Maybe it’s just me, but have you ever spent an hour or more with a potential customer and had a really great conversation? You made your presentation and you just know you nailed it? Truly, things couldn’t have gone better. Then you reach the end, you ask for the sale and your prospect says, “I can completely see the value of what you offer and I know you will deliver on your promises. In fact, I wish I was [choose one] (a) in the market right now for what you offer, (b) able to afford your service, or (c) didn’t have to run all my decisions by the boss who never likes my plans.”
OK, I’m willing to admit I’m the only one who has ever run into this, but I’ll bet I’m not. What was the very first mistake I made? It wasn’t that I didn’t know my service or product offering inside and out. It wasn’t that my presentation wasn’t compelling. I even remembered to ask for the sale!
You know it – I failed to qualify my prospect before I wasted her time and mine in a full presentation which could never result in a sale (i.e., money in my pocket). Here’s how it happened. She called me and said that a friend had referred her to me. Great! The whole referral-thing is working! I jumped right in and made the appointment for my presentation. And there you have it – I missed a step.
Qualifying your prospect is a critical step you cannot afford to miss. Why? Unless you’re simply looking to practice your presentation skills, spending your time talking to someone who will not buy is a waste of your most profitable hours.
How do you qualify your prospects? Ask them questions that you develop ahead of time. You want your questions to prompt the answers you need. For example, if you offer business building expertise that helps your clients make more money (like I do), you’ll want to know what kind of business your prospect owns or manages and what types of challenges they’re experiencing. Make certain that what you offer can really help before you spend their time meeting with you. Ask if they are willing to invest in growing their business. If your prospect simply wants to “chat” or “vent” about how things are going and has no intention of making changes, you’ve just lost a profitable hour – or more.
It can take practice to do well at qualifying your leads. But every time you leave a meeting where you realize you’ll never get the business, take a moment to determine what questions you could have asked up front that would prevent you from wasting your time.
Make the most of your presentation time and make the most money.
Our mastermind teams’ primary focus is on sales, marketing and business building. You receive leadership support and strategies to achieve your goals, make $$$ and stay motivated. Twice a month hourly sessions are held by phone and recorded for your team. Masterminding with a facilitator keeps your calls on target and profitable. In addition to working with me on your team calls, mastermind members receive discounts on one-on-one coaching.
I can’t wait to see you succeed!
Audrey Pierson
831-241-1545
316 Mid Valley Center, #216
Carmel, CA 93923
Audrey@SecureYourSuccessInc.com
www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com
