Ryan Dohrn walks through his four-step follow-up plan after sending a proposal: reconnect within 48 hours, agree on a communication method if they need time, set a contingency plan for missed connections, and explicitly let them say no. A no today doesn't mean never.
Hey friends, Ryan Dohrn here, your Global Sales Coach. Thanks so much for sending in all your listener questions. They're awesome, and we get a lot of them, so we'll do our best to work through all of them here on LinkedIn, on Facebook, etc. All right, the next question comes from Leslie in Houston. Hey Leslie, hope you're staying warm down in Houston this time of year. All right, to the question. Ryan, what is your specific After proposal follow-up plan? All right, great, Leslie, great question. So there are basically 4 steps to my after proposal follow-up plan. So Leslie, let's just say you're my customer and you have said to me, Ryan, I like it, I love it, but I need to think about it. Okay, number 1, I want to make sure I meet back up with them virtually or on the phone or whatever within 48 hours. After 48 hours, they tend to lose steam and excitement for your job. So I want to use my phone, use calendar invites to try to get them reconnected within 48 hours. Then number 2, I talk to them about if they need more time. So if 48 hours comes up and they know in their mind that they need more time, then we're going to text together. So I'll say to them, if it comes time for our meeting here in the next couple of days, And you need more time, drop me a text and let me know. We don't want to lose touch with each other. That's the second thing. So if they're going to need more time, you want to text each other. Number 3, you want to talk about if you miss each other. Okay, number 3, talk about if you're going to miss each other. So for example, I might say, Leslie, if for some reason we lose touch with each other over the next week or so, you get busy, I get busy, Or you just stand me up for the date? I mean, don't say that, but you know what I'm saying. If we miss each other, what's the best way to reconnect? Is it carrier pigeon? Is it smoke signals? Is it me sending you a box of cookies? You know, what is the best way to reconnect? And then the 4th one nobody wants to hear, but I'm here to tell you, unlike any other sales trainer in the country, it's okay if they say no to me. It's okay. Not everybody's gonna buy what I'm selling. It's okay. Now, I'd rather get a yes, but I tell people, if this product isn't right for you, if the timing isn't right, just let me know. We're gonna work together at some point. If you say no to me, it's okay. We'll figure it out. We'll work together. Now, if they tell me no, I don't try to keep selling them. And the reason that I don't is if I've done a good job in the process, And they say no, it really just means, Ryan, not right now. It doesn't mean no forever. Now, a lot of you are going to disagree. Go ahead and send the hate mail in. It happens every time I mention this particular topic. Ryan, never give them a chance to say no. Okay, well, the '80s are calling and they want that— they want that information back. Check the copyright of a lot of books. If you are working with a millennial buyer and they tell you no and you keep right on selling, you will They will never take your call again. If you're working with a veteran buyer and they tell you no and you keep on selling them, the chance of you getting them to answer your, your call again is slim to none. Recognize, friends, that sometimes people say no. So the 4 things I do: number 1, set the follow-up within 48 hours. Number 2, talk about if they need more time. If the meeting comes up and they're not ready, let's text each other. Number 3, if we miss each other, how do we reconnect? And number 4, if your answer is no, just let me know. We'll work together at some point. So I think it's a really, really great question from Leslie in Houston. Hey friends, keep your listener questions coming. ryan@ryandohrn.com. I love answering your questions. And if you've got a sales meeting coming up, happy to meet with your team virtually, or I've got safety protocols in place. I'm getting back out on the road a little bit. Let's be safe together. Happy to come to your national sales meeting as well. All right, Leslie, good question. And friends, keep them coming, and we will see you next time.
