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Too Persistent?

Written by: Sandy Schussel

Article Overview: Persistence is a good thing...until it becomes annoying.

Too Persistent?

"I just read about Alicia and how reluctant she was to promote her business," Jeanie, a long-time subscriber wrote me, in response to an article on persistence in my newsletter and Blog. "But what about someone who is too persistent?"

"We know a husband and wife real estate team who are aware we have no interest in selling our house. They call to ask for referrals, they drop off gifts. (The latest was a bird seed bell, which was actually something we put in our yard, but we still found it annoying that they came to drop it off at our house.) They send personalized letters almost every week and they send homeowner tips monthly. And they call-all the time. When we catch their names on the caller ID we let it go to voice mail. Every week or two is just too much!"

Persistence is a good thing...until it becomes annoying. Jeanie and her husband will go out of their way not to call these realtors if and when the time comes to sell their home-so all this incredible effort will have been wasted.

Jeanie's realtors are trying to develop a relationship using mass marketing techniques and are bound to fail. Business and referral relationships are built on respect and trust, not contact volume. Let's look at what these realtors are doing:

1. Asking about interest. There was nothing wrong with asking--the first time. Follow-ups, however, should have been permission-based:

"Jeanie, Joe, would it be okay if we followed up with you in three months to see if anything has changed?"

2. Asking for referrals. I teach and encourage every professional to ask for referrals, but one of the immutable referral rules is to ask only after you believe you have determined whether your clients perceive that they have received value from you. It would be okay to ask Jeanie and Joe if they know someone who might be thinking of selling, but to keep asking when there has been no value given or perceived is self-sabotage.

3. Dropping off gifts. Bringing a gift when you first call on someone is a good idea. Even if they see the gift as an attempt to "buy" their favor, who can resist a gift? But dropping off gifts on a regular basis can make you look desperate. Jeanie and Joe are using the bird seed ball, but they won't be using the realtors, so only the birds benefit from this effort.

4. Letters and monthly tips. The weekly letters from the realtors are another example of using mass-marketing techniques in a futile attempt to create a relationship. Monthly newsletters or "tips" sheets are a wonderful idea, but again only if they are permission-based. All these realtors needed to do was to ask:

"Jeanie and Joe, we have a great letter we send to people monthly with tips for increasing the value of your home, but we wouldn't want to send it unless you think you might have an interest in it. Would you like to be on our list?"

5. Constant calling. This one doesn't need an expert opinion. It's one of the reasons people put themselves on "Do Not Call" lists. Jeanie and Joe are trying to be polite because the realtors are a local couple, but the realtors have made them prisoners to their Caller ID.

If these realtors want Jeanie and Joe to work with them and refer people to them, they need to develop a relationship with them based on respect for their privacy, and with permission. They need to find ways to give Jeanie and Joe real value instead of showering them with calls and gifts that reinforce the idea that they're more interested in themselves than they are in Jeanie and Joe.

Related Articles
  The Power of Persistence
  Is It Nagging Or Is It Persistence
  The Art of Attraction Marketing: What Persists, They Can't Resist
  Online Business Opportunity - How Persistent Are You?
  Persistence Pays Off

Article Tags: asking for referrals, bird seed, caller id, homeowner tips, husband and wife, long time, marketing techniques, mass marketing, persistence, real estate team, realtors, referral rules, relationship, relationships, seed bell, self sabotage, three months, time subscriber, ups, voice mail



Related Forum Posts
Persistence gives live to small business. - While I was reading about the 10th year anniversary of google, I counted back 10 years and what I see was persistent. Every small business can grow big if we will be persistent. Persistent actually brings consistence. There is no business that cannot grow big if the owner will not be too haste to succeed. Hastiness has always been the bane of colapsed small business. Whatever you do as antergreneur keep at it and be innovative about it, you will soon be celebrating growth. To me, there is no business that cannot grow be if persistence is employed.
Re: Persistence gives live to small business. - [quote="topeyinka":160scfau]While I was reading about the 10th year anniversary of google, I counted back 10 years and what I see was persistent. Every small business can grow big if we will be persistent. Persistent actually brings consistence. There is no business that cannot grow big if the owner will not be too haste to succeed. Hastiness has always been the bane of colapsed small business. Whatever you do as antergreneur keep at it and be innovative about it, you will soon be celebrating growth. To me, there is no business that cannot grow be if persistence is employed.[/quote:160scfau] Thanks for the contributions am real informed better now!
Re: Persistence gives live to small business. - [quote="topeyinka":vf3wc4t6]While I was reading about the 10th year anniversary of google, I counted back 10 years and what I see was persistent. Every small business can grow big if we will be persistent. Persistent actually brings consistence. There is no business that cannot grow big if the owner will not be too haste to succeed. Hastiness has always been the bane of colapsed small business. Whatever you do as antergreneur keep at it and be innovative about it, you will soon be celebrating growth. To me, there is no business that cannot grow be if persistence is employed.[/quote:vf3wc4t6] Hi topeyinka, Actually, you have started a good thread here. I have seen alot of people that have started good business but failed to continue due to lack of persistence. What my granny always taught then was that there is no business you want to do that has not been done before but what makes one to stand other fall is the persistent of the owners. She did give me examples of her mates that they did same business alike then but quit because they could not endure the heaps of the business, she said despite what she went through, she could scale through because she was persisited. Several times, my granny had given task in business to see if I would backed out. This training is keeping standing today that there is business that cannot grow big if we continue it through innovatives and persist to succeed. It is good to have ideas but you will not be persisted with your ideas, you might found out that ideas is not enough. Thank you. cheers!


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