Get That Prospect Off Your List!

BNET TalkbackShare your ideas and expertise on this topic

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

•  
  1

  tj14

  08/12/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen!

•  
  2

  andrew@...

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Wow, what great words to live buy.
  When I was a rookie, I thought anybody who spoke to me was
  somone who would buy from me.
  You know was mistaken.
  Now I do the Litmus test and punt them fast.
  
  Wasting time is tantamount to eating Mac and Cheese for a
  week. Yuck!

•  
  3

  Klusewski

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I always tell my reps it's better to lose early than to lose late- and waste your time and effort on someone who is not going to buy. Find someone else.

•  
  4

  Dave Lambert

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  A lot of firms (especially those with numbers driven marketing departments) confuse:
  
  'Suspects' with 'Prospects...
  
  Sending the sales force bushels of 'leads' that waste precious sales time and energy.
  
  No wonder the sales force is jaded about unqualified leads...
  
  Here is a fellow who has made a career out of studying the 'problem' and coming up with solutions:
  
  www.richarderschik.com
  
  Give him a call - with your toughest question or biggest sales problem.

•  
  5

  Eldridge007

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I MAKE YOUR KINDS OF COMMENTS TO SALESPEOPLE IN MY ACQUAINTENCE, RIGHT AFTER THEY REMARK TO ME "I'M JUST SELLING THE APPOINTMENT. ONCE I GET MY FOOT IN THE DOOR, I'LL SELL THEM SOMETHING." A TRUE PROFESSIONAL TAKES THE APPROACH THAT THE PROSPECT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY NEED, WANT, & CAN AFFORD MY PRODUCT. THEN THEY QUALIFY FOR SOME OF MY TIME.

•  
  6

  Eldridge007

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I MAKE YOUR KINDS OF COMMENTS TO SALESPEOPLE IN MY ACQUAINTENCE, RIGHT AFTER THEY REMARK TO ME "I'M JUST SELLING THE APPOINTMENT. ONCE I GET MY FOOT IN THE DOOR, I'LL SELL THEM SOMETHING." A TRUE PROFESSIONAL TAKES THE APPROACH THAT THE PROSPECT HAS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY NEED, WANT, & CAN AFFORD MY PRODUCT. THEN THEY QUALIFY FOR SOME OF MY TIME.

•  
  7

  netclickonline

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen!!

•  
  8

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 6:
  You're gonna love next Tuesday's post!

•  
  9

  cymbals1

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  What it boils down to is simply asking good, action-based questions.

•  
  10

  phillambert

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  If we're going to get to "no", let's get there as quickly as possible! (Yes, that's an "amen".)

•  
  11

  bcarroll@...

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Totally agree... good post here. Research shows, that top sales performers have the best opportunity screening skills. They focus their energies where they not only have a good odds to win but more importantly, will become ideal customers - bigger sales, longer-term value and more profitable.
  
  Poor sales performers, focus on opportunities that have a high likelihood to close but may not necessarily be ideal customer - small sales, short-term value and less profitable.

•  
  12

  Coach-Lee-428

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Disqualification should be part of every professionals sales approach. Simply speaking, work smarter and not harder by doing the work on the front end.
  
  I am surprised how many in sales do not know the qualifying criteria as they help to disqualify or fire them before you have them as clients and you wished you could now fire them.

•  
  13

  wbranstner

  08/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  YES! Thanks for saying this ou tloud. I am so sick of the salesmanship books that pretend all prospects are buyers if you just master the techniques. So if you have a 45% close ratio, you would get an F if you were in college. BS! and that does not stand for a degree.
  
  This post is a part of a much needed new paradigm in sales techniques. Simply put, if you think you can get money out of everybody if you just know what to say, go try out for "The Music Man."

•  
  14

  mastersofsales

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Geoffrey,
  you are exactly right!! I always teach participants of my workshops that one better gets a no right away instead of trying to sell something to someone who does not want to buy, or has no budget, or worse, who is not the decision maker.
  
  A waste of precious time. Better ask some clever (well prepared, though) questions in order to learn what it is about, budget, time frame, who is deciding, is it serious or just to favour competition etc.
  
  cheers,
  
  Oliver F. von Borstel
  CEO Masters of Sales Europe
  www.mastersofsales.eu
  

•  
  15

  jad67

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I read this until the paragraph that started "Look...", then jumped straight to this comment box, because I don't like being patronised by someone I've never heard of.

•  
  16

  middleaged

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Spot on!
  
  

•  
  17

  georgenicholas

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  What I do is ask the "prospect" to give me information that takes a little effort to pull together. If that effort is made, that means there's potential there. If not, I put my efforts elsewhere.

•  
  18

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 15:
  Hey, if you don't like way I write, go read something else.

•  
  19

  pavan.a

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen. this i guess is the most important skill of a salesman.

