Are you trying to go after only A+ prospects? Are you tired of all the B and C clients?
This is understandable. I too only want to spend my time with quality people that I can really help. Just because you can help them though does not make them a good fit. Let’s say you have a Peak 90 list of your top A+ prospective clients… this doesn’t mean you are going to reach these people, that they are a good fit or interested in you. Sure you may have a website, heck you may even have a linkedin profile and a blog. If your Peak 90 do not read or subscribe to your blog or they aren’t connected to you on Linkedin, what does it matter? You might as well save you time and money.
I realized today that it was time to disqualify a prospect. I made the mistake of trying to do business with a prospect, just because their website, blog and social media presence SUCK! This is a first step to qualifying, but there are many other steps in order to be an A+ client. If a CEO thinks they are smarter than you, have everything figured out, and there is no room for growth, it is best to say Good Bye and move on!
One of the biggest problems with sales people is they often keep working the same list. Over and over again they try connecting with the same people for years. In sales this is called chasing a prospect. You know you may try to get a sales presentation/meeting and all of a sudden the client vanishes and starts avoiding calls, preps the gatekeepers to block your messages and never returns your voicemail.
So what can you do?
Well, you need to learn how to:
- Create Unique Remarkable Content (not steal it)
- Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader
- Train your connections to Share Your Remarkable Content with Others
- and do it all in a Timely and Cost Effective Way (usually not by handing it off to a secretary or intern in your office)
If you are looking for way to engage and train your contacts to become evangelists get on my calendar and schedule a 20 minute call.
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I remember the first time that I realized that I had just been paid $1,000 for an hour’s work. I wanted to do it again. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago, I remember starting my goal setting with the question, “Is it possible to sell, deliver and maintain a million dollar consulting practice in 1,000 hours/year?” I found that the #1 priority needed to be “change my qualification process into a disqualification process”. Nobody sells most of the people that they meet. So, whether your hit rate is 1:3 or 1:20, you talk to more non-buyers than buyers. Get good at disqualifying the non-buyers and spend your time with buyers.
I remember the first time that I realized that I had just been paid $1,000 for an hour’s work. I wanted to do it again. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago, I remember starting my goal setting with the question, “Is it possible to sell, deliver and maintain a million dollar consulting practice in 1,000 hours/year?” I found that the #1 priority needed to be “change my qualification process into a disqualification process”. Nobody sells most of the people that they meet. So, whether your hit rate is 1:3 or 1:20, you talk to more non-buyers than buyers. Get good at disqualifying the non-buyers and spend your time with buyers.
Great point Rick! Still working on mastering those disqualifying techniques. It’d be great to create a million dollar consulting firm in a 1000 hour year. This is quite the lifestyle, less hours worked & more money.
Great point Rick! Still working on mastering those disqualifying techniques. It’d be great to create a million dollar consulting firm in a 1000 hour year. This is quite the lifestyle, less hours worked & more money.