We all know the most important aspect of our b2b sales world is to continuously find fully qualified or highly motivated prospects. Without these new comers to our world, then real sales growth becomes very difficult.
And, you have probably heard about having an ideal customer profile to use as a guide when looking for prospects or truly targeted accounts.
While the ideal customer profile is a good tool and is very useful in determining who you should invest your time and energy with for your future sales growth, there are five other factors that truly make a difference in determining a real ideal prospect.
So what are these five reason someone can be labeled an ideal prospect? Here are the five reasons…
- They have both a Need and a Want for Your Product or Service
One without the other is just an illusion of a prospect who will actually buy something from you. Often sales people are faked out by a prospect who knows they need something, yet don’t want to invest in solution. And, the flip side which is even worst for you – is when you recognize the need and they don’t want your solution. - They have both the Authority and the Ability to Pay
This is the biggie. Your ideal prospect is someone who has the authority and the budget – and most importantly the ability to make a decision to buy your solution or offer. Finding these people is often referred to finding the economic buyer or the dominant decision maker. - They have a true Sense of Urgency to solve a Problem or satisfy a Need
Duh, no sense of urgency leads to you becoming very frustrated with the prospect. Your ability to use the questioning model of sales will increase the desire to have a sense of urgency to get rid of the cause for all their problems and the problem consequences. - They Trust both You and Your Organization
One thing we have found to be a mission critical factor in whether you get the business or not is the level of trust given by the prospect. High trust between the buyer and the seller significantly increases the chances for a contract to be given and executed. By the way, one of the main reasons some contracts never get executed is due to a lack of trust. Trust building begins early and must be continue through the life of the relationship. - And, Most importantly – they are willing to Listen to You.
IF a prospect is unwilling to listen to what you have to say or what you would like to recommend to a prospect – well, they are wasting both your time and their time. I have seen buyers do weird things during a sales process – from falling a sleep, to texting or emailing throughout the interview, or share off into space with no civil manners to speak of. The last group are not listening – so don’t waster your time.
When you find a prospect who is demonstrating all five of these traits, you have the ideal prospect who will soon become the ideal customer. The question is – will you recognize them fast enough to close the business?
Again, the questioning model of b2b selling is the key to finding out the answers and setting the stage for your long term success. Learn and use the questioning model of selling as fast as you can and you will be joining the ranks of the B2B Sales Superstars.
Voss Graham
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