•  
  20

  ChangingLanes.biz

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Great information - but I had to learn the hard way not to confuse a prospect that I sought with a prospect that found me. I now believe that if they have found me, the price cannot be an issue (even if the old Linda thinks they can't afford my service). What they can and cannot afford is none of my businesses unless they have hired me specifically to manage their budget.

•  
  21

  CCOL

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Very timely and very real. I'm not a "sales" person, but I have to because it's my business--and I don't have a trained sales person.
  
  It's very challenging to know when to fold--even after you've asked the right questions; again and again. This is especially true when selling to the government.
  
  I've been in the pipeline with two different government opportunities for at least six months. When I ask for the specifics (as you referenced), I get fed vague and useless information--yet, given every reason to believe that I'm in the running.
  
  There's a lot of competition out there, and you don't know who's saying or doing what to gain an advantage.
  
  At this point, I feel if I push any harder for concrete answers I'll be seen as a "nag". Should I just keep quiet, wait and hope I'm selected for this project; and, if I'm not raise holy &^&^*?

•  
  22

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 21:
  You need to make further work on those projects contingent on a quid pro quo of getting useful information or meetings with real decision-makers. If they're serious, you should be able to get some kind of concession from them. If they're not, you'll get more run-around. In that case, continuing is just indulging your wishful thinking. What's worse, you're telling them that you're a patsy.

•  
  23

  Paul R Hollett

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Another big amen to the wisdom here. Decades in marketing
  both products and services has lead to careful screening of
  each opportunity and "prospect". Salespeople need to keep a
  positive approach to each fresh opportunity ... but look closely
  in the light of day and quietly ask the questions that will qualify
  the opportunity as real. All good advise.

•  
  24

  tmdale57

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen. Too many reps smoke the hopeium pipe because it's easier than continuing to be a hunter seeking out the real meal.
  As always, on target and helpful. I've got a sales meeting next week, this will be on the agenda.
  
  BTW, great article in Strategy & Business. Got my copy yesterday.
  

•  
  25

  jad67

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Hey Note 18 - your instant reaction was not "this guy might have a point", but "go read something else".
  That tells me a lot about your sales listening skills.
  

•  
  26

  KarenWilcox

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen! The hardest lesson for sales people to learn is that not every prospect is the right fit and to be able to walk away. There's always that "Yeah, but what if" nagging at them. That's why we follow a strict qualification process - which by the way incorporates many of the points you mention. I agree, there is no reason why any sales person can't qualify a prospect quickly and on the first call if they stick to a process. Interestingly, once they start closing sales they adopt this approach and finally get it!

•  
  27

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 25:
  You have a point there, 4 sure. On the other hand, do I really want a customer who finds something trivial so irritating?

•  
  28

  randychan83

  08/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I totally disagree on this!
  
  As salesperson, we are the ones that gives people reasons to buy. Even though some of them may not be genuine buyers, the sales pitch will set in a good deal of impression which may come handy when the need arises some day.
  
  We are hired not to strike the prospects off. If we do that often enough, we will be strike off ourselves. It's really amazing how things can work when we begin to look at the other perspective that there is definitely going to be a good reason the customer will be willing to buy. Though I admit there are times where customers does take us for a ride, at least we get to have the chance to sharpen our sales techinque.
  
  So never write off your prospect because you never know what you can achieve...
  
  Randy Chan

•  
  29

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 28:
  I'm not entitrely certain you're honing your selling skills by try to sell to folks who can't buy your offering.

•  
  30

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  entirely... entirely... entirely... There. I think I learned how to type again. Sheesh, I'm a moderator and even I can't correct my posts!

•  
  31

  Julia Napier, They Key Associates

  08/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  On the occasions when I have backed myself and 'sacked' a prospect, it has always turned out to be the right decision.
  
  On the occasions when I've given the dodgy prospect the benefit of the doubt and commenced the business relationship, it has always ended in tears (mine).

•  
  32

  Julia Napier, They Key Associates

  08/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  And congrats, Geoffrey, on writing the first article on this site in MONTHS that had an interesting enough headline to make me click on it and read.

•  
  33

  rbenitezi@...

  08/16/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen !!!

•  
  34

  ntincome

  08/17/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  My approach varies depending upon the product / solution I am selling.
  
  Having spent a considerable time business developing / selling around new products I find it useful, before I blow off a potential candidate, to invest time and to have them invest time learning about the product / solution I am selling. Most budgets, perhaps all budgets, expire after one year so you may find yourself 2/3 through the cycle introducing a new product / solution (p/s) to a person who up to the point they met you had no knowledge of this p/s. Consequently if you know it will take 3-6 months to get them to a point where they are knowledgible about what you offer your goal more likely will have been to do the ground work to get your p/s included in next years budget.
  
