Have you ever had an experience with your prospective clients, where you’ve totally dedicated hours, sometimes even days gathering information and sharing it with them only to have them drop off the face of the earth?  Have you ever thought to yourself; “How rude and disrespectful of them“?  You’re probably right for feeling this way. Unfortunately, being right doesn’t pay the bills. Putting properties under contract does.

    So, it’s time to quit getting frustrated and get over your sense of self-importance. Instead of being emotional next time people disappear without the courtesy of a response, apply a logical approach.  First, recognize that successful people are usually very good at managing priorities. Consider the example of your Thanksgiving dinner.  You pile your plate so high that there is no possible way to eat everything on it without getting sick. So, what do you do? You pick the food you enjoy the most and eat that first. If you fill up, you never get to the rest. In other words, you ignore it.

The same thing happens with your clients when they get overwhelmed and focus on the most important tasks, like family issues, a new health concern, a crisis at work, or other challenges that just seem to “happen”. What’s the solution with your disappearing clients? Use the following approach:

1. First, recognize that their actions are not a personal attack on you.
2. Next, recognize that talent, skill, knowledge, and effort aren’t enough. Timing is everything!
3. When do you finally give up on a client? NEVER! Or, at least not until they tell you to stop.
4. Don’t be insane. If one approach doesn’t work, use a different approach.
5. There are multiple ways to contact someone from stopping by, to calling, to mailing, to e-mailing, to texting, to having the person that referred them to you follow up. If you must, use all of them.
6. Also, if one message doesn’t work, try another, and another, and another, until one does work.
7. Finally, be creative. Most people will respond if it’s different than what everyone else is doing. For example, “Hi Bob, this is Cup O’ Joe calling. I’ve left several messages and haven’t heard back. I’m getting a little concerned you may have been abducted by aliens. Could you give me a call back and let me know you’re okay?”

 

In conclusion, you’re supposed to be a great sales and marketing expert. Use your sales and marketing skills and expertise to get a response. And then laugh all the way to the bank!