It is getting harder and harder to connect with people. I have seen numbers varying from 8 to 15 attempts to finally connect with a decision maker. Inability to connect adds time to the sales cycle increases the stress level of the salesperson and wastes valuable time that could be used in more productive and revenue producing activities. There is a simple fix however. All you have to do is ask your prospect how they want to be communicated with for future calls. Ask how the calls should be set up. Some prefer email and some like phone calls. This obviously does not help with getting connected the first time, but it shortens the time it takes to connect every time after the first. My favorite question is to ask if there is “any trick to getting hold of them”. You would be surprised at what they will tell you. I had one young lady take her card back from me and give me direct dial number then she told me that “I don’t give this to people”. It made my job easier but I was afraid to ask what she considered me if not “people”.
