Disdinguishing Prospects From Suspects

Written by businessideas.info

Salespeople often waste their time dealing with prospects that have little chance of actually purchasing your product.  If you contact someone who is not interested in what you are selling, it does not matter how good of a salesperson you are, there is no chance of closing the sale.  It is imperative that you distinguish between verified prospects and unverified prospects, or, as some people like to call them, suspects.  A suspect is a prospect who may be interested in your product, while a Grade-A prospect is someone you know will have interest.  Just because someone has interest does not mean they will necessarily buy your product, but the chances are much greater than with a suspect.

The key to successfully distinguishing between prospects is research.  By learning all you can about a company or individual, you can uncover clues that would reveal their level of interest.  There are several specific ways to conduct research.  Nowadays, every company has a website, so by quickly and easily accessing the Internet, you can learn a lot in a short time.  Read as much content as you can, especially the "About Us" page, and some of the products the company offers.  Try to see if you can make any connections as to how your product or service would enable the company to increase their bottom line.

The more you know about a business, the better, as not only can you confirm they are a viable candidate for your product, but you have more talking points when you finally do make contact.  In addition, showing that you have done research on the company shows them that you are competent and actually care about their business, and if they think that you are trying to help them, they will be eager to give you a chance (and you really should have their best interests in mind).

Determining what type of prospect a company is involves asking yourselves some questions.  Are they in your target market?  Can they afford your product?  Have they ever used something like it before?  If you cannot find out readily from public resources, it is okay to ask a company representative.