He came to me and said, “This prospect has been a pain in the neck. But, I think I can still close the sale.”

I asked “How big of a pain in the neck?”

He replied, “Really big.”

I clearly remember… and try to live by my response.

“You have enough problems with your non-problem clients.  To take on a client that you know is going to be a problem is insanity.”

That’s why it’s so important to focus your energy and time on those individuals who have the capability to make the investment in your product or service. In addition, you should have your prospect explain fully how your solution will benefit his or her business.

You can probably think of a time that you took on a problem client because that was your job…

You felt you had to take them on.

You took on a client that you knew intuitively, in your gut, you probably shouldn’t have.

What are your memories of that relationship?

What was your profit?

You have to break the habit of taking on problem clients to solve your problem…

Unless your job description is: rescue worker… you shouldn’t be a rescue worker.

Here’s the Tip:

Explore the possibility of doing business with every prospect, but “hire” your clients selectively.

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If you have any questions, or would like some coaching on this step… please contact me by e-mail info@sokolkrieger.com.

You’re invited to leave a comment below.

To you success,

Ike

1. You talk too much

2. You sell too soon

3. You don’t follow a system

If you started nodding at the thought of one, two, or all three of the above… your day to day sales efforts are probably more stressful and less profitable than you’d hoped.

Let’s look at an alternative to selling too soon.

Manage the buying process

Do you manage the buying process… before you start to sell?

If you don’t… you should.

When you manage the buying process… you’ll close more sales in a fraction of the time.

You don’t have to change the way you sell when you manage the buying process…but you do have to approach the sales conversation from a totally different perspective.

Selling is usually thought of as a process in which you give a pitch or a presentation that informs your prospects about the solutions you can provide… and then hope your solutions apply. This is the same mindset that compels you to offer to to do a proposal without first discovering how to guarantee its acceptance.

Here’s the tip:

Before you start offering anything… let’s put first things first… and find out if what you sell makes sense for the prospect to buy.

You want to discover early on if the prospect is a ready, willing, and able candidate for your offering. Before you start to sell you must help your prospect identify the issues that would solidify or hinder the decision to buy.

This step must take place before you agree to prepare a time consuming proposal or give a stress producing presentation. And again… this step must take place before you start to sell.

If you begin to sell without this step you’ll probably get caught in the sales-minefield. The ability to get information before you start to give information will help you create a safe and mutually beneficial pathway out of the minefield. This pathway usually leads to a successful sale.

If you have any questions, or would like some coaching on this step… please contact me by e-mail ike@kriegertraining.com.

You’re invited to leave a comment below.

Regards,

Ike

I’ve restarted the blog. (There was a technical glitch that could not be overcome.)

This is a time for taking full advantage of strategies that will help you be more effective in making it through these crazy economic times.

If you want to promote your business more confidently and more profitably I think I can help.

Please leave a comment or a question regarding any sales, business networking, client acquisition, or marketing and I’ll do my best to get you information that can help you reach your goals in the coming months.

Once again… have a healthy and prosperous 2009.

Warmest Regards,

Ike Krieger