The truth Shall Set you Free!

There are a lot of ways that we can deceive ourselves. Every time I eat chocolate I tell myself that it is NOT going to make me gain weight, and yet guess what happens? The same can be true in our business relationships. In my long history of selling printing, there were many examples of prospects I was pursuing that never had ANY intentions of EVER buying from me. Why did I call on them? Because I refused or was unable to see the truth. I was so blinded by the possible prestige of doing business with a marqee customer that I ignored the signs. What are the signs, you ask? I'll tell you a few.

1. You quote a lot but NEVER get the work. What is happening here? You are likely being used as a tool to drive down the price of your competitor, or the prospect simply ALWAYS has to get several bids. How to combat this? Try saying this to the prospect, "I seem to be doing a lot of bidding but never get work from you - Can we talk about what the possible disconnect might be?" This should tell him in so many words that you are through being his chump.

2. The prospect keeps telling you to call back in 3 months. What's the deal? He may legitimately not have any work right now, but the more likely truth is that for whatever reason, he does not want to cut you loose completely, but has no intention of ever using you. What to do? Try, "I am happy to keep up with calling you, but can you tell me what will be different in the three months that will make it more likely that we can do business together? again - you are calling him out, and letting him know that your time is valuable, too.

3. You are told to contact purchasing. This is the kiss of death and you do NOT want to go there. If I were you, I would head further up the food chain to the kind of person that wants to hear your ideas - like a Marketing Officer or CEO. These are the kinds of people who do not buy print, but look for ways to be more successful. If you can help them solve a problem, you will be golden in their eyes.

So there you have it - Look at your prospects with a fresh honest eye, and you might just free yourself up to spend more time with people who want to do business with you!