What do you do when the prospects aren't ready to buy?

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

"Sell only to those who are ready, willing, and able to buy" works great for prospecting (and I contend that virtually every salesperson does this naturally when prospecting anyway because it's common sense), but for sales professionals who sell in an environment like you do (and there are a boatload of people who do, including retail, showroom sales, in-home selling with preset appointments, etc), you can't go about it that way. You're on call for a certain period of time and you need to serve people who come in to see what you have to offer because that's how your company is set up.

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

When my wife and I bought our current house seven years ago, we drove by the property and stopped at an open house (we both love houses and design and architecture at that time went to quite a few open houses every year). We had no intention of buying a home. But when we saw the home, we both loved it and eventually purchased it. If the agent had pre-qualified us to death (or disqualified us), and then refused to show us the home because we weren't "ready, willing, and able" to buy, we wouldn't have purchased our home from the agent, so I think in selling (as opposed to prospecting) a salesperson has to be very careful about the "disqualify your prospects" thing.

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

That doesn't mean you can't be an effective salesperson when prospects do come in. I'm wondering if setting aside the "sell only to those who are ready, willing, and able" mindset might help relieve the pressure on your prospects??? Instead, focus on the prospect. Have a "welcome them" mindset, not a "disqualify them" mindset. DO ask questions - ask lots of them if they'll let you, but focus on building a relaxed, trusting atmosphere.

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

Be likable, be engaging, be real, and use your persuasion skills to try to get prospects to sit down with you for a minute (or ten or twenty) to chat before you show them around (some might be shocked that I would suggest using persuasion, but persuasiveness is one of the qualities of top-performers, and no, persuasiveness is not the same as aggressiveness). Do you have a "registration card" or something they fill out before they see the property so you can get their information?

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

Of course, if none of this works and your prospect distances himself from you, you just have to smile and go with the flow and show them what you have while not spending a lot of time with them (unless you see the prospect is becoming interested in your product as you show it to them). And I would certainly recommend seeking referrals from these people ("can you give me the names of two or three of your friends or family or colleagues that you think may be looking for...".

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

I know I don't understand all the intricacies of your particular situation, so perhaps some of my suggestions don't fit or don't make sense. If they don't, ignore them.

I hope that is helpful, Thomas.