If you wait until your regular customers stop buying before you develop cold leads, you can leave a gap in both your sales and your commission. Bringing an inactive customer back takes time. You need to rebuild their interest while you still have other business coming in.
Your database may contain people who once bought regularly, asked about a product or enjoyed speaking with an agent. Today, they give you brief answers or show little interest in another offer. Their history gives you somewhere to start, but you need to develop the relationship from where it stands now.
The journey back begins when you find something which still interests them. Useful conversations and reliable service can gradually rebuild trust. A suitable small purchase then gives you a chance to develop an active customer who has reasons to keep buying.
At CALLX1, we help experienced salespeople build the account management skills which this work requires. Whether you are building your first customer portfolio or replenishing an established one, the principle is the same. Develop future customers before you need their sales. Here is how to bring cold leads back into that pipeline.
Before calling, look for a detail which could make the conversation relevant to the customer. Knowing what they bought helps. Knowing why they chose it gives you a better question to ask.
Review their record for useful starting points.
Choose one detail and use it to prepare your opening. If the lead never purchased, an old enquiry can serve the same purpose. You are looking for something the person cared about, then checking whether it still matters.
Consider a hypothetical former customer who made several small purchases. Their notes say they liked a straightforward product but found another option confusing. They have been inactive for some time.
After introducing yourself and the company, you could say, “When you last spoke with us, you mentioned that you liked how straightforward the smaller option was. What did you enjoy about it?”
That question lets you begin with their experience. Their answer may reveal an interest you can develop, a disappointment you need to understand or a preference which has changed. Our guide to reading a prospect record before a sales call explains how to prepare from that history.
A previous purchase shows that an offer suited someone at the time. Their circumstances, preferences or understanding may have changed since then. Finding out what happened helps you avoid spending the call presenting something they have already lost interest in.
Follow their answer with a question which fits what they have said.
In the example, the customer explains that they enjoyed the simpler product. Later conversations introduced several alternatives, and they became unsure which option would give them the experience they wanted.
You now have something specific to work on. Explaining one relevant option clearly can help them consider buying again. Presenting another range of choices would leave the original confusion unresolved.
If the customer raises a complaint, establish what remains outstanding and what you can do about it. Follow the issue through before expecting them to trust another recommendation.
Record what you learn in words which will help you continue the conversation. “Enjoyed the simpler product, but became confused about the alternatives” gives you a useful starting point for the next contact.
Interest begins to return when the customer gets something useful from speaking with you. That could be an explanation which makes a product easier to understand, an answer they have been waiting for or help with a previous problem.
For the customer in the example, establish the precise difference they want explained. Check the current product details, then return with a clear answer. Keep the explanation focused on what they wanted to know.
Suppose that, during this later conversation, they ask whether the familiar option is still available. Their response gives you evidence of renewed interest. You have helped them move from confusion towards considering something they might enjoy again.
The way you follow through also affects trust. If you promise an answer, say when you will return with it and keep that commitment. If you are still waiting for information, provide the update you promised.
Some contacts will end with useful information and no purchase. Over time, remembering the customer's concerns and acting on them gives them reasons to take your recommendations seriously. Each conversation can continue from what you learned previously.
That requires accurate notes. Record the answer you gave, any outstanding promise and the interest the customer expressed. On the next call, use those details so that they can see you remember them.
As the relationship becomes warmer, the conversation should give you more to work with. The customer may ask about availability, compare options or want to know the price. Those responses help you judge whether to offer more information or recommend a purchase.
Use the customer's behaviour to guide your next step.
You can take the initiative once you understand what might suit them. In the example, the customer asks whether the familiar product is still available. You confirm that they still prefer it and find out what amount they would be comfortable spending. You now have a basis for a recommendation.
There is no fixed number of calls which produces this change. One customer may be ready during the first conversation. Another may need several useful exchanges. Allow the relationship time to develop while paying attention to opportunities which appear along the way.
The timing of further contact should have a reason, such as information you promised or something relevant to an expressed interest. That continuity gives the customer a reason to hear from you again.
An appropriate low ticket offer gives the customer a manageable way to buy again. It also lets them experience whether your recommendation matches what they have told you.
Choose the offer because it fits their current interest. Their largest historical order should not determine the amount you ask them to spend now.
For the practice customer, you could say, “You mentioned that you enjoyed the simpler option and wanted to keep the amount small. I recommend starting with this option because it includes the feature you liked and fits what you want to spend. Let me explain what it includes and the full price.”
Give the verified details of the actual offer. Explain the terms which affect the purchase and answer their questions. Once they have the information they need, ask whether they would like to go ahead.
Before asking for the sale, check the following.
If they decline, find out whether a particular issue remains. Their answer may help you adjust the recommendation, or it may mean there is no suitable purchase to discuss. Keep what you have learned so that any later contact can build on it.
The returning purchase is one step in developing the account. Its longer-term value depends partly on the experience and service which follow.
After the purchase, check that the customer understands what they have bought and knows where to get help. When they have had time to form an opinion, ask about the part which mattered to their decision.
For the customer in the example, you would ask whether the product was as straightforward as they expected. Their answer gives you a basis for the next recommendation.
If they enjoyed it and want the same again, help them make that choice. If something disappointed them, address it. If they become interested in another option, explain the differences which matter to them.
Larger purchases may become appropriate as you learn more about their interests and they gain confidence in your recommendations. Each increase still needs to suit what the customer wants. A small returning sale does not establish their willingness to make a larger commitment next time.
As the relationship develops, you become the person who remembers their preferences and helps them make decisions. Your contact becomes part of the service they value. This is how the journey from an inactive record can continue into an established account.
Our article on developing a first purchase into a valuable customer relationship explains that next stage in more detail.
This work is easiest to neglect when your existing accounts are producing sales. Yet that is when you have more room to develop relationships patiently. Waiting until several regular buyers become inactive leaves you trying to rebuild interest while also facing immediate pressure to close.
Set aside time each week for a manageable group of cold leads. Choose records with a relevant reason for contact and prepare an opening for each one. After the calls, record what you learned and what should happen next.
Review whether the relationships are progressing.
These observations help you decide where to continue investing time. Keep tracking purchases as well, so that useful conversations remain connected to developing active customers.
A new agent needs this work to build a customer base. An experienced agent needs it to replenish one. When regular buyers become inactive, the relationships you have already been developing can give you more opportunities to pursue. You have given those cold leads time to become interested before depending on them for a sale.
Bringing a cold lead back to life takes judgement across the whole relationship. You need to recognise an opening, make contact useful and introduce a suitable offer when interest develops. Continuing that service after the purchase gives you a chance to build an account which contributes to future sales.
At CALLX1, we help proven salespeople develop these account management skills alongside their closing ability. Our six week professional development programme covers sales psychology, objection handling, relationship building and closing. Weekly workshops, role play and daily mentoring provide continuing opportunities to practise and improve.
You can discuss a difficult conversation with a mentor and work on how to make a clearer recommendation. Applying that feedback helps you develop the customers who may support your sales as your portfolio changes.
If you have at least two years of direct sales or outbound calling experience and want to develop your career in high ticket gaming sales, view CALLX1's current openings and application requirements.