Let's face it, you talk to a lot of people who say "I'm interested, but not now." You then gracefully nod your head, and move on to the next prospect.
But do you ever return?
"Not now" has become a very polite way of saying that you're not interested. Sales has recognized this, and now salespeople immediately move on to the next lead. Why waste time convincing someone who isn't interested? Isn't it efficient to just move onto the next potential sale?
Yes. Sometimes.
But sometimes they really mean "not now."
Maybe they're having a busy week, and they don't have time for a pitch right now. Maybe their business is in a tight spot right now, and they're in no place to buy. The point is, it could one of a million different factors, and they aren't going to tell you that reason.
So what can you do when you hear "now now?"
Find a follow-up window
Find out if you can check back in after a week, a month, a year. If you hear "not now," you are more than welcome to ask if there's a better time. If they hesitate, don't push; remember that they may be politely declining your offer! But you'll find that many leads will be open to a call in a month or two. Don't set a date, just find that window when they will be open to another call.
This simple step will make your "not now" responses more valuable. With just this one easy question, you further refine your pipeline to drive good prospects to you, and to drive bad prospects out of the pipeline.
It's may have a small effect, but like they say, "an avalanche is made of snowballs." So go get this snowball rolling!
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