It has been a few years since I heard a good “Knock Knock” joke but having recently uncovered some research statistics I realised that I have been the butt of the “Knock Knock” joke for the last decade. It is with much regret I inform jobseekers and business owners that it’s highly likely that many of you fall victim too.
A big part of successful job hunting and business development in this market requires proactive strategies like networking, cold calling and speculative approaches. Proactive strategies involve knocking doors in the hope of uncovering new opportunities and I think we can all agree that these are activities most would try to avoid. For those of you who engage in these activities I ask the following questions. How many times have you knocked a door and received an undesirable response? Quite a few I assume. How many times have you gone back and knocked that same door again? Very few I assume.
Are you the butt of the “Knock Knock” joke?
Research by Notre Dame University uncovered some interesting findings that may surprise many readers especially those selling a product or service. I believe jobseekers should stand up and take notice because you are sales people too and your product or service – yourself!!
44% of sales people quit trying after the first call (first knock)
24% of sales people quit after the second call (second knock)
14% of sales people quit after the third call (third knock)
12% of sales people quit after the fourth call (fourth knock)
This means 94% of sales people have quit after the fourth call. You will be interested to know that 60% of sales are made after the fourth call. This means that 94% of salespeople don’t give themselves a chance of getting 60% of prospective sales.
What lesson can we learn?
We can all argue about the accuracy of the above figures but for me the key lesson here is that persistence pays. A rejection or receipt of a “NO” is par for the course when job hunting or in business. Rather than accepting and moving on we should consider reengaging the potential opportunity. We must keep knocking new doors but not forget to return to those already knocked. When I look back over the years I can find many examples when persistence paid off – my wife is one good example even though there are times I wish I was less persistent – joke!! 🙂
To become more successful we must develop and practice persistence. We must return to potential employment or business opportunities because circumstances can change very quickly – a change in mood, a change in business conditions or just a more suitable time to talk. Revisiting canvassed opportunities will enable us to stay on the radar but it also demonstrates valued traits like persistence and determination.
As always I would love to hear your views and opinions. Feel free to share positive stories when persistence paid off and if these don’t spring to mind then share a “knock knock” joke to distract us from banks and the volcano.
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