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Boost Your Small-Business Sales
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Article 4: Talk To The Decision Maker
Not all seemingly qualified prospects are buyers. Just because prospects want or need and maybe even think they can’t live without what you sell, it doesn’t mean they are buyers.
Buyers certainly are all of those things. But buyers are even more narrowly defined. Buyers are those with the authority and the means to buy.
A 16-year-old boy may definitely desire and even need an automobile. It may be what he wants most in life. But he probably hasn’t got the $25,000 to close the deal. Even though he meets most of the characteristics of an end user and is emotionally eager to make the purchase, he has neither the ability nor the authority to buy.
Many seemingly qualified prospects fit this bill. They have a burning desire or a genuine need, and even may be willing to pay the price – but they don’t have the ability or authority. Sometimes sales people are hesitant to ask, “Can you write a check for this?” But in essence, that’s the question the transaction turns on.
At some point – and the sooner the better – you need to screen apparent prospects to sift those unqualified on the grounds of ability or authority: “Who is the person who makes the decision in your company (or family) about this kind of purchase?” Left unasked, a wrong answer later means a waste of everyone’s time.
If your questions and the answers reveal that a prospect is checking you out to report to someone else who’s responsible for purchasing, circumvent this intermediary. But before you do, extract as much information as you can to use for your presentation to the one who holds the purse strings.
Follow-up questions can reveal hot-button issues motivating the need or desire. “Why?” is a good place to begin. “Because we really need new laser printers in our office since the ones we use break down daily.” Aha! Reliability. There is the issue to stress when you finally meet the decision maker.
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