How often do you contact old prospects?

I once wrote an entry called the 2 minute contact rule

It was fun to write and helpful too. I use this in real life. But, how often do you call an old prospect? Don’t call too often or you will be bugging them. But, try to see things from their perspective. They chose someone else rather than you in their initial purchase of outsourced and offshore services for their call center, data entry, software, or other needs. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t like you. They could have been comparing hundreds of companies, and just chose the one who made most sense to choose at that moment in time.

Now, it is six months later. They are in bed with that company, or maybe they have moved on. They know all of the company’s attributes and characteristics. The salesperson probably told them lots of nonsense. The project manager probably slacked off. And the workers probably botched something. I can not stress the power of positive thinking enough — BE POSITIVE! Their incompetency is your golden opportunity. Think positively!

They will appreciate the fact that you touched base with them without badgering them. You spent two minutes chatting about how their project was going. They remembered you and took the time to talk. How touching! Now that they are upset with their service provider, and you have made contact with them back then, and again now, your chances are higher for making a score. You didn’t have to pay extra for that lead either, because you already had it in your files.

Let’s say that they don’t hire you. But, in ANOTHER six months, you do exactly the same thing. You have 200 old prospects collecting e-dust in your online database of prospects. You spend two minutes per call on all of them. 400 well spent minutes. 7 hours of actual labor that is one day’s hard work. You might score a big contract. Now, they have heard from you over a longer period of time at specific intervals. You have become like their FAMILY. They have gotten used to talking to you. You are practically in the door.

The key here is that old prospects have value. Don’t stop chasing the new prospects, but getting to know people over time has a special value that can turn into sales. Don’t overlook eggs in your basket that just need a little more time to hatch.