Page 118 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Quick Ideas 91 to 92

finally explain that his wife Assignment
was also a representative of
an industrial tool company, Make sure in advance
and he just couldn’t buy from that your prospect is a fit for
anyone else. doing business with you.
Make sure they have the
Mary Anne had been means (such as the money
going down a dead-end path or the credit), the authority
because she had not quali- (or the right to sign a purchas-
fied the prospect to make ing agreement), and the need
sure that he had the means, (that they truly have a use for
the authority, and the need your product or services).
to buy.

Epilogue

Have you ever tried to sell clothing to a nudist, meat to
vegetarians, Bibles to Atheists or guns to peace activists? If
so, you know what it’s like to waste your time with an unquali-
fied prospect.

92

Yes, No, and Maybe

Nothing contributes more to the demise of salespeople and
prospectors than the word “maybe.” Everyone understands yes,
it’s time to go. Everyone understands no, it’s time to quit, but
the worst is when prospects string you along with the word
maybe. It’s somewhat like fishing, when the fish keep nibbling
all day long, but you don’t catch anything. At the end of the day,
you have no fish, no bait, and no daylight left. You’ve spent

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