I had lunch with a frustrated radio salesperson yesterday who said, “I have eight car dealers on my list who have never advertised on our station. I’ve been calling and leaving messages, but they never return my calls.”
          “From their point of view,” I asked, “why should they return your calls?”
             He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. The bewildered rep did not have an answer to my question.
          When we call a prospect and leave a message without a Valid Business Reason, we might just as well say “Please mail your wallet to me full of cash.” just like the 21 other sales people who tried to dip into the average client’s wallet this week.
          A Valid Business Reason (VBR) for a call means there is something in it for the client to meet with you. Your VBR might be a new lead, a new business development idea, some pertinent market research or a host of other benefits from a client’s perspective.
          Your prospects have an average of 16 to 21 sales people calling them every week, each claiming they can increase sales. From the sales trainer who says they don’t need advertising and traffic, they need higher closing ratios, to the software rep trying to persuade advertisers that investing in customer relations management (CRM) programs is more effective than advertising, you have lots of competition for that wallet!
          Do yourself and your clients a favor… Don’t “leave a message” unless you have a Valid Business Reason, from the customer’s perspective, for them to contact you.