“It’s Impossible to Get Meetings.” Or Is It? (Part 1)

This is going to be a two-part tip. Today, we lay out the issue and some possible solutions, and on Friday, we will give you an example of what we are sharing here.  I’ve been traveling lately, and I’ve been hearing this everywhere:

• “Prospects won’t respond.”
• “No one picks up the phone.”
• “No one responds to my emails.”
• “It’s impossible to get on their calendar.”

Let’s be honest — it is harder than it used to be. Okay, much harder. But impossible?

Decision-makers are overwhelmed. According to research from LinkedIn, buyers are only actively in-market about 5% of the time. That means 95% of the time, they’re not looking to buy anything — including what you’re selling.

On top of that, Gartner reports that B2B buyers spend only 17% of their buying journey meeting with potential suppliers — and that 17% is split among multiple vendors.

Translation?

You’re not just competing against competitors. You’re competing against noise, timing, internal priorities and a buyer who may not even realize they have a problem yet.

I don’t preach, but let me clarify: Difficulty isn’t the same as impossibility.

If you’re leading with “Can I get 20 minutes to learn about your business or tell you what we do?” You’ve already lost. Because from the prospect’s perspective, that’s not a meeting — that’s a time suck.

Attention is not granted because you want it. It’s granted because you’ve earned relevance.

Research from RAIN Group, a global training company, found that buyers are far more likely to respond when outreach:

• Demonstrates understanding of their business.
• Offers new insights or ideas.
• Clearly communicates value.
• Is concise and specific.

Notice what’s missing?

• “Just checking in.”
• “Following up.”
• “Bumping this to the top of your inbox.”

Here’s the shift I want to encourage:

Stop trying to get meetings. Start creating value before even asking for the meeting. When I started in sales, there was a concept called “seeding.” You would read a prospect's trade publication (Automotive News), clip out an article, highlight some parts, mail it to the client with your business card stapled to it and include a handwritten note that simply said: “Brad, thought you might be interested in this.”

But that could never work today… or could it?

The best sellers today act more like business advisors than product presenters.

Instead of asking for time, they earn curiosity. Instead of saying, “I’d love to connect,” they say, “I noticed your competitors are shifting budget toward X. We’re seeing that drive measurable lift in Y. If that’s relevant, I can share what we’re learning.”

That’s different.

• It shows you’ve done homework.
• It shows you’re paying attention.
• It suggests you might bring something useful.

And useful gets meetings.

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com . You can also connect with him on X , YouTube, and LinkedIn .