The fine line between persistence and impatience

December 16, 2014 at 11:00 PM
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A salesperson recently reached out to me to see if I was interested in learning about a product he felt would help my business. His email caught my attention, so I agreed to a telephone call. I mentioned that it would be several weeks before I would have time to speak with him. He asked me to give him some times when I might be available.

As often happens, business took over and I was not able to respond immediately. That was on a Tuesday.

On Thursday, he sent me an email that looked an awful lot like the previous one. On Friday, he sent me another email requesting that I send him some days and times to connect. What do you think? Was this persistence or impatience?

You might disagree with me, but I think he was being impatient, not persistent. From my perspective, he was focused on his agenda, which was to secure a meeting. And I respect that. However, it was evident that he was not considering the fact that I was very busy. Had he waited three or four days before he sent his final email, it wouldn't have come off as stalking. But, because he reached out three times in just four days, I changed my mind. His impatience lost him a sales opportunity.

There is a subtle but significant difference between persistence and impatience. Make sure you don't cross that line and alienate your next interested prospect.

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Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals master their sales conversations so they can win more business at higher profits. Get a free copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" and "Sales Blunders That Cost You Money" at http://www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

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