Eight-year-olds think they know everything. Trust me — I’ve got one.
They think they understand how life works and they don’t want help from anyone.
Now, as the adult, I can easily look at a situation and see the problems. But, if I ask my daughter, “Hey, can I help you with that?” or “Why don’t you try this instead?” the answer is a quick and determined, “NO!”
See, kids like to figure things out on their own — and so do your prospects.
The Sales Hustle Fail
If we’re honest, we’ve all got that little eight-year-old kid inside us — and we see it clearly in a sales hustle.
Here’s how it plays out:
- The customer is interested.
- The customer signs up to learn more.
- The customer is bombarded with emails, phone calls, etc.
- The customer says, “Not interested.”
What happened? They showed interest. They opted in. There was something they wanted more of — but then they declined. Here’s why.
Over the last 10 years, there’s been a big push to start the sales hustle as soon as someone shows interest. They give us their email or phone number and we put them into our sequences. We focus less on outside sales and more on the internal sales team’s follow-up strategies.
Sure, our internal sales teams have great systems for following up, but in creating them, they’ve sacrificed the customer experience.
Dial Back the Hustle!
How do you get back to really connecting with potential clients? Dial back the sales hustle. Focus on the customer, not the sale. Truly put yourself in your prospect’s shoes.
- What did the customer actually want when they signed up?
- Why did they sign up for a piece of content?
- What are they responding to?
- If you had that need, what sales approach would be comfortable for you?
- Would you want someone calling you immediately?
Yes, the customer showed interest — but they don’t want someone looking over their shoulder while they figure out what to do.
As a customer, this is where our inner eight-year-old comes out. Maybe it’s best for someone to call immediately and tell us exactly how to solve our problem, but we want to figure it out on our own. When we feel too much pressure, we say, “No!”
Give customers the space to learn more without hovering over them. Sure, you know more than they do. You know how to solve their problem. But they THINK they know more… and they don’t want to hear otherwise.
When people give you their info, they’re obviously interested in what you sell. But don’t scare them off by asking too much too soon.
Use the Cold Call Perspective
Consider the people who sign up to learn more about your offer “new leads.” Don’t assume they’re ready to buy. Don’t automatically push them three steps down your sales funnel.
Instead, treat these prospects like a cold call list. Reach out and get to know them. They’re in the market for something. They’ve clicked through your email sequences and shown interest. Now it’s time to start a conversation.
Give them a call — not to close the deal, but to book an appointment so they can learn more.
People want the real deal. When they’re ready to buy, they want to deal with a person — not an automated sequence. So let them know who you are. You can even say, “Hey, I know you’ve seen some of our content, so I wanted to touch base. If you’re happy with your current situation, great! Stay with them — good partners are hard to find. But if you’ve become disenchanted with your current provider, I’d love to have a conversation with you. I want to earn your business, but only when the timing is right. And if you just want some advice, I’m open to that too. I’d like to get to know you.”
Related: Be Brief, Be Brilliant, Be Gone: A Lesson in Sales Cold Call Training
They’ll see you as a real person who’s willing to help. Then, once they think things through, they may be ready to have a sales conversation about the next steps.
Identify +/- Triggers
You don’t have to ditch the sales hustle entirely. I’m not telling you to abandon your internal marketing strategy. It’s obviously effective to some extent.
But you do need to look at what triggers your prospects to bail and what might win them back. We can’t give you these triggers — they’re specific to your sales approach. But if you can figure them out, they can play a big role in your sales conversion.
For example, a friend of mine owns an e-commerce company. When prospects go through the purchasing process, entering their name, email, and phone number, but bail before they buy, someone calls them immediately and asks, “Everything okay?” With a simple phone call, they recoup about 70% of those sales. It works for them.
Finding what works for you will take testing. But once you find a trigger that works at least 60% of the time, you’ll know you’ve found a way to better reach your customers.
We all like to believe we know what’s best. We like to control our own destiny. So, if your prospects are showing sudden signs of disinterest, take a look at your strategy. You may be coming on a little strong.
Yes, you could fix their problem if they let you, but remember, they’re acting like an eight-year-old! Let them know you’re available, then give them a little time and space. Eventually, they’ll come around!
If you’re looking for a CRM that makes it easy for even a kid to use, book a demo!
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Check out our blog post, “The Psychology of Sales: 4 Important Principles to Help You Close More Deals”. And follow our YouTube channel for videos on Sales Motivation and Leadership!
