Dead Silence From Your Prospect: The Worst Sound Of All

Could this be the worst moment in your selling cycle

Youve done all the right things with your prospect:

• Youve identified a real need and developed a reasonably solid relationship.
• Youve determined that your prospect is interested in your solution.
• Youve had a couple of great meetings or conversations that let the prospect move the sales process forward.
• Youve supplied everything needed to make a final decision.
• And youve followed up, as customary, by leaving messages or e-mails to see if you can get a final decision

But instead, all youre hearing is dead silence.

Not a word. Not a peep.

"I dont get it," you say to yourself.

"Everything was going so well, theres definitely a fit, we had a good relationship.

Then, all of a sudden, nothing.

What went wrong

I know this feeling well because just about everyone who gets in touch with me and I speak with dozens of you almost every day struggles with this exact desperate situation --- wondering what went wrong, why your prospect has broken off communication, and, most importantly, what you can do about it.

The only person who can solve this mystery is -- guess who Your prospect.

You may have done all the "right" things throughout the sales process, but, somewhere along the way, he or she has never felt truly comfortable enough to tell you the truth about where they really stand with the decision to buy or not buy your solution.

Why not

Because in most cases prospects dont want to hurt your feelings by telling you something that might disappoint you.

The problem is, something in your selling approach your tone of voice, your attempt to create forward momentum, your use of traditional sales language told them that the most important thing on your mind was making that sale.

However, what your selling approach must do is let prospects feel comfortable telling you the truth, all the way through the sales cycle, about exactly where you stand with them, without their having to worry that youll feel disappointed.

This is the gap that makes it easier for prospects to break off communication, because keeping you at bay lets them feel safer and more in control.

Take "following up" as an example.

When you call or e-mail to follow up, what message are you really sending

Consider this: that youre pursuing and trying to move closer to your sale.

This triggers sales pressure that makes prospects protect themselves by retreating behind their wall of silence.

Is there anything you can do in these situations

Yes, definitely.

Dont worry, all is not lost -- but its important that you look at how something you did or didnt do may have created the situation.

My guess is that, at this point, youd like to hear is the "truth" about where you stand with your prospect, no matter what that truth is, right

So, how do you get to it

Not by moving forward, but by moving backward to try to repair the hidden break in the relationship. "I dont understand," you say. "How would I do that" Its simple:

1. Just Give your prospect a call avoid leaving a voicemail, and send an e-mail only if you have no other options in which you convey the following message:

2. "Hi John, its Ari with XYZ company, how are you John, Im not calling about moving the project forward or anything about the project itself. Im just calling to apologize...I havent heard from you for a few weeks and I figured it must be my fault or something that I may have done, maybe I dropped the ball somewhere along that way...so Im simply calling or writing to see if you wouldnt mind sharing some feedback so I can improve for next time"

In other words, you apologize.

Thats right -- you apologize because its crucial for you to take the high road and be willing to be told that something on your end did cause the communication breakdown.

However, most of the time, prospects will find your apology so disarming that theyll stop worrying about you trying to "sell" them and will finally feel comfortable telling you their truth.

Try it, and let me know how it goes.