It's not uncommon for buying decisions to take several months—or longer—and keeping your name in front of a prospect can increase the likelihood of generating a sale. However, how you approach that objective will influence your prospect's decision when he or she finally decides to move ahead.
Here are three wrong ways to keep your name in your prospect's mind (followed by a more effective approach).
"Check-in" call. A common approach is for a salesperson to make a "check-in" call—either by telephone or in a face-to-face visit. The conversation usually goes something like this: "Hey, Mr. Jones, just checking in to see if anything has changed or if you're ready to discuss that project now." I could be wrong, but I don't know many salespeople who close deals with this approach.
Corporate brochure. Salespeople often send corporate brochures and other marketing materials related to their solution. They believe that these materials will give the prospect the information they need to make a buying decision. However, having worked in the corporate world for many years, I can say that most expensive brochures end up in the circular file (aka the trash can).
