I'm such a dope. After last month's post equating insurance sales to green eggs and ham, (which referenced a post from sales blog Landing the Deal,) author Dan Tudor took the time to respond to my question. And I just now saw it.

My question to Dan? How can you be persistent with a prospect without annoying them?

His response started with a quote from the great Babe Ruth:

It's hard to beat up a guy who never gives up.

And that's really what it's all about, right? Not giving up?

Dan went on to say that being persistent with prospects doesn't have to be annoying, unprofessional or bothersome (although it certainly can be).

If you approach a persistent request to do business with a professional, upbeat and even informative technique, your prospects won't mind hearing from you.

At first blush, he makes a good point. But upon closer examination there seems to be one thing separating my opinions on persistent sales tactics from Dan's [or so I suspect]: a generation gap.

To be blunt, my generation doesn't have the patience or the tolerance for such persistence. And while this isn't the best testament to my usually winning personality [har], I barely have the patience for someone who greets me at the store entrance. If I need help, I'll ask. If I want a collapsible basket to use while I shop, I'll grab one. I think it's fair to say that younger generations have perfected the aloof vibe to a T, and if we want something, we will come to you.

However [big however], most sales people don't sell solely to younger generations, especially in the case of insurance. Which is why, as we've mentioned before here at the Agent Blog, it's important to know who you're selling to. Sales tactics aren't one-size-fits-all. They're not even one-size-fits-most.

So, if I had to tack anything on to Dan's closing green eggs reply, I'd say, be persistent, be professional and know your prospect.