember that every no really is one step closer to a yes.
Instead of beating yourself up or blaming the lead, think about how what you learned will inform the tactics and decisions you take and make in the future.
Interested in Improving Your Prospect Marketing Skills?
We hope that this post has helped you to understand the many ways you can cope with and make the most out of hearing the word “no” from your network marketing prospects.
Remember to ask the right questions, give the lead the time to talk, and above all, to remain respectful. It’s also OK to be direct with your leads in order to determine how serious they really are about buying from you either now or in the future.
Are you in need of additional advice when it comes to network and prospect marketing? Do you feel like your sales pitch could use some fine-tuning?
If so, we can help.
Spend some time on our website to learn more about the steps you can take to get your business to the next level.
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