How to Spot Prospects Who Waste Your Time and Avoid Them

Have you ever wasted time with a prospect who didn't end up buying from you? It's not just frustrating - it can be downright expensive.

In this article, we'll discuss how to spot the types of prospects that waste your time and how to avoid them altogether.

Prospects are people who want to do business with you, so intent and buying power are two key ingredients.

When you waste time with a prospect who has no intention of buying, you’re losing valuable moments that could be spent with real prospects.

You need to identify these Bad Fits faster and get them out of your pipeline, in order for sales reps to focus their energy on the prospects who will actually purchase and deliver a winning sales pitch more often.

Here are 10 types of prospects who are a huge waste of your time.

1) The Student Students are not your buyers. They’re most likely doing research either for their studies or their career.

2) The one-upper This is a common practice in sales where the prospect tries to show off his knowledge of your product and “upsell” you.

3) The person who wants to buy everything The classic impulse buyer that has no interest in research or budgeting, but insists on buying everything they come across.

4) The Scrooge Many prospects are so focused on their own problems that they refuse to take time out of their day to listen about yours— and how you can solve them.

5) The person who loves to hear themselves talk Some prospects like to see how much they know about your company and what they’re trying to sell, but are never really interested in buying anything.

6) The beggar There are many people that want freebies and discounts, and will try their best to get it from you by way of begging or discounting the price.

7) The Diplomat This is a prospect that wants all the information on what you are selling but is just not ready to buy.

8) The Micromanager Some prospects want you to bend over backwards for them, but then will never give the sale or the order in return.

9) The Flake The person who wants to do business with you on a handshake deal— and might not even show up!

10) The Lone Wolf These people may have wanted what you had at one point, but they're now so far gone that they don't want anything anymore because they believe.

Here are a few ways to avoid these time wasting prospects.

1) Identify these time wasting prospects early by establishing context.

2) Ask qualifying questions and avoid wasting time on small talk.

3) Don't make promises you can't keep, because it will come back to haunt you.

4) Try not to get emotionally invested in a lost cause.

5) Be honest about your own limitations - don't promise something that you can't deliver!

6) Avoid wasting their time by being realistic about what's possible with your product or service (within reason).

7) If the prospect continues to waste your time, say goodbye.

8) Treat every interaction as a potential sale.

9) When you have established a relationship with the prospect, establish clear expectations about what you're offering and what it can do for them.

10) Be transparent - don't make false promises to secure an initial meeting or agreement.

The sooner you can remove tire kickers from your pipeline, the sooner you can start closing deals with people that are a good fit for your product and your company