Colleen’s Blog

How long do you typically take to get back to a prospect upon receiving an inquiry from them? Anything longer than 24 hours is too long. Your customers are busy people - by taking too long to respond you’re letting go of an otherwise potentially easy sale. ← Click To Tweet The number of salespeople and organizations who let days or weeks pass before responding to an inquiry is absolutely staggering. This type of behavior not only breaks several rules in sales etiquette but also displays a complete lack of professional etiquette as well. For example: I once sent an inquiry to a company about buying a tradeshow booth. I expressed a strong interest in their product and indicated that I simply needed a few pieces of information before making a purchase. I expected a prompt reply due to my clear readiness to buy their product.

Often at Engage, we discuss effective communication strategies to use with prospects and clients. After all, in order to be an effective salesperson, learning to communicate effectively is a necessary prerequisite. There’s truly no way around it. However, it’s equally important for you to understand the “client repelling behaviours” which will land you in hot water with your sales results. Both new and experienced salespeople often don’t even realize when they are displaying poor business etiquette to prospects and clients. Don’t get stuck in the same category as these sales reps! In today’s era of mobile and smartphone technology, you are encouraged to take advantage of the many different avenues of communication to get in touch with clients. Texting, Skyping, faxing, emailing, and calling are all acceptable forms of communication when trying to reach your prospects. It’s what you do during the communication process that really matters.