“So who are the wrong people and why turn them away?” You may be wondering.
On the surface, this is logical. If you sell air conditioners and heating systems you wouldn’t want to sell to someone who lives in a rental apartment. Similarly, if you are involved in not for profit fundraising, you would want someone to donate who may be passionate about your cause, and possibly has had an experience (either themselves or through a loved one) with the cause you support.
For example, “Run for the Cure” is a well-known fundraiser to fight breast cancer. This comes to my mind because of a family member who beat breast cancer a few years ago, and to this day is still healthy and in remission.
On the flip side you wouldn’t want a new mom of triplets coming to you with baby dramas and premie issues if you sell cell phones, would you now? “Of course not!” you may be thinking. This is an extreme example, but people go to the wrong persons for help more than you may think. It is in cases like these that you have to be succinct and qualify them to find out if indeed you can help them solve their problem today or whether you know someone who may be a better solution for them right now. Or, if the prospect is not a good fit for you right now, but you don’t know anyone that could be a better solution for them at this point in time, you can simply apologize and send them on their way.
On another note, you may run into a prospect that wants what you sell but isn’t decisive in their choices. This is a perfect time to make a crucial decision – do you want to try to sell to them or send them on their way? Some sales people like dealing with indecisive people; others don’t. It all depends what your preferences are. For those who are interested in dealing with indecisive people, but don’t know where to begin, you could qualify them by asking what they are looking for today, and see if your product or service-set is a match for their needs. If it is but the prospect has concerns, you can deal with these in a simple and succinct manner, addressing each concern in turn as they arise in the prospect.
In short, sales is all about what you want to sell and the type of person you want to sell to.
As always, I am available for discussion if you need to reach me by email at alisonsilbert@gmail.com.