Take Me Off Your List

The other day, I was making a sales call to a prospect that I hadn't spoken with since our initial contact. It had been about a week and I was waiting for the voicemail to pick up. Surprisingly, he answered. I began to introduce myself, but was cut short. "You can take me off your list," he said, "we already purchased."

Take me off your list. This wasn't the first time I had heard the statement but, this time, it stopped me in my tracks. What are the implications of a prospect ending the relationship with these words? What is the prospect signaling to me? It's a hard truth to face but, when prospects ask to be taken off of a list, they perceive themselves as being nothing more than names "on a list."

Are your prospects merely names on a list? I know that you have a list of names and each prospect is simply the next one on the list. But do you treat each prospect as if he or she is on a list? It's quite possible that the gentleman above who asked me to take him off my list did so because he knew I was a salesman and would have a list of people to call. However, I can't help but think that he made such a request because I made him feel like he was on a list.

Sales tip of the day: make every prospect feel as if he or she is the only one you are calling. Don't be thinking about the next call. Don't sound like you're reading from a script. Be prepared for genuine conversation. Make every call exclusively about the person you are calling. Write your next 10 calls on Post-it Notes and tear each of them off only after the call is completed. Be creative. Do whatever it takes. No one likes to feel like just another name on a list.