Who is a Prospect
“Who is a prospect I’m going to sell my service?” is a significant question for every sales person.
Dealing with a right prospect will keep our effort, expenses and time while the attempt to sell to everybody is doomed to failure. What characteristics does a genuine prospect have?
Today we’re talking about the characteristics of a genuine prospect.
1 – Need. A prospect may recognize their needs and define them in specific requirements. Of course, some prospects can’t or want to do these. So, our task is describing an existing need or creating a genuine need in the prospect’s mind.
2 – Fit. Our product or service must be fit for prospect’s needs. Sure, we can persuade them to buy more of our product or service. After all, we win a deal but lose a customer and their trust.
3 – Time. Time determines the degree of need. Is it needed right now? In a month? In a year? So, we shall recognize a time frame to satisfy a prospect’s need.
4 – Ability to buy. A prospect must have the ability to buy for our service and solution. They may have a need and at the same time not be able to pay. In this case they give us “Your service is too expensive” or “It’s out of my budget”. Thus, we must find out whether this is true or just an excuse.
5 – Authority to buy. Authority to buy is an essential characteristic of a prospect. If a prospect lacks the authority to make a deal, then we have to discover a real decision maker (or decision makers) and focus our effort on them.
6 – Accessibility. A prospect may surround themselves with gatekeepers, receptionists and other physical and mental barriers. Some prospects are difficult to reach because of distances, flexible work hours or environment and so on. Thus, we shall properly estimate the effort, expenses and time to reach a prospect.
Summary
With the result that, a person or a company who has these characteristics may be ranked as a prospect. So, qualify the prospects properly. And it’s your time great invested.