How can you handle unresponsive prospects in sales prospecting?

Using different ways to connect is important for a strong impact. Emails introduce, LinkedIn adds credibility, voicemails add urgency—each has a special role. Being everywhere makes quick responses more likely. It's not just about reaching more people; it's about making a memorable connection for efficiency. Asking good questions creates urgency. Sending helpful tips while waiting for decisions helps me stay in their minds as someone who brings value.

I love using the tactic of sending prospects more value, tips and freebies while I am waiting for them to decide on pulling the trigger with my team. Instead of saying "What did you think?" - I am sending them over tips, tricks and value. That keeps me being fresh in their minds equating to VALUE.

By offering value-driven follow-ups that address their needs, rather than just showcasing a product, companies can build trust, differentiate themselves in a crowded market, and foster a more engaged customer base.

If prospects are nonresponsive, usually something has gone wrong in your process: -your message doesn't resonate/you don't solve their problems -you haven't engaged their intellect because you've overtalked them or "pitched" them. Then there's all the stuff you can't control: We all have bad days; maybe you caught them at the wrong time. Maybe they've been burned before and they are now reluctant. Maybe they're broke and don't want to admit it. A way around all this is to be direct, respectful, and open-minded... "Mr. Prospect, I can tell that you're going through the motions with my call, but it sounds to me like you don't have any interest. Should I hang up on myself or would you like to continue?" Its a pattern interrupt.

Highlight the success stories and social proof related to your product or service in your follow-up. Share real-life examples of how your solution has made a meaningful impact on other customers.

Recognize that your prospects have diverse communication preferences. Expand your outreach efforts by utilizing a mix of channels, such as email, phone, social media, text, video, and even direct mail.

You can use multiple channels without directly contacting your prospect. Being active in communities and on social media sites like LinkedIn is a great way to stay top of mind. So see if they're in places like that and connect there. The timing might not be right, but if they contacted you in the first place then that situation might change. Stick around long enough to find out!

For 2024 would be key to also have a relevant presence in LinkedIn. It's about building authority for when they're ready to buy.

Find the channels that your buyers are. Also remember that for 2024 would be key to have a relevant presence in LinkedIn. It's about building authority for when they're ready to buy.

In a post-COVID world, leveraging an omni-channel approach is a necessity. Some prospects live on their phones and respond to all cold calls, some live on email, and still others (a growing percentage) spend the majority of time on LinkedIn. As a result, it's so important to be able to reach your prospects where they are and you need to leverage multiple channels of outreach in order to do so!

Most times you are only going to get 3-5 seconds to make a great first impression. If they don't know you they move on. If you come on too strong with a sales pitch you will turn them off. This is why its important to review their profile on LinkedIn and try your best to understand what they do and what value you can bring to them. Try to find the commonality. Try to convey you're a trusted resource. You are one of them. Then personalize your message and make it about them. People are selfish by nature and if you make it about them you got their attention in those first 3-5 seconds. The goal is to engage.

While personalization is essential, it doesn't mean you have to craft each message from scratch. Develop dynamic content templates that allow you to customize messages efficiently.

Prospects generally tend to get busy and unintentionally ignore your mails which doesn't mean its a NO. Following up is the actual game in sales, make a sequence of 5-7 short follow ups for a period of a month (depends on your sales cycle) adding a piece of information in every follow up so your prospect does not become lost or be blank. Follow up could be anything a mail, voice note, video note or a quick call. Do not be too pushy by following up every hour or day, give some space or you might loose them. Ps : Remember you are not a loan or credit card service provider from a XXX bank :) Add a last follow up like a short questionnaire ( I personally get a lot of responses from this trick ) like option a,b,c,d. Happy Prospecting!

To start your communication, be sure to mention your prospect's name. Next, refer to what they care about. All of this is so much easier today because we have the social and online tools to do research. Find common ground or share your own insight into the topic. Be authentic and always interested in them first.

such an easy thing to do but the main reason many don't do 'proper' personalisation is due to one or both of these things; 1. You're measured by activity ie number of calls etc 2. You're lazy... :)

Curiosity has been proven to be the most successful tone in outreach. You can also achieve urgency and relevance by asking the right questions.

Building curiosity in our prospects is KEY! If you understand the challenges your prospect faces on a regular basis and can explain how your company solves those challenges, your prospect will geniunely be curious to learn more!

I would advise following up with a kind email or a quick phone call if the prospect seems invested and shows real interest before cold calling. If you get no answer, consider reaching out to their manager or coworkers. You can mention this in a follow-up communication and either CC the prospect or say that the conversation ended without a resolution. Respectful perseverance is essential. It's not the most elegant approach, but at least your chances of getting an answer are greater.

I am more passionate about this than almost anything else in sales. 1. Know your typical sales cycle. If your typical sales cycle is 25-35 days, there is NO REASON your deal from 6 months ago that hasn't replied should still be an open deal. 2. You're a sales expert. Use your people skills to be able to read the room a bit. If someone hasn't replied to you in weeks and gave you no reason why, take the hint. 3. In both of the above scenarios, send a short breakup email as follows: "Hey there, Prospect. I haven't heard back from you in days/weeks/months. I'm going to go ahead and close your file on my end. Best of luck with everything." Your pipeline, your manager, your mental health, and your prospects will thank you.

Every second spent trying to engage a non-responsive prospect is time taken away from providing a solution to another prospect. Knowing when to move on is arguably one of the hardest skills to master, and it's also what separates good sales reps from the best reps. While most organizations create a system of disengagement to artificially gauge when to leave a prospect. Most A players know within the first few minutes of a sales call.

Simple, move on to another prospect. You can assume that if a prospect hasn't responded after multiple reach outs, they're just not interested. It could be any number of factors (timing, lack of need/interest, your message not resonating, etc) but regardless, continuing to hound a prospect is not likely to produce a better outcome for you and will only alienate them. Sales is a numbers game and there is no such thing as the "perfect" prospect. By moving on you increase your chances, and decrease the amount of time, to make a sale

Before moving on I usually say: "Did you give up on this?" No name, no greeting. If this doesn't work, I usually move on knowing the prospect will not respond.

You should follow up strategically. Understand why this person is ghosting you is key. It's maybe holidays in their country? It's because they have an event in their company? Based on that adapt your tasks to this circunstances and don't give up.

Dealing with unresponsive prospects in sales requires a methodical approach. Start with a gentle initial contact, like an email asking if your offer is relevant. If they engage, provide more detailed value propositions. Keep the tone soft with a "Worth having a chat?" follow-up. Use various channels (LinkedIn, Twitter, and occasionally Instagram) to engage but respect privacy. If all else fails, consider a well-timed cold call. This structured approach ensures persistence while respecting prospects' boundaries, increasing your chances of success.

Try "Gifts Based on Their Likes." Look at their social media to see what they enjoy. If they post about wine, send them a small wine-related gift with a note about an online wine chat. If they like yoga, send them a yoga accessory with an invite to an online class. Add a personal note with your gift. Later, send an email asking how they liked it. This shows you care about them, not just selling.

If your prospect or customer is part of a larger organization you have relationships with, utilize other points of contact, or even browse their website and reach out to a more general contact. If you work as part of a sales team, see if someone else on your team has a more "direct line" of communication. Finally, in the Zoom age, never underestimate the value of personal interaction. Meeting a prospect at their work, for lunch, or at a tradeshow can take you off the stranger list. It's always much harder to ignore someone you've met and know their face.