This link has been bookmarked by 1 people . It was first bookmarked on 07 May 2007, by Nick.
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07 May 07
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Try a voice mail that appeals to your client's curiosity. If you dangle the idea that you have good news she'll want to hear, so much the better:
"Hi, Susan, it's (you) from (your company). Sounds like you've been incredibly busy. I'm calling for two reasons: one, to follow up where we had left off, and two, I have information that I think will be of real value to you. Please call me at _____."
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Appeal To A Higher Authority
You haven't heard from that contact who promised to respond four weeks ago, and you've made repeated attempts to connect with her. Is it time to call her boss? If you do, will she be angry because you went over her head? Will she retaliate by making sure you never get to do business with her company? Appealing to a higher authority takes the pressure off you by making it seem to be coming from another source, in this case your boss:
"Hi, Susan… Maybe you can help me. My boss asked me this morning about the proposal we submitted to you last month. I was caught off guard and I didn't have an answer for him. As you can imagine, we've invested considerable time and resources to put together this solution for you, and you indicated that it was a pressing matter for you. I realize how busy you are, and I'm in a situation where I owe my boss an answer. He told me that if I don't get back to him by this Friday, he wants to get involved and call _____ (her boss) directly to arrange a meeting to review our proposed solution."
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Assume Away
Although the common wisdom is to "never assume," sometimes assuming can help galvanize your client into responding:
"…I've been trying to reach you, but it sounds like you've been incredibly busy, since I haven't yet heard from you. Please do me a favor and give me a heads-up as to whether yes, you're still interested, or no, you're not. Otherwise, if I don't hear from you within the next _____ days, I'll assume your priorities have shifted. Knowing that the issues we've discussed concern others within your organization, I'll contact _____ (the client's boss, peers, other decision-makers) so that we can continue to look at ways to (fix…change…reduce…increase…) your organization. I certainly value the time and input you've shared with me. Hopefully, you and I can continue where we left off. You can reach me at _____."
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- "How solid is this so-called relationship?"
- "What amount of business, if any, are you currently getting from your contact?"
- "Can this person make all the decisions regarding your solution? If not, who should you really be talking with?"
If your business relationship seems to be stalling, and you're not getting any response from your contacts when you try to connect with them, here are three questions you need to ask yourself:
- "How solid is this so-called relationship?"
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