What to Do With an Immediate Brush Off

I know this has happened to me - you're making a call, and you get maybe half a sentence out before the caller says, "Not interested" and hangs up. Not a very fun experience. So what do you do to handle the situation? Today tele-sales expert Art Sobczak shares his expertise.

Should you just call back right away and act like you were disconnected?

Well, you could, but really, is that going to cause them to think how clever you are? I doubt it.

If this truly is a prospect that you want to pursue, consider some alternatives.

First, consider that the prospect might be having a bad day, or has just experienced an office emergency requiring immediate attention. Therefore another contact might be worth the investment, just not right now.

And instead of calling, try an email, fax or a brief note, stating,

"I have the feeling I called you at a bad time the other day. I apologize. The purpose for my call was to run an idea by you that could potentially help you to (fill in the blank with some result they would be interested in). I'd like to ask you a few questions to determine if we have the basis for a
conversation. I will call you again on Friday, or you can reach me at 800-555-2922."

Is this likely to get a high response rate? No, but any response you get would be better than the flat out "no," and the upside return on the investment could be huge.
Another alternative would be to simply place them back in your calling rotation for a few weeks down the road. They likely won't remember.

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: www.BusinessByPhone.com

Building bridges where other salespeople knock them down

Here's a quick tip from sales trainer Al Uszynski to keep in mind if you're feeling rejected.

"When the sales opportunity that was "a sure thing" turns into a rejection from the prospect, it's common for salespeople to treat the prospect with a cold demeanor," says Uszynski. "When your prospect is informing you that you've officially lost the sale - and there are no more actions you can take to win it back - be sure to express your sincere disappointment, but do it in a way that causes the customer to want to call you back when they need your services."

"Handle these situations professionally and be sure to reassert your interest in doing business with the prospect in the future," continues Uszynski. "Do this right and you'll be the one that gets called upon when your competitor messes up."

Al Uszynski is a results-focused sales trainer and professional speaker. His proven, quick-start sales training program, "15 Ways to Grow Your Sales Tomorrow" helps sales professionals ignite immediate sales growth. Learn more by visiting www.Uszynski.com.