It is common to want to push for a goal and to not quit on it no matter if it is in sales or in some other aspect of life. In sales, this can look like pushing for a certain client to close a deal or keeping after a handful of leads that you want to pan out. This can be effective, to an extent, as it shows you as a sales person care about you clients and you do not want to see them miss out on a great opportunity. This being said pushing too hard can be very counter productive and make you seem desperate. For example, if you keep calling a client and sweetening the deal, because it is taking them too long to get back to you, all you are doing is making your position worse in one of two ways. The first way you could be making your position worse is possibly just waiting your time. It is very possible that your prospective client has little to no interest in what you are selling or they are simply not able to afford the good or service you are selling at this time. The other thing you could be doing by taking this course of action is hurting your negotiating position. By giving away extra perks or cutting a price before a client asks for it or even responds to your initial offer you make yourself seem weak and willing to move on price. After an initial concession, the client will think you would be willing to concede again on price or a perk. This will put you in a position of weakness as you are now expected to receive less than you asked for before you even start negotiating on price. Due to all this, I would say in general it is better to sit back and wait for a response rather than going after the same client for a long period of time.

5 thoughts on “The importance of waiting”
  1. I like your perspective on this! Being patient relates to listening to your customers and what they want. It also depends on the customer and how they are communicating with you. If they are excited and rushing through the conversation, then you can match their energy and go along with it. However, if they are more cautious and reluctant, then it’s very important to slow down and listen to them and be patient. Great post!

  2. I love your thoughts on this topic! I agree that being patient is a good thing and that you should listen to your customers. I loved reading about your topic of waiting and the importance of this. Great Post!

  3. Yes, patience and being willing to wait is very important in sales. Sometimes it’s better to sit back, observe and see where things go, rather than be pushy, possibly annoying your prospect or weakening your position of selling just from impatience. Great post!

  4. Hi Max, I think you have an interesting perspective on the importance of waiting during the selling process. On one hand, it can be tempting to inform the perspective customer about all of the benefits regarding your product. However, giving them too much information could also be counterproductive. This reminds me of Sandler’s Rule #18, “Don’t Paint Seagull’s in Your Prospect’s Picture.” It is important for the prospective customer to reach conclusions about the product on their own.

  5. This is definitely true. As you mention, it is important not to be overly attentive to the prospect or they take you as a given and it is also important not to “sweeten the deal” because you were impatient.

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