Few things are as annoying as salespeople repeatedly calling you “just to touch base.” So what do you say when you’ve run out of ideas?

As you went through your follow-up files today, you may have come across one or two prospects that you called repeatedly and they continue to feel discouraged. You feel like there is real potential there and you don’t want to give up. However, it’s exhausting to think of something more creative than “Well, here I am again.”

Or maybe you have customers who bought from you, and your sales manager wants you to call them regularly, perhaps monthly or more.

What you do NOT mean in these regular calls is:

– “Well, I was just checking on you to see how you’re doing.”

– “I wanted to communicate with you today.”

– “I thought I’d give you a courtesy call.”

– “Wonderful if you need something?”

So what’s wrong with those? These approaches are reactive, provide nothing of value, can be seen as annoying calls, and leave you open to being treated as a mere salesperson who can be manipulated into a price war. I’ve always said that these are some of the hardest calls to make. Because it requires creative thinking and many sellers don’t want to think that much. Except the best sellers.

Lazy RV sellers, or those who don’t know any better, are content to call to “just touch base” or to “see if there are any offers they’ve received that the seller can beat.”

Calls to regular customers and potential customers you’re holding onto should always contain something of value…something that allows the customer to feel like they’re contributing something useful by calling. Keep in mind that your repeat customers are someone else’s prospects. If they feel like a salesperson is taking them for granted and they just call and say, “Do you have a reference for me?” they might eventually fall for the courtship of a competitor who is creative enough to hang something attractive in front of them.

Also keep in mind that your prospects are likely to buy from someone else and won’t budget unless they see some value in what you have.

So what is to be done?

These are just a few ideas to encourage these calls and position you as a value-added resource, not just a salesperson.

Start with “YOU”

A good way to start these calls is by saying something like:

“I was thinking of you,”

“I heard some interesting information about the RV you’re looking at, and it immediately came to mind,” and,

“When this news came out, I thought of you…”

Industry News

Maybe you have some news that they may not be aware of. Or maybe they know it and you have something to help them take advantage of it. For example: “Ms. Prospect, you are probably familiar with the new regulations regarding towing requirements for the RV you are interested in. We have a way to be able to handle this situation and I would like to ask you a few questions to see how problematic you anticipate it to be.” this”.

New policies at your dealership

If your credit source changed restrictive policies that would allow you to do business with people who didn’t qualify in the past, call them again. For example, if there are new interest rates or if credit requirements have been reduced. And with regular customers, calls with changes in your favor are always welcome.

New regimen at your dealer

This can be effective for prospects who have been unable to sell due to real and legitimate objections they had. If for example the new management cleaned house and improved quality, decreased bugs etc. please call again as you are now selling a new dealership. Also, these can become reasons to call existing accounts.

new capacity

If you have products or services that provide results you couldn’t before, that’s always a good reason to call. Just make sure you rank them in terms of results for the listener. No, “Hey, we’ve got a new extended service contract and I think that’s great.”

new you

Maybe you fell apart and self-destructed on a previous call. Since then you have gained more skills and confidence. Perhaps you have come up with new ideas or a new strategy. And this is the best way I know of for you personally to find great value-added reasons to call:

Have a brainstorming session with other employees at the dealership. Invite service, parts, finance, sales… anyone who knows your RVs and services. Turn it into a game or competition. The goal is to fill in the blank:

“The reason I’m calling is ____.”

The main rule is that what goes in the blank should be perceived by the client as something that he would consider valuable and interesting for him. Trust me, you will come up with 20, 30 or more great ideas to use. So get creative, get to work, and you’ll find yourself converting more of those prospects collecting dust in your follow-up file, providing more value and selling more to existing customers.