Never provide the prospect with enough information to make a decision without you.
A rep should send over more information if it is requested, but at the same time schedule a time to review it with them.
Never allow a specific price to enter your discussion during the prospecting phase.
It’s too easy to assume that when the customer asks for a price, it means they’re ready to buy. Prospecting is all about setting the stage by determining need and helping the prospect realize you’re the only one who can help them reach their desired outcome. A salesperson’s objective is to get the prospect thinking about why they’re willing to talk in the first place.
Never forget the most valuable asset a rep has is their time.
The ultimate goal is to spend more time with fewer prospects. Cutting a prospect loose doesn’t mean they have to be forgotten. It just means the rep doesn’t spend more time on them now. The prospect who wants to continually wait to make a decision or won’t make a decision for whatever reason must be seen as a threat to your reps’ time.
Never make contact with a prospect just for the sake of making contact.
Reps must have a plan. Even when calling on competitors’ customers, a call should be more than “just checking in.” There is always a piece of industry information, a new idea or an update to a previous conversation that provides a sales rep a reason to call.
Never forgo the quick sale for the sake of landing the big sale.
This is true with all prospects, but especially true when trying to win business from a competitor. As tempting as it might be to try to land the truly big sale, there always will be a risk of not getting it – and then being shut out of getting anything.
