Five Reasons to Say “Yes” to Persistence

Recently my dear friend and often collaborator, Linda Daley of Daley Progress, told me an email/phone story that’s worth sharing:

Marketing software is something Linda needs to stay knowledgeable about but when she received an email from Act-On software, she deleted it as “typical marketing stuff”. Then came a phone call/voice message from the salesperson. Linda’s schedule is jam-packed so … the message got deleted. The salesperson, confident Daley Progress was his  target market, then contacted Linda’s associate, Danielle, in Regina. Danielle offered to pass along another email, but warned the salesperson that if it was “typical marketing crap”, he wouldn’t hear back. When Danielle mentioned this conversation to Linda, it got her attention. By not giving up, the salesperson now has a meeting scheduled with Linda. Is there a sale? Only time will tell, but a valuable connection has been made that could grow into a relationship.

That’s the power of persistence.

Whenever I talk about persistence in a workshop – an absolutely critical characteristic of today’s phonework – I’m always met with disbelief and discomfort. Yet I can say that as I approach the 26th anniversary of my career in business-to-business phone sales, persistence is THE cornerstone of my success.

Here are five reasons why you should embrace the power of persistence:

1. It is not your customers’ – or your potential customers’ – job to contact you. They’ve got their own lengthy to-do lists they’re trying to get through;

2. It is tangible evidence of  the depth of your desire to be of service;

3. It shows off many of your skills: organization, fortitude, consistency, etc;

4. It illustrates how much you believe in your product or service; and

5. It says very clearly that you are able to do what’s necessary to get the job done.

What I know to be absolutely true – persistence works. And I’m guessing that if you think about it you’ll realize you already employ persistence in your life. Perhaps, like my husband you refuse to give up on a nagging household problem (recently it’s been the wacky, chaotic wiring in our older home). Or perhaps its working away at making a rocky, shady backyard a bountiful garden. Or maybe it’s a recipe you insist you can perfect so come back to it frequently throughout each year. Or maybe its becoming a better knitter, chess player, runner, piano player …

Where does persistence occur in your life and can you shift that same determination into your phonework?