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Strictly Sales Episode 2: Breaking Up with Bad Sales Leads
Nothing can sap your productivity like chasing a bad lead who is never going to close. In this episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” you’ll learn how to sniff out the tire kickers and kick them to the curb before they waste your time.
In our first episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” we dove into how to navigate one of the biggest hurdles salespeople face — office gatekeepers. This time around, Jeff sets his sites on a different target standing in the way of higher close rates — tire kickers, aka bad leads who will never close. Listen in to learn how to spot these productivity-sappers fast, and the best way to break up with them so you can move on to greener pastures.
There are two steps to breaking up with bad sales leads: First, you have to clearly identify that the lead is actually one that isn’t worth your time. Second, you have to end the sales process with them carefully so that they don’t react poorly. If you manage both steps smoothly, there is still the opportunity to make contact with someone else in that same company.
Ready to ditch your bad leads and focus your time on the ones with real potential to close? Listen in to the podcast below.
Listen Here
Or Listen and Subscribe on iTunes
Key Takeaways
“The easiest way to break up with [bad leads] is to give them responsibility to move the ball forward. Ninety-nine out of a hundred tire kickers will never call me…because they’re really not interested, because they really don’t have any authority, because they really don’t want to do this. Doesn’t that now free me to call other people in the organization?”
— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates
* Three signs you need to dump your dead-end lead: He or she uses the pronoun “we” instead of “I” [2:10]; they don’t seem genuinely passionate about their job [2:40]; they don’t seem to be very busy when it comes to work within the company [3:16]
* Once you notice these signs you need to stop pushing and give them the responsibility to move forward. That puts the impetus on them and, at the same time, you don’t look like you are the one ending the process. [4:50]
Transcript
Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information, go to OpenView Labs or MJHoffman.com.
CeCe: Hi again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining us for Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. We were so excited to kick off our series last time, where we talked a lot about gatekeepers and how to leverage them and had such great responses from everyone. So thank you so much. Keep those questions coming.
Last time we were talking a lot about how to get into a company, and people loved it. I heard the BDRs sitting in our office using a lot of these tactics. It was great to hear them actually be able to get through and talk to the person that they wanted to talk to.
Jeff: Outstanding.
CeCe: But now, people want to know about how to get out. So let’s talk about breaking up with your prospects, especially those “tire kickers,” who are eating up your time.
Jeff: That can be equally as painful, particularly when you realize, “Wow, this is a great opportunity in this company. I am with the wrong person or worse than the wrong person.” You know, it’s one thing if the wrong person is rude. That’s easy. But what happens when the wrong person is really interested and loves to take up your time, and all that rapport-building that you were so eager to do is working? It’s just working on the wrong person. How do you handle it?
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Nothing can sap your productivity like chasing a bad lead who is never going to close. In this episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” you’ll learn how to sniff out the tire kickers and kick them to the curb before they waste your time.
In our first episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” we dove into how to navigate one of the biggest hurdles salespeople face — office gatekeepers. This time around, Jeff sets his sites on a different target standing in the way of higher close rates — tire kickers, aka bad leads who will never close. Listen in to learn how to spot these productivity-sappers fast, and the best way to break up with them so you can move on to greener pastures.
There are two steps to breaking up with bad sales leads: First, you have to clearly identify that the lead is actually one that isn’t worth your time. Second, you have to end the sales process with them carefully so that they don’t react poorly. If you manage both steps smoothly, there is still the opportunity to make contact with someone else in that same company.
Ready to ditch your bad leads and focus your time on the ones with real potential to close? Listen in to the podcast below.
Listen Here
Or Listen and Subscribe on iTunes
Key Takeaways
“The easiest way to break up with [bad leads] is to give them responsibility to move the ball forward. Ninety-nine out of a hundred tire kickers will never call me…because they’re really not interested, because they really don’t have any authority, because they really don’t want to do this. Doesn’t that now free me to call other people in the organization?”
— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates
* Three signs you need to dump your dead-end lead: He or she uses the pronoun “we” instead of “I” [2:10]; they don’t seem genuinely passionate about their job [2:40]; they don’t seem to be very busy when it comes to work within the company [3:16]
* Once you notice these signs you need to stop pushing and give them the responsibility to move forward. That puts the impetus on them and, at the same time, you don’t look like you are the one ending the process. [4:50]
Transcript
Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information, go to OpenView Labs or MJHoffman.com.
CeCe: Hi again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining us for Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. We were so excited to kick off our series last time, where we talked a lot about gatekeepers and how to leverage them and had such great responses from everyone. So thank you so much. Keep those questions coming.
Last time we were talking a lot about how to get into a company, and people loved it. I heard the BDRs sitting in our office using a lot of these tactics. It was great to hear them actually be able to get through and talk to the person that they wanted to talk to.
Jeff: Outstanding.
CeCe: But now, people want to know about how to get out. So let’s talk about breaking up with your prospects, especially those “tire kickers,” who are eating up your time.
Jeff: That can be equally as painful, particularly when you realize, “Wow, this is a great opportunity in this company. I am with the wrong person or worse than the wrong person.” You know, it’s one thing if the wrong person is rude. That’s easy. But what happens when the wrong person is really interested and loves to take up your time, and all that rapport-building that you were so eager to do is working? It’s just working on the wrong person. How do you handle it?