Context: I saw a fractional lead gen/marketing support position posted for a Custom Software Development firm that was focused on Manufacturing/Distribution. It was a perfect fit, I had an opportunity in hand that they could work on (did not mention it), had a great first call where there was a lot of sympatico. My experience was a fit. Some red flags for me: the owner (interviewer) took out at six figure business loan, hired a “very green” salesperson, and clearly had no outbound experience. He wanted to “move forward”, but did not meet me. After a meeting that took place two weeks after the initial call….this is the “rejection letter” I received. I had already decided not to work with him for similar reasons. Commentary in brackets.
The Rejection Email in full with company redacted:
I wanted to get back to you. I decided no. It was going to be a yes initially, however our meeting changed my mind. [Such empathy, my healthcare bills won’t resolve themselves…so you WERE going to work with me, but decided against it and waited three weeks to tell me this in this manner]
Even if it was a go, it isn’t time for an appointment booking / lead generation service, but I think a lead/appointment generation service is overall a good idea. Our sales rep isn’t trained up to the point of being able to adequately catch the work that would be thrown at them yet. They still have a long training period to go through. It would probably be a few months before they are ready. [So I gave you the great idea to hire or use a firm, which isn’t going to be me….nice!]
I wanted to give you specific feedback versus leaving you with a blanket, “not interested”. Three specific things from our meeting made me decide that we weren’t a good fit due to underlying philosophical principles. I am sure you are effective, but there are things in your technique that are not in line with what our company is about. I don’t think we are a match for those reasons. There were plenty of reasons you would be great. Your initiative to reach out initially was amazing. I think you could effectively get us appointments. I believe you would get results. I don’t think you believe in some of the same principles and therefore there isn’t the alignment I would want, and the initial impression/engagement I would want our future clients to have. [And you can make this decision without further discussion and talking to me – your interpersonal skills are outstanding!] I would prefer to partner with someone who fundamentally, and to their core, has a belief in the same basic principles. The three specific things were:
- You used a technique of immediacy by saying something along the lines of, if you don’t initiate now the slots are limited and there may not be a place later. There is always time, and a decision should never be rushed. Our sales cycle is slow and relaxed. We are creating lifelong relationships. No one should rush into that. In addition, if slots are limited then it means you can’t scale effectively to handle any load. Our company is built to do just that. [I am a fractional resource actively looking for clients, with ONE slot available…if you don’t take it, someone else will and it could be months to years before I can work with you – this is TRUTH, not technique.]
- We had some disagreement on the ability to have computer systems do proper lead generation and appointment setting. It may not be built, but it can be. Our very goal here is to replace human labor with computer systems. My very goal is to replace myself with computer systems and I build toward that all the time. We always want to stand behind the philosophy that technology can and should replace our efforts so that we (the human race) may rise to better and more creative efforts in life. I want a company that is run by computers and am working to build it out over the next many years. [This is AI Derangement Syndrome, technology is nowhere near replacing people and for consultative sales the AI Lead Gen Agent would not work – the level of business knowledge and deep questioning is imperative to find strategic fit. Plus, AI Lead Gen is nowhere near capable yet. I do agree he should replace himself with AI.]
- You stated that “you can’t say that” when I said something along the lines of custom software is a bad choice if you can buy something out of the box. We are here not to sell our software necessarily, but to guide customers toward the best choice for them. Often, I work to help someone I meet find a better solution than we can offer. If we engage in a bad fit, we will be stuck with it for a miserably long time. We should always work to let our leads know all the reasons not to work with us so that they can make the best informed decision. [Never said any such thing. I have been involved with custom software development for 25 years and would always prescribe the best fit solution, in fact, I recommend clients past/present when possible. I think I am more than experienced to know how to handle prospects]
It was a pleasure to meet you, and I am sure you will do well. [I think 20 years is a testament of how well I actually do…don’t need your affirmation, bub}.
But, he won’t. The business loan will come due, the sales rep who is so “green” (in his words} will likely get frustrated and leave, and the amount of business that will come…not much – especially with no outbound messaging and support. He doesn’t know how to sell cold. Clearly this guy can’t make good business decisions. Personally, I believe he just plain out did not like me very much or was put off by my physical appearance. He also noted something about how my bandwidth was not sufficient for scaling, when he was hiring for a fractional position.
Another example of the bottom feeder companies that inherit the Earth. This is why it is critical to do proper due diligence and not just take any opportunity that presents. I clearly dodged a bullet here.