Persistance! The Art of Getting It Done

I have heard it more and more lately. The person on the other end of the phone line, says "Thanks for keeping up with me." Or "Thanks for continually staying in touch." Or, "Thanks for bugging me, in a good way." At first, I was concerned, but now I just take it in stride. You see, to be successful in sales, in business, in building relationships, it takes downright, unadulterated persistence.

It may be the one thing that holds back too many people from being a success in their careers and in their business. Often, some one might hear those words and say that they are not going to be over bearing, or if the prospect does not return their call then they will not follow up, at least right away. To me, that is a call to die in my sales career and begin the art of killing my company. Actually, I believe not pursuing the goal, not being persistent is just an excuse for not wanting to get the job done or for not taking care of your business.

For years, I have used the motto, "just one more!" Just one more phone call, just one more contact, just one more visit, just one more minute or two to get a new task completed has literally made me thousands of dollars I would not have had.

When your gut says "do not make that call", just do it anyway. Yes, you will get rejections. And someone may get irritated, however more and more, busy people want to be reminded, want to be encouraged, want to be "not let off the hook." And they will respect you for it (if you are not over demanding or rude) and your income will grow.

Some people may consider sales people and business people like myself as aggressive. In fact, we probably are and that is not a bad thing. If you consider someone aggressive, it may bother you because you are not aggressive. Frankly, I would prefer the word assertive.

I believe in my product so much and I believe my company is so far ahead of most of the competition that I really want potential prospects to become clients so that they can benefit from our service and integrity. Call it aggressive. Call it assertive. No matter what, I aim to be persistent UNTIL THE PROSPECT CONVINCES ME THAT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER.

I am like a hunting dog. Show me an interested prospect, a hot or warm prospect, and I will hone in on the target not allowing issues or problems to get in the way.

However, a word of caution. Do not throw caution to the wind. Be alert and sensitive to what your prospective client is saying or acting. There is a time to back off, slow down, give it time, and then continue to be persistent. That is why you and I need a great contact manager or CRM program. Keep in touch. Do not let those contacts slide and get away. Do not forget about them.

While writing this article, I just had a potential client tell me that he is not ready but wants to use our service in the future and to contact him early at the beginning of the year (January.) That information got recorded, and filed in the proper place and you can bet that at the first of the year, he will become a client or at least take another step toward becoming one. Why, because persistence is absolutely vital if you are going to be a success in your business.

One final comment. Persistence is needed in growing your business as well. When you are tempted to watch tv, persistence gets you to learn more about how to market your product. When you are tired and want to turn in, persistence keeps you up to work on that new web site. When you want to get away and watch a sport, persistence takes along a prospect. You see persistence sees the end result and motivates you toward that end.

So do not give up. Do not give in. Keep on keeping on. You will be glad you did.

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