Much like Karl, for me this post is a bit of a rant, because I too do not think most sales people “get it” when it comes to qualifying. We get so wrapped up in the process of “being efficient” and “not wanting to waste time” the we start looking for reasons NOT to meet with clients instead of looking for reasons why we SHOULD meet with a particular client. Granted this is a balancing act, we don’t want to just sit down with any old person we run across. However, We should be looking for reasons to include people in our sales process rather than simply excluding them because the goal of top sales people is to create opportunity. A simple switch in attitude is all it takes for you to break into new markets, and or find new uses for your product that you had not previously thought of.

This takes a bit of work, but my experiance has proven that if you start a few people into your sales funnel that you feel iffy about and it dosent work out you simply need to be honest and at some point say this dosent look like a good fit, would you agree? Then instead of following the typicla behaviro and running for the hills, keep asking questions! I say this for two reasons, first, in another question or two you may uncover a hidden need, but secondly I’ll assume you are a expert in your industry… My goal would be to referr them to someone at another company i trusted that I believed could be of assistance to them. I know that this sounds counter productive, but the simple fact is good sales people solve problems… and the natural extension of that is, if I can not help you I will point you in the direction of someone who can, and then politley ask for a referral.

This simple ast has brought me more business than I can count. If you stop “qualifying” and start talking to people and helping them solve their problems you will develope a reputation in your industry as someone people like to work with, you will develope referral business, and you will ocasionally sell to clients whom you would have never met with because “they cant afford it”, “were not a large enough organization”, or “had no need”.

Action plan: Think about your sales process, and how you go about scheduling appointments. What criteria are you using? Are there questions you could change to be more inclusive? Are you seeking to exclude rather than include? What do you do right now to create new innovative uses for your product or open new markets? What SHOULD you be dong?