When a prospect says, "Send me some literature," many salespeople interpret their request as a live lead. "Great!" they think. "I'll send this out and as soon as they've read it they'll give me a call!" According to sales trainers Jim Dunn and John Schumann of The Whetstone Group, "rarely does mailing literature result in a positive outcome. Prospects deny receiving it, plead they haven't had time to read it, or simply don't return the salesperson's calls."
"Although most salespeople are beginning to understand that a literature request is often a put-off, they still have a tendency to send it," explain Dunn and Schumann. "Salespeople feel that if the prospect gets the information and actually reads it, the 'compelling' sales story may get a positive response."
Instead, they recommend you avoid sending literature unless you have a really compelling reason for doing so and have a good meeting agreement with the prospect as to what will happen after he receives it.
If you absolutely have to send literature, make it easy for your prospect to read it. Mutilate it! You want the prospect to look at enough of the information to understand your message and want to read more. Here are some tips from the Whetstone Group for getting your literature read:
- Mark important passages with a brightly-colored green highlighter (surveys show decision-makers are often driver types and green attracts their attention)
- Take a bold felt tip marker and draw arrows to important things and write, "Read this." Use post-it notes for added emphasis.
- Attach your business card with the back (blank) part showing and write on it "Here's the info you wanted me to send."
Whetstone Group is a sales process improvement company that focuses on helping companies implement a proven sales process that will increase sales, shorten the selling cycle, increase closing rates, and improve margins. Learn more at www.whetstonegroup.com
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