Episode 38: How To Reconnect With Cleaning Prospects That Don't Respond To Your Calls

Having a hard time getting prospects to respond to your calls? In this episode, learn why cleaning prospects fail to respond to your calls and what you can do about it. 

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Episode #38 - Video Transcription

If you've spent any length of time marketing your cleaning business, then you have a list of prospects that you were unable to convert to clients. At least you SHOULD be keeping a list. In fact some of those prospects were probably pretty hot prospects at the time, expressing a lot of interest in your service. But even though they were interested, they may have stopped returning your calls for whatever reason. It's happened to all of us so don't think you're alone on this one. So let's talk about those people that you could've SWORN were interested in your cleaning service. You don't want to come across as a pest by continually calling, and you don't want them to think you're desperate.

So what do you do? First you need to figure out why they don't seem interested any more. There are five common reasons people lose interest or fail to respond to your e-mails or phone calls, so let's talk about each one.

• 1. They're totally swamped. How many times have YOU said "I'm so swamped with work!" We all say it and it's true! And it's the most common reason people don't get back to you. Companies are cutting back on their budgets, so we all have way too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. They may fully intend to continue the conversation with you, but now is just not the right time.

• 2. Their priorities might have changed. Perhaps their goal of hiring a cleaning company has suddenly been put on hold due to a management change, or something else that needs more of their attention right now. When this happens, you'll probably lose momentum with the sale. And they may not have time to tell you the reason why they stopped communicating with you. It doesn't mean that they don't plan to revisit this in the future; it's just on hold for now.

• 3. They're price shopping. Sometimes prospects get several "bids" in order to justify staying with their current cleaning company, or to justify their decision to go with a new company. In either case, they probably had no intention of going with your company anyway. You can usually figure out who these people are because all they're interested in talking about is price.

• 4. No sense of urgency. Some prospects may show a certain level of interest in your cleaning services, and you might take that to mean they're ready to take action right away. But some people just aren't in a hurry to hire a cleaning service, even though they seemed interested at the time. They may take months to make a decision, so no show of enthusiasm on YOUR part is going to make them decide any faster.

• 5. They have all the information they need. These people feel they have the information they need to make a decision, so in their view there's no more reason to talk to you. Their attitude is that they will contact you when they're ready to make a decision. So those are the primary reasons people stop communicating with you.

What you do next will depend on the reason for their lack of communication. Here are some ideas on what you can do to keep the lines of communication open.

• 1. Don't panic, and keep trying. You don't want to be a pest by calling every week, so start spreading out your communications. Call in a couple weeks, then call in four weeks, and so on. And it doesn't need to be a phone call. It could be a postcard or greeting card, or it could be an article you cut out about their business. Just find ways to stay in touch - even if it's just once every six months. Because you never know when they'll finally be ready, and suddenly give you a call.

• 2. Make each communication a valuable one. Don't just say, "hi John, I just wanted to touch base with you to see if you've made a decision on the cleaning service." That's just going to irritate them. Instead say something like, "hi John, you had mentioned that you are having a problem with a haze on the granite countertop in the reception area. I think I might've found an answer for you and I'll be sending you an e-mail about it shortly." See how you're showing the value of your company by solving a problem they mentioned to you? This is your goal - staying in touch and showing value at the same time.

• 3. Have a sense of humor when leaving your message. Now I'm not talking about telling jokes here, I'm just talking about keeping it light and not sounding desperate. After four or five contacts, leave a message like, "hi John, I know you're swamped, but I also know having a reliable cleaning service is important to you. That's why keep bugging you every so often. I'm looking forward to FINALLY reconnecting, whenever it's convenient for you."

• 4. Start sending them your company newsletter. Make sure you have interesting articles, updates about what's happening in your company such as mentioning new clients, and mentioning employees who are doing great things. This is a no pressure way to stay in touch with prospects, and it will keep your company in the forefront of their mind so that when they finally do make a decision to move forward, YOU will be the one they contact.

• 5. Let him off the hook. If you think it's a person that's just not going to make a move, send them an e-mail or leave a voicemail that says, you THOUGHT they were interested, but maybe you misjudged the situation since you haven't heard back from them in the last two months. Believe it or not, this strategy will sometimes prompt a phone call from a prospect who is feeling guilty about not returning your calls.

By using some of these strategies, you'll often be able to reengage a prospect who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Not always, but often. And if you've shown the value your services can make, they'll likely contact you when the time is right. So don't write off these people, stay in touch with them!