Choosing the right leads is important to getting the most qualified customers. So, the idea of this article is to learn how to choose prospects correctly. This is so you can be much more efficient in your sales conversations to convert them into loyal customers for your services. But one very key thing is that you have already identified your ideal client.
Choosing the most qualified prospects is a vital part of getting the right customers. However, one very key thing is that you have already identified your ideal customer.
How do you choose your ideal client?
You probably have already defined who your "ideal client" is, but I will show you how to find out if you are really in front of one or not. This is a more advanced level: choosing your ideal client implies that you know what kind of clients will benefit the most from your services, those with whom you can work most effectively.
Even when you have a well-established niche market, the people who belong to it may have different characteristics and needs, which makes a sale not viable at that moment. If you can't sell to them, i.e. if you can't offer them your services and they don't want to hire you, you don't have a real customer.
So when we evaluate those who are not yet customers, we call them prospects. Now, you also need the best prospects.
Why is that? First, because the sales process for a service is complex.
It is common for you to have to talk to a prospect more than once to clarify their doubts so that they decide to invest in your service; you must also be able to offer added value in each of these conversations that the client agrees to have with you. Many prospects will turn you down time and time again. This is normal and you should get used to that; it is a natural part of the sales process to follow up with your prospects. So, with all this work for each prospect, how do you know if you are on track with your prospect-to-customer conversion process? Pre-qualification plays a key role here.
What does it mean to pre-qualify your prospects?
Prequalify means to pre-qualify. It means that you determine whether or not this person is your ideal client before having a conversation with them. You also determine whether or not they are at the right time to take the next step to benefit from your services. I know some people may think this is not right. This is because you are "limiting" your market or not helping certain people. Does this sound like you? If you have understood the concept of having an ideal client you will know that no matter how effective and professional you are, you can't help everyone (it's not convenient, strategic, and efficient) because it's not profitable.
So, knowing whether or not this person who shows up at your door will be able to get the most out of your services is critical when you explore working with that person and how to choose prospects.
Now that you are convinced that you need to qualify your prospects, the second question you probably ask yourself is: how do I pre-qualify my prospects? And here the answer is very simple: just ask them what they need to know!
Two questions are basic and I always suggest and use in order to properly choose a prospect:
1.Are you worried about what's going on today in...?
You can fill in the dots with the environment in which you operate. If you are a therapist, it will be "in your personal life", if you work with business, it will be "in your business", if you are an accountant it will be "in the accounting of your business", if you are a consultant it will be "in your company", etc.
This answer will help you understand whether this issue of concern matches what you can do to assist them. Even if the person is indeed your ideal client, this answer will help you further address exactly how your services can benefit them (or not).
Imagine you are a therapist or coach and you deal with romantic relationships. If this person tells you that what worries them is that they don't have a partner, surely the type of service you will offer them will not be the same if they tell you that their problem is that they are about to divorce.
2.What do you want to achieve?
This is another question that helps qualify your prospects and future clients. Let's say you are a designer and a client comes to your door as a beautician. When she answers the above question and tells you that she has a business but not many clients, you automatically think of one of your image and personal branding programs. However, when you ask her what she wants to achieve, you discover from her answer that her problem is not external image and personal branding. If their answer is "I want to work on my self-esteem because I don't value myself enough and so I'm embarrassed to offer my services", in this case, you realize that you won't be able to help them unless you are a psychologist or therapist as well as a designer.
The client's problem in the previous case is not the external image, but what happens inside him and you are probably thinking "I take him the same as a client", but no matter how much excellent "external" work you do, if this person in the example does not manage to work on his inner self, he will continue with the same initial problem of "I don't have many clients".
This person will be in a position to make the most of your service when they solve their real problem, so it is always an excellent idea to keep in touch so that you can be there when they are ready to move forward.
And pay attention to this, because it is very important:
Customers don't have to know what they need. It's up to you to find out and help them realize it.
Finally, there is another way I qualify (or not) my clients. It is the typical statement "This is for you..." or its opposite "This is not for you...". Think of it this way: there is nothing better than your ideal client feeling identified with your sentences of what you can do to help them, just as there is nothing worse than a person who is not your ideal client realizing that you cannot help them or that you will not meet their expectations too late. You will waste their time and yours.
I hope you have learned a bit more about the importance of qualifying your prospects correctly and how to do it. You can use these questions when a prospect calls you on the phone, emails you, or visits your office. The important thing is that you can explore if this is really who you are in the business of helping.
Remember that your goal as a business owner is not just to get prospects, but to get customers who love your services. This will generate excellent referrals for other potential customers. This is achieved by being very precise in your choice of prospects, who you can truly help.
I wish you much success in choosing your prospects and clients!
Upnify´s Editorial Team; formed by professionals and experts in Marketing, Sales, Communication, Design and other areas. They share their experience through articles enriching the commercial culture.