How do you deal with overly pushy software vendors?

How do you deal with overly pushy software vendors? I am starting to reach my boiling point with telling Appfolio to leave me and my company alone. I do not understand a business sales model that thinks harassing potential customers is the right idea. Their forwardness and rudeness has me convinced if we ever met they would go as far as trying to Roofie me just to get the sale. They know no bounds...

Cease and desist letter.

I am a software salesperson....I once called someone on May 25th, and then called again after Labor Day. I heard the person on the phone when I called 100 days later say "he calls all the time". I laughed. What is a proper amount of follow up to a prospect? ( I think 2-3 times a year)

Yeah but monthly is not answer. Lying about have conversations with me to get around gate keepers is not the right answer.

2-3 times is not the right answer if we ask to be left alone or we say we will contact you. I would concede a yearly check in call is good, if you start hey I am just checking in to see how you are doing. But going on your high pressured hump you into submission sales routine will get you on a short list.

Sam My what would be the right amount of follow up calls from a leasing agent in a given time?

Difference with a leasing agent call back is the customer came to us and expressed interest in our product. I have never had any interest in appfolio yet received frequent unsolicited calls from various sales reps. I verbally threatened them with legal action and was finally removed from their list.

As a vendor I try to err on the side of “helpful reminder.” Y’all are busy and emails or phone calls are not always convenient (even when avoiding month end/start). One lead kept telling me to call back in a month. Super nice and sincere, but it kind of became a running joke in my head until they signed up with us eventually and told me how much they appreciated my patience! It all comes down to listening.

I literally JUST got a call from Appfolio, and I didn't answer it. Just let them know firmly that your company has reached it's budget for software and that you cannot go beyond it.

Oh! Block their number! I can block any number through Cox Cable.

They call from different numbers, it does not work. I did manage to snag a photo from their training manual. It says alot.

The worst is when I get multiple calls from a company but from different sales people! I want to rip my hair out

Exactly! Those companies allow any potential customer to be “up for grabs”! Terrible idea for the customer as we are clearly seeing no one likes to be stalked.

We structure our sales reps in a way they are assigned zip codes so only one property has one outside sales rep.

Briana Brandt you are describing dinosaur sales! These are modern times and we have tech that can easily overcome these seeing the customer as a unit of sales to be dealt with in your way. They have sales software or you can use a spreadsheet to "claim" biz by active sales people. It's like going to a restaurant and saying, oh, I would love to sit at that booth by the window and the waitress saying that table is not in her section and she is up so I have to sit somewhere she places me. OR, it's like a leasing person telling someone who walks in the door hey can't help them because the other leasing person is up for the next tour for commissions purpose so they will just have to wait a few min.

I have no problems with people calling as long as I haven't told them "no, this is the end of the conversation". As far as I am concerned that is my responsibility as a potential customer. To respect you and your time and let you know where I am in the sales process, and until then, our conversation should continue. I will talk to you 2-3 times a year but if I I tell you, "we aren't doing this now, I don't want it later, and I will call you if things change," and you still call me, I treat you as a telemarketer and hang up on you. I really don't even mind being on your braggy email lists. Just don't call me. I did have a guy from Appfolio who was super pushy and I told him our owner had decided to go with another vendor and there was no opportunity with him here. He asked me for their number, and I was like "are you kidding me, no way!" He basically told me I was stupid for staying with my current provider. I told him our conversation was over and not to call me anymore. He then called my boss and TOLD her that I said to call her. That is when I called him back, reached through the phone, and punched him in the face. Not really, but if I meet him at NAA or something, IT IS ON. This was quite a rant, y'all. I feel better now. I was so angry at him, that even though I think it could be a decent product, I will write my own software before I use it.

Yeah same story here. When did they think it was a good idea to go to the CEO when me the COO said no. The sells guy was so smug when I called him back and said the CEO told me to call him back. That smugness lasted about 20 seconds until I chewed his ass let him know under know under no circumstance would I ever be bothered or lose a wink of sleep if I ruined his career and life and it was now my number one goal to do so.

Agreed with Donje!

I’ve been on both sides. What I love to see is a vendor that is thoughtful and educated on my business. If they prove both, I give them my time, or as a vendor, feel I have the right to ask for their time.

But their should always be a 3 point contact before asking to meet...
1. Hi I am ... and your new business partner.
2. Hi .... I found an article on ... and it made me think of you.... do you have time to meet and talk?
B. I am so impressed with your growth at ... could we meet to discuss how you are doing so well and talk about how we can partner?

If a vendor just product dumps on you, that is bad!

I keep telling them I am not changing and don't call back.

I have a caveat on that, most vendors can educate on things that our companies don’t educate on. So.. what you can learn from your vendor and possible vendor partners, are a benefit, not a o just you( you can be the rock star of your company for finding something new)... always vet and see what you can learn.

Myles Waldrop I am more interested in this line of conversation than the one you posted above. Your first feels very insincere. you do not know me so you do not know if this article is going to to work for me or not. you do not know how much I have grown since 1/2 of my business is SFRs and there is no central clearing house for that. However, there is alot of change and getting real education on what is happening in the market, and the legal changes showing your your solution helps and what is the value proposition and how it is calculated is going to get me more likely to listen and focus in. that being said I looked at your facebook profile and see you work for zillow. I really wish a sales person from there would stop pushing your solution and listen for feedback on the product I want. No one putting out basic benchmarks on SFR like they do for multi-family and I am willing to be a beta tester and help give feedback on a product that would data crunch and display all the information you already capture for SFRs. If you could tell me days on market, interst, rent per sq foot, spreads and trends that would be cutting edge for SFR's, an remedial work for multi-family. There is such an untapped demand here.