  Not that any of us would do but imagine if you started a conversation, after creating a bit of interest, by asking - do you have budget? More likely you will hear no and more likely you will continue to hear no until you do the work to develop the prospect to the point where they can decide if they want to get behind to support the p/s you can provide.
  
  My goal often is to get a client to the point where they know enough about my p/s, how it could improve things at their end (tied to what is most important to them, determined by a questioning process to reveal this), so I can then ask if they will agree to request funds for this in their next budget so we can move forward. Most of the firms I have sold to have some discretion in their budget but usually if they have signed a contract with me within the fiscal year of my introducing a solution to them it likely meant another project did not advance.

•  
  35

  sandesh9

  08/17/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Lets not pre-judge our prospects & fire them even before making our sales pitch & create a need to buy....coz, you never know they would show interest later if not now.....its worth waiting than to lose it forever.....
  
  If you fire your prospect....someone else will take it in future....think ...think
  
  Its a situational call....I agree partially to this.

•  
  36

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 35:
  You miss the point. If a "prospect" doesn't need your product or can't afford it, they're not a prospect. Creating demand for your product is only wasting your time, and their time. Obviously, you don't tell them to take a flying leap; you want leave with good feelings all around, just for the sake of your reputation. But selling to non-prospect is just plain foolish.

•  
  37

  saratoga pete

  08/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Let me see if I can blend together our two threads in these comments. Thread 1 = Firing a "prospect" (if we can even call them that) and Thread 2 = Firing off a quick "one liner" response.
  
  Having had my own consulting practice for 12 years I wrestled with this frequently. I ended up developing filters that I thought worked best for me to try to uncover the realities of the prospect. Taking a page from softare sage Steve McConnell's take on requirements, he says "requirements aren't just "out there" - they have to be developed." I think the same holds true with this conversation with the "lead" or "prospect". Figure out how to "develop" the reality check that you need to see if it's worth your time and your company's time to continue the conversation and you will be golden.
  
  Thread 2 (notes 15, 18, and 25) is about "it's not what you say, but how you say it". Geoffrey is empirically correct to let the writer of #15 know that a reader makes a choice to read or not. If you don't like what you read, then read something else. However, the downside to this rather blunt approach is that the writer of #15 is now put off by that comment so you've lost him. Same is true for a prospect.
  
  You can be kind, diplomatic, and respectful when you make it clear that your services or products probably aren't a good fit for their organization. That's a completely legitimate response to offer a lead/prospect and it keeps the door open for a future encounter.

•  
  38

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  08/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Re Note 37:
  "the writer of #15 is now put off by that comment so you've lost him."
  
  Bet I haven't.

•  
  39

  mmello

  08/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Amen.
  
  Pax vobiscum.

•  
  40

  jcleland

  09/02/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  Another excellent post, Geoffrey! So many companies throw away valuable resources (and don't even realize it) by overlooking a critical operational link between sales and marketing - prospecting.
  
  To take the concept one step further, I would say that the BIGGEST WIN of all comes from having someone else cross the unqualified, unprofitable contacts off of your list before it ever reaches your professional sales force.
  
  Whether you make prospecting a function of in-house sales and marketing or outsource it, you'll get focused, unbiased lead qualification, and your sales force will be free to do what it does best - sell.
  
  Julie Cleland
  Power of NO2 Call System
  www.powerofno2.com

•  
  41

  charles599

  10/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  I call for a living. I know when someone is not telling the truth. I am there to sell benefit and value. Tricky questions only make the matter worse. I always continue with my benefits and ask right away what the objection could be to an improvement in the process. If they are serious I would expect a consice answer. I am never afraid to ask directly why they object. It goes against the grain to ask directly, I know this and sometimes it will backfire, but I have tracked that over 90 percent of the time, it will cut the bs and allow me to continue...to sell and close.

•  
  42

  claudine.wheeler@...

  11/09/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get That Prospect Off Your List!

  okay! okay! please stop taking stabs at each other! wow!
  
  I'm a sales person with a fantastic reputation of getting out
  there, hunting, closing, and brining in HUGE deals, and I love
  it, but currently I'm having such a horrible time
  
  Sales are down, but waaaay down - it is now starting to
  make me believe I'm useless and can't sell, and I'm desperate
  for assistance and help, and this blog is super and really
  interesting, BUT:
  
  STOP ARGUING, DAMMIT!
  
  I want to read various opinions ON THE TOPIC and not your
  own little digs at each other for whatever reason. Set an
  example! PLEASE!
  
  Keep talking about the topic, and various takes on it: has it
  worked for you? hasn't it? why has it? why hasn't it? That
  stuff is interesting, that stuff might just help people like me
  who log on, pay money browsing, with a hope of finding
  information that will help!
  
  I witness enough fighting for power in the workplace!
  
  Grow up! Stop being such brats, and offer your experience
  which would in fact help...
  *sigh*