I’ve met a lot of prospects-who-are- not prospects lately. These are the people who say “I don’t think I need what you’re selling. Convince me why I should buy from you!”
If this happens to you, run, don’t walk away! This is not a prospect, this is heartburn waiting to happen. I have a personal rule: If I have to convince someone that they need what I’m selling, (1) Buyer’s remorse will ensure I will spend my time re-selling that same service or product to them instead of actually doing the work and (2) no matter what I do, they will not be happy, which means I will not be happy.
Someone is a prospect only if they see your product or service as a solution to a problem they have. If they don’t think they have a problem, they also don’t see you as the solution. They only see you as someone who is “trying to sell them something.” No problem = no sale.
If they end up buying from you anyway because you offer them a really great deal, you’ll see the buyer’s remorse almost right away. Because they were never convinced they needed your product in the first place, they will expect you to reassure them by re-selling them and preferably lowering the price. And they still don’t have a problem that your product solves.
More heartburn for you.
Lesson: Watch for the people who see your product or service as a solution to their problem. The end result will be a happy merging of problem + solution; by far the nicest way to sell.