Although I am mostly known for my marketing acumen, I have spent years developing, managing and supporting sales. Through the years I have learned that qualifying opportunities is one of the most important and difficult tasks for a sales person. Often emotion, false relationships and the desire to please potential business customers prevent objective decisions regarding the pursuit of valid business. Unqualified leads cannot be closed. No amount of additional effort moving in the wrong direction will change the circumstances. There is no need to schedule another meeting, product demo or webinar. Stop burning important calories on leads that will not close.

A good lead that can become a valid prospect is one where first there is a clear need for your product or services. If you are educating the lead about your type of product, then there is no pull. Pushing for a sale can be a prolonged process. It is more akin to how door to door sales persons sold brushes, encyclopedias and vacuums. A good lead has already identified a requirement for your product and has determined how such a product will support the existing business.

My other most important consideration is to identify the buyer. Recognizing the roles of the various people you will meet during the sales process allows you to interact with each uniquely. By observation and direct questioning, you can properly slot individuals within the business and the evaluator (the one who can say “no”), the decision maker (the won who can say “yes”) and the buyer (the one who can write the check). Seldom are these roles the responsibility of one person. Make certain you are interacting with each of the roles during the sales process.

Know your role in the process. You are not paid to engage in unproductive conversation and meetings. You should always have a goal when you meet with a member of the company. If you are not discussing the affect your product will have on the business, the cost of doing nothing, the timing for the decision or attempting to close, then valuable calories are being wasted.

Finally, make certain there is budget or the ability to allocate funds for the acquisition. Being tenacious and not accepting “no” is a strength for a sales person. However, spending time and resources on leads and prospects that won’t close hands the sales advantage to your competitors.