The Rule of Seven

I recently attended a sales seminar and one of the topics discussed was the number of times you need to contact or touch someone before you can truly make a connection and open the door to a sale. The presenter referred to this concept as "The rule of seven." The theory is that it takes seven forms of communication in order to gain some trust and begin to build a relationship with a potential customer. Examples would be a phone call, an e-mail, a direct mail piece, a personal letter, a written article on your product or company, your website or a reference from another associate. All of these can be used to reach out to prospects in the hope of gaining them as customers.

I'm sure everyone knows of sales people that close most of their business on the first call. If you have a superior product and a flawless presentation, a one call close is very possible. The decision to buy is often an emotional one rather than a rational one. If you hit the right nerve with the buyer you can immediately close the deal. While there are the sales superstars who can achieve this result on a regular basis, for the majority of us it will take a number of efforts to close the sale.

The key to sales is to be consistent with your message and remain persistent, but not pushy. You need to present the benefits to the buyer in multiple ways in order to get your message across. Some people respond to visual stimuli (letters, e-mails, written articles, websites) while others respond to audio stimuli (phone calls, voice mails, a reference from an associate). That is why using a combination of both forms of communication helps insure your message gets through.

Most decision makers are bombarded with sales messages on a daily basis. They have built up a defense mechanism to deflect most of the information they receive. If you have something special or unique to offer, you may catch their eye, but chances are it will take several efforts to do so. Your role as a sales person is to use everything at your disposal to cut through the clutter, once again in a persistent, not pushy way.

It is easy to get discouraged when the only word you hear all day is no, but do not use this as an excuse to give up. Keep track of your efforts and make sure you remember "the rule of seven" as it pertains to them. Most sales people tend to quit asking for the order after the first no, when in reality you might need six more attempts to turn that no into a yes.