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Referrals: Get More Client by Asking "Disqualifying Questions"

Guest post by: Dan Janal

Article Overview: What would happen if you ran an ad on Google and everyone clicked on it? Would you be thrilled that so many people wanted to know about your service? Or would be shocked at the size of the bill and your inability to handle so many requests for information so quickly? Maybe both. That’s why you need to ask “disqualifying questions” when you do any form of marketing. If you don’t, you’ll find that you have a lot of unqualified prospects and more people than you can handle. And you won’t be able to give the proper attention you need to the prospects who are truly interested in your service and qualified to buy.

Referrals: Get More Client by Asking "Disqualifying Questions"

What would happen if you ran an ad on Google and everyone clicked on it?

Would you be thrilled that so many people wanted to know about your service?

Or would be shocked at the size of the bill and your inability to handle so many requests for information so quickly?

Maybe both.

That’s why you need to ask “disqualifying questions” when you do any form of marketing. If you don’t, you’ll find that you have a lot of unqualified prospects and more people than you can handle. And you won’t be able to give the proper attention you need to the prospects who are truly interested in your service and qualified to buy.

I see coaches and consultants do this all the time. They offer a free session or a free consultation to their mailing list or ezine subscribers. Then they get flooded with requests from people who really aren’t qualified prospects. These people either don’t have the money to buy the product or they are not the right “fit” for the consultant.

What can you do to avoid spending time with unqualified prospects?

1. Ask for business data such as gross income for the past year and projections for this year. If they don’t match your idea of an ideal client, move on.

2. Ask what they greatest problem is. If you can’t help, it won’t be a good fit. Refer them to someone else if you can.

3. Ask what outcome they’d like to see. If it’s a good match with your skills, move forward.

If you follow these steps, you might find that you get more qualified prospects and that you are getting more clients!

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Article Tags: marketing, prospects, referrals, sales, unqualified prospects



Related Forum Posts
Re: Quote of the Day - "Referred customers are easier to deal wi - Great, but doesn't this link back to another post: "how others see you"? Referrals are an important part of your business, earning the respect of the referrer largely depends on how other see and value you. How you handle the referral customer helps determined whether they pass you onto others Negative news still travel farther and wider then positive news.
Re: How do you get your clients? - I think staying away from gathering clients strictly online when first starting out is probably a good idea. Your first few clients could maybe be people you know, or know through somebody that may require some of your services. Another good way of gaining new clientel is offering your first few clients completely free service in exchange for placing your business card or promotional material in their business if you're doing b2b sales. Referrals are the lifeblood of many small businesses.
Re: Quote of the Day - "Don't be embarrassed about asking "stupi - One of my favorite requests when leading a class, workshop, lecture, interview, whatever... There are no Stupid Questions, don't be afraid to ask - someone else has the same question, but is afraid to ask On the other hand - try anticipate the questions Back to the first hand - Some People ARE dummer than a ROCK
Re: How Do You Fight Spam? - There are several ways in which you can stop spam: Client side: you can configure your email client to move spam to the junk mail, and you can do this by blocking their domain, some clients will even allow you to block ip blocks. Server side: you can set your server to have a white list, that can control spam before it gets to your inbox.
Re: Marketing ideas? - Questions will set you free... And make you Rich [quote="KH_Global":349pds7c]Just ask ask ask. That is it.[/quote:349pds7c]


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