Although sales is the lifeblood to every business, that doesn’t mean salespeople and wholesale distributors should be willing to work with every prospect. The truth is, not every prospect is worth the time and energy, so some might actually do more harm than good. Don’t believe it? Here are a few reasons why you should say “no” to a prospect:
You’re at full capacity.
If you can’t possibly take on another client at the time, then don’t say yes! Being at full capacity will prevent you from providing high quality service to a new client, so they will probably sign on with your business, become unhappy, and leave with a bad taste in their mouth. Instead of ruining this relationship, tell your prospect you can’t take them on right now, but you will give them a call if the opportunity presents itself. This will make you seem more sought after and desirable to the prospect—plus, it’s the truth!
They don’t want to pay.
It’s normal for new clients to try to negotiate with you on the price, but if you find that they are trying to go much lower than other clients you have, it may be time to walk away. Businesses should have a minimum monthly spend that clients must follow, and if your prospect is not willing to commit to spending this much, they’re probably not worth your time. Refer your prospect to another company who may be willing to take them on with the smaller budget.
They won’t give you information.
Some prospects will contact your company asking for a proposal, but then will refuse to give you any information about their business or their needs. How are you expected to put together a product or service proposal for a company you know nothing about? Although this does not need to be the deal breaker in your relationship with the prospect, you should definitely push back and say “no, I cannot create this proposal for you until I receive X, Y, and Z.” Good customers are willing to work with you to make sure you have what you need to help them with their business needs. If this prospect is not willing to do that from the very beginning, it may not be worth it to keep them around.
They expect too much.
Let’s say you are a full-service digital marketing company, but a prospect wants you to handle their print marketing needs as well. This is not something your company offers, but the prospect is demanding you offer both services in order to win their business. Don’t stray away from what you do best and change your business model in order to win over one client. Stick to your guns and refer the prospect to a full-service marketing company that offers digital, print and TV marketing.
What do you think, is it ever appropriate to tell a prospect “no”? And if so, when do you think it’s necessary? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: B2C
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