The dream for every sales person is to find the perfect prospect, make the best connection and close the biggest deal as quickly as possible. The ultimate goal would be to have it all happen in one fantastic meeting!  We all know that the reality of sales is far different. Studies have shown that only about 2% of sales will close on the first meeting.  That is a pretty low percentage.  What that means, is that you need to continue to call on that prospect. One or two sales calls will not make the sale. You need to continually follow up with the prospect until they are open to buying.

It is very important that you be persistent. You need to be determined and resolute about making the sale. You don’t want to feel like a stalker but persistence is not annoying or aggravating.  Persistence is drive and motivation. There are several reasons why it is persistence is important in sales.

1. If only 2% of sales are closed in a one-time meeting, then it is a waste of your time not to follow up with the prospect.  You have not built a relationship, or a measure of trust.  There is very little chance that you know enough about the customer to determine their needs and how your product or service can help them. For all you know, that first meeting may have come at a bad time for the customer.  Maybe they had budget constraints, or concerns about cash flow or cost.  There could be any number of issues that would keep someone from saying yes at the first meeting.  You can assume that most of the reasons have nothing to do with your product or service but at that point in time, they are not able to commit to making a sale.
2. It may seem like there is a fine line between stalking and tenacity, but, actually, the line is pretty big.  There are numerous studies that show that the average number of contacts it takes to close a big sale is about five. Giving up after one or two meetings means that you have not even reached the 50% mark for the average number of meetings to make the sale.  Being persistent results in sales. Don’t sit on the wrong side of the statistics.  Determination and resolve will win sales.
3. Being persistent also shows the customer a certain amount of dedication and purpose on your part.  Being persistent takes many forms in sales. There are numerous ways to stay in contact with a prospect to make the sale.  You can come in person, drop a note, send an email or make a phone call.  Mix it up.  You can maintain contact and exceed the magic number of 5 and no one will feel that you have over stepped your bounds. Your goal is to make sales.  To make sales you must be persistent.

If your goal is long-term success, you must be persistent.  Find creative ways to make contact and keep your name on the client’s mind. Never let the first few refusals prevent you from pursuing your goal of great sales opportunities.  Achieving sales success takes nothing less than drive, commitment and motivation.