Don’t you hate that?
You do all this work to land new clients and they don’t play ball! They don’t answer or return calls, ignore emails, don’t register for white papers or webinars, or click on ads.
Don’t they know who you are and how much you can help them?
The simple answer is no.
They don’t know who you are or what value you can deliver.
Or worse, they DO know who you are, and they have no interest in you or your services.
Brutal, right?
It’s not that bad; it’s just the law of the sales and marketing jungle. Research suggests that the average employee is interrupted 50 – 60 times per day with up to 80 percent of those interruptions being deemed unimportant.
The point is that there are many in the jungle trying to do exactly what you’re attempting to do.
Be noticed.
We’re all in the attention business. You’re doing whatever you can to get the attention of your prospects, hoping to convert them into clients.
As to the specifics of why you’re being ignored, see if some of the following apply:
1. Lack of relevance
Your messaging or offering maybe doesn’t align with the needs or priorities of your prospects.
2. Ineffective communication strategy
Perhaps you need to evaluate how you’re contacting them, what you’re saying, and how you’re saying it. How many emails and LinkedIn messages do you receive that are long, generic, or untargeted? Your prospects get the same digital dross. Your message needs to be concise, clear, and compelling, emphasizing the value and benefits you offer.
3. Lack of differentiation
If your offering doesn’t stand out or differentiate itself from your competition, there’s a (very) good chance you’ll be ignored.
4. Timing and priorities
Timing plays a crucial role in B2B sales. Your prospects may be focused on other priorities or engaged in ongoing projects that make them less responsive to your outreach. Stay informed about industry trends and events that may affect their priorities and try to time your outreach accordingly. Patience and persistence are essential in building relationships and staying on their radar.
5. Lack of credibility or trust
Building trust and credibility is crucial. If your prospects don’t know you, perceive you as untrustworthy, inexperienced, or lacking credibility, they may ignore your attempts to engage. Use testimonials, case studies, or references from satisfied clients to establish your thought leadership credentials.
6. Ineffective follow-up
Hubspot research found that 60% of customers say no four times before saying yes to a sale, whereas 48% of salespeople never even make a single follow-up attempt. Big opportunity right there for those who follow-up more than once!
7. They forget
Your prospects may simply overlook or forget to respond to your initial outreach. Don’t take it personally! Send polite and timely reminders to keep your message in their minds. However, don’t come across as too pushy or intrusive.
8. Wrong contact or department
Ensure that you are reaching out to the right person or department within the organization. If your message is not reaching the decision-maker or the relevant stakeholders, it may be ignored or overlooked.
Any of these resonate? Over the years, truth be told, we’ve fallen into several of these traps.
So now that the ‘why are my prospects ignoring?’ question has been answered, the only question remaining is: what are you going to do about it?
