Entrepreneurs can learn to target “high probability” prospective clients instead of wasting time and money selling to the ones who won’t commit

The Art of Sales Communication

Too many entrepreneurs waste time and energy chasing sales prospects that have no potential. To increase your sales, you must learn to disqualify sales leads. Though it might seem like a skill better suited for your sales team, you, as an entrepreneur, should master it to get and stay financed.

Sales communication is different from advertising and marketing—it’s more personal. Too many salespeople make the mistake of spewing off hype-driven sales talk. But no one likes to feel manipulated, so this approach doesn’t work. Some sales people don’t even bother to explain the benefits of what they’re selling.

Key Points for Entrepreneurs

1. Be a shrink. We all bring our emotional baggage to every aspect of our lives. We all need to be loved and respected, and to trust others. In selling situations, many of these psychological buttons are pushed. Your sole job as a salesperson is to build rapport. Rapport leads to trust. Trust leads to lasting relationships and sales.

2. Set your objective for prospecting. Shifting your objective from getting the appointment to determining whether the prospect qualifies for an appointment is key. Next, you need to eliminate your fear of rejection. It’s easier to do this when you aren’t begging for sales meetings and you won’t be begging for meetings. Instead, you’ll identify your target prospects using specifics such as price-points, budgets, decision-making ability, and schedules. You’ll only make appointments with prospects who need, want, and can afford what you are selling and are willing to buy from you now if you meet their requirements. You’ll also learn to embrace the fact that disqualifying a prospect is just as valuable and important as qualifying one—whether you disqualify/qualify him or he disqualifies/qualifies himself.

3. Start separating real leads from unlikely ones. This type of prospecting is essentially a practice of sorting and identifying by talking to as many people as you can in the shortest amount of time. You’ll need to avoid the temptation of trying to create prospects—they simple cannot be created. This process involves learning how to disqualify a low-probability prospect and maintain control of the interaction. Remember, whoever asks the questions are in control.

Print out these reminders and tape them by your phone to help you when you call:

• I work with high probability prospects only. I disqualify everyone else.

• Pr • I don’t waste my resources on low-probability prospects.

• No is just as good as yes.

• A low-probability prospect is worse than no prospect at all. Remember the opportunity cost.

• I end the conversation if the prospect is unwilling to make a suitable commitment.

• When in doubt, I disqualify.

• I go into each call with no expectation of a result.

• True high-probability prospects will not allow themselves to be disqualified.

• You can call the same list over and over again and you will get a higher and higher percentage of prospects who say yes as long as you do the following:

Keep changing the offer.

Disqualify.

Don’t waste prospects’ time.

Don’t educate.

Stop spending precious months educating the prospect, who do buy in expectation of goods for free. Forget the concept of consultative selling. If they want consultations, they have to buy first.

4. Stay focused. Fear is what keeps most of us chasing sales leads that we know aren’t high probability. Here’s how to stay on track and further cement this learning into your sales process:

• You are training prospects when you disqualify them.

• Don’t make the same offer twice in a row—you’ll jeopardize your credibility.

• Deal with discomfort by acknowledging it and pushing through it anyway.

• Remind yourself this is the disqualification game.

• You have no power to make a high probability prospect. You do have the power to disqualify.

• Prospecting deserves 50% of your time. It is just as important as meeting in person.

• Twenty percent of the market doesn’t like its current supplier and would be receptive to switching.

5. Get to the decision maker when prospecting.

• Always try to get to the business owner or decision maker.

• When you cold-call the decision maker but get the gatekeeper, treat the person as if he or she is the decision maker.

• If the gatekeeper cannot answer your disqualifying questions, ask if he can put you in touch with someone who can, or bring the questions directly to the decision maker.

Remember prospecting is a disqualification process.