7 Types of Prospects that Are Wasting Your Time & How to Spot Them
How do you spot an uninterested prospect before they take up too much of your time? How do you maximize your time on making calls to prospects that are actually interested in buying something from you? Our CRM Implementation Specialists have compiled a list of potentially “uninterested” prospects to help junior sales reps filter them out in the early stages of the sales cycle.
1. The Ignorer
We all encountered this person in sales. This is a person that after the first call does the disappearing act. Your emails go unanswered. Your calls divert to voicemail. My rule of thumb unresponsive prospects turn into unresponsive clients. Which is unproductive. I typically reach out once. Twice. A third time. And then, I move on. Three strikes and they are out.
2. The Discount Seeker
This is a person who does not care about how upscale your product may be or the number of extra features it boasts. They simply care about finding the best deal possible. Every question they ask is centered on the price. They will push for a discount or try to get your product for free.
It is important not to cut corners and not to jeopardize the quality of your product simply to win a lead. Ask yourself: how happy will the customer be? How long before the customer will cancel or move on? Will I be able to retain the customer on an ongoing basis?
3. The Researcher
The researcher is a person who has been tasked to learn more about your product, industry, and market. They are neither the decision-maker nor the purchaser. The only thing they are in the business of is learning on behalf of someone else in their company. As a sales rep, you want to cut out the middle man and get the actual buyer/decision maker on the phone. That way, you will avoid potential misconstruction of the information, as the researcher passes it on.
4. The Undercover Cop
The undercover cop in sales is a competitor that pretends to be an interested buyer. They will have a sense of curiosity that goes beyond that of the typical purchaser. If they’re not asking questions that are centered on how your product will solve their problem, they are not a consumer.
They might ask questions like: Are you funded? How many employees work at your company? What upgrades are you releasing next? Their questions will sound very senior in the way they understand your product and the market.
5. The Introvert
When a prospect is reluctant to give out their personal information and identify themselves, they are (in majority of cases) not serious about buying from you. Before you discount them as not serious, it is important to find out the exact reason why they do not want to give out personal information. You should continue chatting with them for 3 to 4 calls in order to establish a trust. The best rule of thumb is to drop them if they do not release the information after three follow-up communications.
6. The Power House
Some business prospects you are trying to go after are just too large to keep investing resources in. Since you likely want to close deals within a certain time frame, a larger company might take months to close a deal. Because larger prospects take far more resources to land, you are better off focusing on the smaller leads, which can add up to more in the end.
7. The Irrational
This is a person who does not make decisions rationally. They are afraid of making commitments and refuse to identify their decision making criteria, and do so on purpose. As well, they change their mind on a moment’s notice. If I spot a prospect like that, I steer clear. If they’re behaving that way before the deal is done, imagine what they’d be like after they become a client.
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