Stop waiting for them to reply to an email
“We sent an email.” If I had a £1 for how many times I have heard that.
Three months of hard work building familiarity, relevance, credibility and then the 3 word response (tell me more) drops, we pass it through to the client team and their follow-up is an email saying something along the lines of “ we are here if you need us” , the prospect doesn’t reply, the opportunity stalls, and the relationship that was almost there evaporates.
If you want to move a prospect to a lead and a lead to a loyal customer you have to get off you’re a**e, off Ai and step up to be their advisor and expert.
A prospect who knows your name, remembers your voice, and has started to trust that you understand their world is not a “cold” contact they’re ready to be guided and that’s where your responsibility begins. Don’t default back to cold outreach behaviour just because you’re nervous about the next step.
If you stop at “we sent an email,” you’ve lost control of the conversation as suddenly you are chasing a reply. Sales isn’t about chasing; it’s about building confidence and that is about conversation and quality engagement. At each stage you are guiding prospect to the next step that makes sense to them.
Think big act small.
At YLG and in the workshops we now run we talk about the value ladder : The Supplier competes on price. The Service Provider is dependable but replaceable. The Problem Solver gets results but stays transactional. The Trusted Advisor is the rarest and most powerful position as its where clients link you to their future success. Talk business outcomes, don’t sell services and show that you understand their world better than anyone else trying to get through the same door. (If you want to read more on the supplier hierarchy I recommend Anthony Iannarino’s book “Eat Their Lunch,” the salespeople who win are those who become the consultants of choice; the ones who challenge assumptions, bring insights, and take responsibility for helping the client progress).
You can’t be a trusted advisor if you don’t know where your client is heading. Get in their workspace, listen to how they talk, and understand what three years ahead looks like for them; what are their priorities, what’s on hold, what do they know and more importantly don’t they know. Next focus on what they need right now to move forward.
That’s how you become relevant and ultimately how you become the person they trust to call first. Don’t be vague create the next step that makes sense. Then stop waiting for them to reply to your email keep up the engagement – pick up the phone go and see them get involved and help them.
At Your Lead Generation, we see it every week; teams who’ve invested months in having us warm up their market, only to hand off the opportunity with passive email activity. If you’re serious about growing your sales, own the next step and get that next micro commitment that moves things forward.
Become a human to them ASAP
In a world of AI emails, automated follow-ups, and content overload, being human is the differentiator. Sales go to the person that helps them make sense of what they are trying to solve. You need to call meet and guide them and you cant do that from a distance.
Building the relationship isn’t about pushy selling it’s about showing up, adding value, and taking responsibility for progress and that will (and should) feel uncomfortable – you are putting yourself out there to be chosen or not and you need to turn up, listen , ask smart questions, guide and help clients make sense of what’s next.
What’s the next small step you want this prospect to take and are you actively leading them to take it?
That’s how you move from just another supplier to the one they can’t imagine doing business without.
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