“When can I call you back?” vs. "Can I call you back?" Which is better?

Prospect: “I need some time to figure out if I am interested.”

Seller: “Sure thing! Let me send you some material to help you evaluate our product. When can I call you back?”

What you just read is the famed implied agreement tactic. A popular sales tactic recommended by many. To ensure the discussion with a prospect continues, instead of asking them if you can call them back, you assume they do, and you ask them to pick a date and time for the follow-up call.

With this question, you don’t focus their thinking on whether they want the call or not. You make them think of their calendar rather than their interest in your product.

Does it work? Most likely, it does not.

Let’s see together why. You have two options. We call Option1 the closed-ended question: “Can I call you back?” We call Option 2 the open-ended question: “When can I call you back?”

We must enter the intricate minds of our prospects to figure out the best approach.

Some prospects will want your follow-up call. If you go with Option 1, they will say yes and then give you a date. If you go with Option 2, they will give you directly a date. In terms of outcomes, there is no difference between Option 1 and Option 2.

Some prospects will not want your follow-up call. If you go with Option 1, they will say no. If you go with Option 2, they will say they are not interested in a follow-up call. Implied agreement won’t be enough to convince the uninterested. Even in this case, there is no difference between Option 1 and Option 2.

However, a good chunk of prospects are uncertain. They have not formed a clear opinion. This is where it all matters. If you go with Option1, some will say yes, and some will say no. If you go with Option 2,since rejecting you is more effortful than proposing a date, more people will just throw you a date and a time. It’s easier. The argument is that Option 2 is better because it leverages buyers’ uncertainty and allows you to schedule more follow-up calls.

There's a hidden downside, though, that those who recommend Option 2 often neglect. With Option 2, you might schedule more follow-up calls, but the conversion rate will be significantly lower. When you call back, most prospects will engage in one of the most popular buyer tactics: ghosting. They magically disappear. They are not available. They have other priorities. Excuses blossom like flowers in spring. You waste a lot of time chasing nothing. But guess what? If you make them say yes upfront with Option 1, they are less likely to ghost you. They explicitly agreed for you to call back, so ghosting now becomes rude. Get the foot in the door by making them explicitly agree, and conversion rates will be higher.

It appears we have a dilemma. Option 2 is better because it allows you to schedule more follow-up calls, while Option 1 is better because it allows you to convert more of these calls into actual clients. Both options have one advantage and one disadvantage. Which wins?

It all depends on the experience of your buyers. With experienced buyers, Option 1 wins over Option 2. Experienced buyers will dislike that you are forcing a choice upon them, implying agreement when they are not explicitly giving it to you. It’s unprofessional. You won’t schedule more follow-up calls. Instead, they appreciate being considered. They value that you ask for permission instead of implying it. With Option 1, they are more likely to say yes to the invitation for a follow-up and more likely to pick up the call afterward.

In the B2B world, experienced buyers are now the norm. Pushy attitudes encounter resistance. Showing professionalism and courtesy are valued. What if you don’t know the experience prospects have? Well, in doubt, always go with Option 1. As the core tenet of my book states, any tactic that leverages a buyer’s uncertainty is never good. You won’t build trust and rapport. There you have my recommendation:

In the vast majority of cases, it is better to ask, "Can I call you back?"

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