Prospect FAQ - Why call if they didn't ask?

We get asked this question almost daily during our free demonstrations. For many businesses, it is an unusual notion to call a prospect or an existing client that hasn’t reached out to the business first. By the end of the conversation, a lot of things become clear to them. This question is applicable to any setting, any tool and any business. It always seems to boil down to a particular matter, a question of my own which determines which side of the fence a prospect stands on.

Are you a reactive or proactive type of business?

Simple question but the answer speaks millions. Being reactive or proactive defines and reflects your business’s attitude towards getting clients as well as the attitude assumed when dealing with or addressing a situation.

Reactive businesses tend to wait for the prospect to reach out first or for leads to be passed to them in form of a referral. This is how they’ve been doing business since the inception. It was a good attitude to have when the market wasn’t so saturated with competitors. Today, prospects have a choice of companies they can go to, even if they are after something highly specific like diamond drills or reactors for oil and gas refineries. There is always going to be at least one competitor in the market that does the same or similar thing. A business that sits and waits ultimately hampers their growth and prosperity allowing potential customers stroll by without initiating a conversation. It’s no longer a matter of interest, but choice. Prospect might be interested, but they will choose a business that engages with them.

Proactive businesses recognize the dynamic nature of the market and industry. They understand that fact that the comfortable days of having prospects walking in and phones ringing with inbound enquiries are long over. With the almost never-ending choice palette that prospects have, it is not the case of can you be one of the first ones to make contact. These days, businesses need to go out of their way to get an advantage over their competitors by proactively looking for opportunities. Like with investment - monitoring, identifying and acting at the right time helps proactive businesses get more value and mainly more money.

So why contact visitors who have not asked for a call? Let me ask you this instead - why not? Do you want your business to be left behind by more up-to-date competitors? A competitor that takes only one extra step in their reach-out while you don’t will ultimate leave you leagues behind in the long run. Or do you want to capture more opportunities, enter more meaningful and time-worthy conversations and ultimately help your business thrive in this new era?

I am not even talking about calling every single person that lands on your website. That would soon turn any business into a busy fool. I am talking about getting in touch with people who you know are legitimately interested in what you do, they are the right people for you to do business with, but they only need a little nudge. I am talking about getting up from the waiting chair and walk into a conversation with confidence that this is the right thing to do.

Giving a call to a prospect who is clearly interested in what you do, puts you a step ahead of everyone. Waiting for a prospect who is clearly interested in what you do for them to get in touch means, if your competitors call them first, you have most likely already lost.

So the question is not why call them, but why wouldn’t you? Why would you risk it?