At a recent networking meeting, an attendee was speaking about an attorney hosting an informative lunch on trusts the next day. She described him as wonderful, knowledgeable and NOT pushy or persistent — as if one couldn’t be persistent without being pushy.
I immediately wondered if she and the rest of the group were thinking of me as pushy. Flashbacks of experiences where I felt borderline harassed started rushing in. I was mortified at the thought of being seen as pushy.
It got me thinking about how the word persistent takes on a negative connotation in the sales world, but in all other contexts it’s perceived in a positive light, associated with perseverance, determination and discipline.
Later that same week, I was at an event chatting with someone in the household appliance industry. He outlined the history of his company and spoke of some competitors, one of which I was well aware. The first attribute he used to describe the competitor’s entire brand was their unpleasant aggressive sales approach. In his opinion, the product offering from this brand is top of the line in performance, with an appropriate price value, but the entire brand image is damaged by this sales strategy.
The conversation solidified the importance of my sales approach and its effects on the View Newspaper Group’s brand, so I discussed these situations with a colleague. He told me someone recently reached out to him writing, “I’m just being professionally persistent and wanted to check if my last email was something of interest.” This term, professionally persistent, struck a chord with me.
Suddenly persistent in a sales context sounded like a way to describe someone who’s not only considerate, but at the top of their game. He went on to detail their timeline of communication and how he was grateful she reached out again.
The reality is, things slip through the cracks, emails go to spam, people have PTO and most of the time professional persistence is appreciated.
But what exactly is professional persistence and how do you determine the criteria of being persistent without being annoying or intrusive?
I distinctly remember six months earlier talking with the office manager of a local business who told me the sales specialist from View Newspaper Group reaches out “just the right amount,” not too often or too little and always at the right time. I knew that was the magic amount of persistence I wanted all my prospective and current customers to have.
Turns out the term professional persistence is used frequently by sales leaders. While there’s no official definition, based on my collective research it means demonstrating sustained effort and follow-through in a way that is polite, respectful and strategic. It involves building relationships, staying top-of-mind, and consistently pursuing goals while respecting the time and attention of others.
One of the most notable sales leaders, Ryan Dohrn, Emmy-winning speaker and Global Sales Coach, uses a similar term, polite persistence. He describes it as persistent enough to move the needle without irritating someone. If you know anything about Ryan Dohrn, you’re aware his core strategy is the Rule of Threes. Following up every three business days is just the right amount of being persistent without becoming a pest.
According to Mike Michalowicz, former host of “Business Rescue” for MSNBC’s Your Business and guest Wall Street Journal columnist, the key to professional persistence is permission.
He details the four things to achieve professional persistence:
Ask Permission. At the conclusion of each dialog, whether verbal or through email, ask permission to initiate follow-up and suggest a date for doing so, i.e. “Can I call you back next Friday?”
Learn Social Cues. We all have our intuition about social cues like lack of eye contact or perceived distraction or indifference. Michalowicz says to take note of the cues, don’t assume and seek clarity when you are unsure.
Respect Their Decision. This one is self-explanatory. He explains how the customer will respect you more for doing so.
The Final Contact. Once you get the final send off, the only last shot is a handwritten letter.
A recent forbes.com article, The Most Powerful Business Skill? Sales (And You Can Learn It), makes the distinction that sales isn’t about being pushy, manipulative or slick, but instead clearly communicating the value you bring and making it easy for the right people to say yes.
Next time I feel self-conscious about reaching out AGAIN, I’ll remind myself that I’m simply acting responsible and professional, not pushy. And that more than likely the person I’m following up with isn’t bothered by it at all, possibly even grateful for it.
How do you maintain professional persistence? Email me at cpreseren@mihomepaper.com. Cassandra Preseren is a Sales and Branding Specialist for View Newspaper Group.