Consider watching The Entrepreneur Road Show Episode 1.5 – Persistence to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of being persistent for sales success.
It may be an uphill battle, but persistence pays off.
Need it be said that being persistent is a big part of being a successful salesperson? In the last month I have made numerous sales based largely upon being persistent.
Recently, I made a sale at SurfExpo in Orlando that was based on three months of persistently pursuing one potential customer. I first met the Hawas at the Ocean City, Maryland Gift Show and pitched my products to them there. I knew they had a lot of stores in Virginia and was determined to sell them my products. Well, in Maryland I pitched as best as I could and got good feedback from them, but no sale. Then, the next month I was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at another tradeshow, and while walking down an aisle I saw the Hawas. I approached them and asked them if they had thought more about buying Sand Shack products. They said they had, but the cost was an issue. I assured them that we could lower the cost and make it a good deal for them if they came by my booth later on in the show. They said they would, and although they probably truly did intend to stop by, they didn’t. Well, earlier this month while at SurfExpo I saw the Hawas once more. This time they walked briskly past my booth…and, quickly realizing who they were, I chased them down the aisle, pitched my products to them again, gave them a favorable discount, and then invited them back to my booth to look at the products once more. They came to my booth and within ten minutes I sold them 100 belts.
Being persistent really does pay off. The example I just gave is one of many sales I can attribute to being persistent. In fact, I have made some sales after three years of persistently pitching my products to a potential customer. This past summer I acquired a few customers who I had been pitching my products to ever since I started Sand Shack in 2006. Constantly making yourself visible to your potential customers instills in their mind that you are the real deal, that your products are good and that they will make money if they sell them.
So, my word of advice to anybody who is an entrepreneur trying to sell a product and is discouraged by lack of sales is…Be Persistent. It may take days, weeks, months, or years to make a sale to one customer.
It pays to be persistent.
Have you watched the latest episode of The Entrepreneur Road Show yet? This week’s episode is actual footage of me making a sale by being persistent. It is entertaining and may be of inspiration to you. Check it out now!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the most important thing is having the item customer really want.
Brad,
True, it is important to have something the customer really wants, but at the same time just having a great product is not enough…being persistent helps convinces your potential customer that your product is good — and as a result, they want it.
-Brian