Most CFOs and controllers screen vendor calls.
If they didn’t, they’d be on the phone all day with pesky salesmen!
There can be two downsides to this strategy however:
• You may miss that “one in a hundred” good offer if the sales rep doesn’t leave a message, and
• You waste time later anyway by sifting through voicemail if you’re not picking up vendor calls!
Here’s another strategy: Take the calls when they come in.
Let the sales rep know you’re swamped, but you’ll consider their offer if they do three things:
1. Send you an e-mail explaining briefly what they do and what they think they can help you with (save money, save time, etc.).
2. Tell them to keep it to a couple of pargraphs at the most. Including links to the specific products or services they think you’d be interested in would help. Or they can attach images of them. four sentences or less.
3. Let them know you’ll call back within a week if you’re interested. If they don’t hear back, then you’re not interested. That won’t stop some eager-beaver salespeople from calling you back anyway. But seasoned pros will take the hint and wait for your call.
