Article
When to Disqualify a Potential Client in B2B Sales
The Sales Blog
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48 “In your first meeting with this type of client, they’ll complain and gripe about our competitor, the competitor we're trying to displace. They'll say, “They're terrible! They never do what we want. They never hit our metrics. They're constantly a problem. Their service is terrible. They're not very helpful.” They go through a whole litany of complaints, and as a salesperson, you're at the edge of your seat. You're like, Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for! You've got somebody who's completely dissatisfied and motivated to change.” The more vigorously someone puts down your competitor, the more likely it is that they are not acknowledging their role in their failure. Whenever anyone tells you that they don't share any responsibility for an outcome they're getting or not getting, you know they have a mature view of how things work. The best thing to keep in mind when you suspect a prospect would be a difficult client, is that they can have a negative impact on your results and revenue. Difficult clients are hard to work with, won't treat you like a partner, don't treat their current provider like a partner, and will not help in any way in the relationship. Everything that goes wrong is going to be your fault, even when it’s their fault. They will refuse to take any responsibility for the relationship or their own results. When you recognize that it's a nightmare client, you have to move on to something else. If you don’t, they will take all of your time and energy, destroy your operations team, and create a bunch of problems. You and your team have a love of the game, but nightmare clients destroy that. My advice is: Walk away. Don’t think you’re going to change them. Disqualify Prospects That Are Not Going to Buy Salespeople make this mistake all the time: They engage with people who can't or won't buy. When a contact won’t buy, it’s because of how they perceive value. No matter how good your product is or how much you could improve their results, some prospective clients will not see value in what you do. They won't find your differentiation to be compelling, they won't pay more for better results, and they don't perceive the value in what you’re selling. I'm not telling you to give up and go away, but if you reach three or four stakeholders who share this view of the business world, then you have to recognize that they may never be willing to pay for your offering. When this is the case, don't waste your time with them.
48 “They may have told them, look, in order for us to get you a better result, we're picking up our end of the stick, but your end of the stick is still on the ground. To produce the results you want, we need you to pick up your end of the stick and make the changes that are necessary to support this change.” The more vigorously someone puts down your competitor, the more likely it is that they are not acknowledging their role in their failure. Whenever anyone tells you that they don't share any responsibility for an outcome they're getting or not getting, you know they have a mature view of how things work. The best thing to keep in mind when you suspect a prospect would be a difficult client, is that they can have a negative impact on your results and revenue. Difficult clients are hard to work with, won't treat you like a partner, don't treat their current provider like a partner, and will not help in any way in the relationship. Everything that goes wrong is going to be your fault, even when it’s their fault. They will refuse to take any responsibility for the relationship or their own results. When you recognize that it's a nightmare client, you have to move on to something else. If you don’t, they will take all of your time and energy, destroy your operations team, and create a bunch of problems. You and your team have a love of the game, but nightmare clients destroy that. My advice is: Walk away. Don’t think you’re going to change them. Disqualify Prospects That Are Not Going to Buy Salespeople make this mistake all the time: They engage with people who can't or won't buy. When a contact won’t buy, it’s because of how they perceive value. No matter how good your product is or how much you could improve their results, some prospective clients will not see value in what you do. They won't find your differentiation to be compelling, they won't pay more for better results, and they don't perceive the value in what you’re selling. I'm not telling you to give up and go away, but if you reach three or four stakeholders who share this view of the business world, then you have to recognize that they may never be willing to pay for your offering. When this is the case, don't waste your time with them.
48 “If you don't have conversations with your prospects about the changes they must make on their side to reach the results they need, then you're not being a trusted adviser. You’re also setting yourself up for failure.” The more vigorously someone puts down your competitor, the more likely it is that they are not acknowledging their role in their failure. Whenever anyone tells you that they don't share any responsibility for an outcome they're getting or not getting, you know they have a mature view of how things work. The best thing to keep in mind when you suspect a prospect would be a difficult client, is that they can have a negative impact on your results and revenue. Difficult clients are hard to work with, won't treat you like a partner, don't treat their current provider like a partner, and will not help in any way in the relationship. Everything that goes wrong is going to be your fault, even when it’s their fault. They will refuse to take any responsibility for the relationship or their own results. When you recognize that it's a nightmare client, you have to move on to something else. If you don’t, they will take all of your time and energy, destroy your operations team, and create a bunch of problems. You and your team have a love of the game, but nightmare clients destroy that. My advice is: Walk away. Don’t think you’re going to change them. Disqualify Prospects That Are Not Going to Buy Salespeople make this mistake all the time: They engage with people who can't or won't buy. When a contact won’t buy, it’s because of how they perceive value. No matter how good your product is or how much you could improve their results, some prospective clients will not see value in what you do. They won't find your differentiation to be compelling, they won't pay more for better results, and they don't perceive the value in what you’re selling. I'm not telling you to give up and go away, but if you reach three or four stakeholders who share this view of the business world, then you have to recognize that they may never be willing to pay for your offering. When this is the case, don't waste your time with them.
48 “In your first meeting with this type of client, they’ll complain and gripe about our competitor, the competitor we're trying to displace. They'll say, “They're terrible! They never do what we want. They never hit our metrics. They're constantly a problem. Their service is terrible. They're not very helpful.” They go through a whole litany of complaints, and as a salesperson, you're at the edge of your seat. You're like, Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for! You've got somebody who's completely dissatisfied and motivated to change.” The more vigorously someone puts down your competitor, the more likely it is that they are not acknowledging their role in their failure. Whenever anyone tells you that they don't share any responsibility for an outcome they're getting or not getting, you know they have a mature view of how things work. The best thing to keep in mind when you suspect a prospect would be a difficult client, is that they can have a negative impact on your results and revenue. Difficult clients are hard to work with, won't treat you like a partner, don't treat their current provider like a partner, and will not help in any way in the relationship. Everything that goes wrong is going to be your fault, even when it’s their fault. They will refuse to take any responsibility for the relationship or their own results. When you recognize that it's a nightmare client, you have to move on to something else. If you don’t, they will take all of your time and energy, destroy your operations team, and create a bunch of problems. You and your team have a love of the game, but nightmare clients destroy that. My advice is: Walk away. Don’t think you’re going to change them. Disqualify Prospects That Are Not Going to Buy Salespeople make this mistake all the time: They engage with people who can't or won't buy. When a contact won’t buy, it’s because of how they perceive value. No matter how good your product is or how much you could improve their results, some prospective clients will not see value in what you do. They won't find your differentiation to be compelling, they won't pay more for better results, and they don't perceive the value in what you’re selling. I'm not telling you to give up and go away, but if you reach three or four stakeholders who share this view of the business world, then you have to recognize that they may never be willing to pay for your offering. When this is the case, don't waste your time with them.