Practice tip: Avoiding common mistakes with prospects

Do you assume you know what prospective clients want? Can you identify genuine prospects without wasting much time? Here are three common mistakes and practical tips on how to avoid them:

1 Assuming you know what they want

Experience sometimes leads us to make premature assumptions. This is best avoided as it doesn’t build confidence any more than if a doctor prescribed medicine or surgery too soon.

Instead we need to ask more and better questions and listen to what prospects say. And then we can use their own words when discussing their needs. This builds rapport and helps ensure that we tailor our advice to their specific situation.

2 Spending too much time with suspects

Be mindful of how much time you spend on initial conversations. Structure your calls to quickly determine if someone is a genuine prospect. If they are not politely end the conversation. Don’t...