Define Your Prospects, Follow the “Yes,” & Sell More!
Tom Boogher, CPSM, and Richard Cilley, CPSM
A question asked of us frequently by business development professionals relates to performance improvement.

The question is: "I am spending way too much time with leads and prospects that never amount to anything. How can I tell who’s really interested in working with my firm and be more effective at turning prospects into clients?" This is a great question, so let us try to answer it.

Let’s first define what we mean by prospect. A prospect is someone who is willing to take an active step—demonstrated by a specific time commitment—to talk seriously about the possibility of working with you. It is not a list of companies or people you want to know in your city or market; those are just names. A prospect is somebody who will commit to an action or next step (a meeting, an office visit, reviewing an SOQ or proposal, etc.) within a defined time frame. If you cannot get a commitment for a specific next step of some kind, either on your part or the person’s, then you are not dealing with a prospect! And trying to sell to a non-prospect is not a good use of time.

The best salespeople understand how to spot people who aren’t giving them a clear "yes" answer to follow and to distinguish those from real prospects. Successful salespeople move the sales process forward, and they typically do this by closing each meeting with a request for a specific appointment for the next meeting or a specific action that either they or the person they are meeting with will take. The trick is to understand the relevant "yes" answers can take many forms but virtually always include a time commitment:

• "Yes, I will meet with you next Wednesday at two o’clock."
• "Yes, I will introduce you to the other decision-makers next Monday morning."
• "Yes, I am interested in receiving an SOQ from you. When can you have it to me?"
• "Sure, I will consider your ideas on how we can further our relationship. Let’s schedule a conference call."
• "Thanks for calling. I need a proposal from you by noon Friday."
• "Yes, we’d like to use your firm. Call me tomorrow morning to get the project details and to schedule this job."

Notice the difference in the above "yes" statements from what are called delays or "no" statements:

• "Call me sometime next month."
• "Send me some information to review, and I will get back to you."
• "I will put your brochure on file and consider using you on a future project."
• "It’s crazy around here now, get back to me later."
• "Let me check with my partners and see if anyone wants to meet with your firm."

Nobody can teach you how to make a prospect do something he or she doesn’t want to do. However, if you follow the advice below—three rules—you will make the most of your time and maximize the number of prospects who decide to tell you what to do by giving you their business.

To be effective and successful at the selling process, you need to move or advance the sale continually…get to the next step. If you call someone, the next step is usually a face-to-face appointment. If you meet with someone, you want a chance to submit a proposal or to be awarded the job. A typical next step statement might sound like this: "I’d really like to get together with you to discuss your upcoming projects. Can we meet Thursday at 10 a.m. at your office?" or "My firm sounds like a good fit for your project requirements. We want this job. When can we get started?"

Always try to advance the sale and ask your prospect to take action. If you don’t ask, you usually won’t receive—so, ask for the meeting, ask for an opportunity, ask for the job, and keep asking!

"Actual-yes" answers are ones in which the person agrees to a clear next step with you, complete with a date and time, that’s scheduled for the near future (within two to three weeks at the most). "Actual-yes" answers could sound like this:

Or an "actual yes" may sound like this:

You: "Why don’t you and I meet with all your team members Monday to discuss my firm and your upcoming projects?"

Prospect: "Monday is no good for us here. What about Thursday morning?"

And an "actual YES" could sound like this:

You: "May we submit our qualifications and a proposal to you to assist you with this important project?"

Prospect: "We aren’t ready for a proposal yet, but send me your qualifications package and then call me back next week to follow up."

A "sounds like yes" would sound like this:

Or a "sounds like yes" could sound like this:

"Actual yes" and "sounds like yes" really are different, and "sounds like yes" usually means "no" or "not anytime soon."

Here is the real critical point: STOP WASTING TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ACTUALLY MOVING THROUGH THE SELLING PROCESS WITH YOU! Whatever you do, you should always try to move the sale forward—determine a specific, next step—and not leave the sale in limbo. And if nothing happens after two or three attempts to move the prospect to the next step, you should accept that you are not dealing with an active prospect and move on to better prospects and opportunities.

The best salespeople know you have to have the prospect involved—meaning actively participating—in the selling process. You can’t sell by yourself. The prospect needs to work with you, and you have to take action at appropriate points to help move the sale forward. What’s more, when your prospect stalls or won’t move forward, you need to be aware of that! Don’t take it personally and fret over it. It’s business. So, invest your time wisely, move on to someone new or a better opportunity, and stop spinning your wheels.

We have enjoyed sharing our ideas and tips on business development best practices with everyone in the SMPS Family in 2004 and look forward to continuing this column in 2005. We wish all of you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

About the Authors Richard Cilley, CPSM, is CEO of Transcendent Consultants (www.transcendentconsultants.com), and Tom Boogher, CPSM, is Executive Vice President of Professional Service Industries, Inc. (www.psiusa.com). Richard and Tom have a combined 50-plus years of experience in marketing and sales within the A/E/C industry.

Hosted by SMPS' Business Development Institute, this column provides tips, best practices, and suggestions on how to excel at sales and client development. Remember that nothing happens in business until you make a sale! The Business Development Institute is a Specific Interest Group of SMPS with the goal to promote, inform, and educate the A/E/C industry on the importance of sales and the necessity for business development best practices.

Your comments, feedback, suggestions and questions are encouraged. Please drop either editor an e-mail with any input. You can reach Tom Boogher at tom.boogher@psiusa.com or Richard Cilley at rcc@transcendentconsultants.com. [ return to top ]