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Just Five Minutes...A Bunch Of Hooey

Written by: Will Turner

Article Overview: Asking for five minutes of a prospect's time is deceptive and shows sales incompetence.

Just Five Minutes...A Bunch Of Hooey

Have you ever asked a prospect for “just five minutes” of their time? Salespeople do it all the time. They’ll call a prospect and say something like, “I’d like to get together with you for five minutes to share with you…” Sometimes they’re bold, and they’ll ask for 10 or 20 minutes. Don’t.

Can you really establish a relationship and find out anything meaningful in five minutes? If the answer is “No,” then why would you ask for just five minutes? If you stay longer than your stated time period, you just shot your credibility. And that’s certainly not a good way to start a relationship.

Some salespeople will argue that they use this approach because they just want to meet with the decision-maker and get their foot in the door. Once that is done, they hope to have another opportunity in the future.

What they don’t realize, however, is that they have totally devalued themselves and their product or service with the promise of a five minute appointment. That means the likelihood of getting another meaningful opportunity is diminished. And even if they get another opportunity, they’re starting in a hole. Further, they’ve demonstrated a low-relationship/high commodity mentality. That’s only a good option if you want to compete on price alone.

On the other hand, if you want to forge a strong relationship and create a peer-to-peer relationship with your clients, you won’t use the “got five minutes” spiel. In fact, if you believe in yourself and your product, you’ll value your time, as well as the time of your prospect. That means if you need 45 minutes for a first appointment, you don’t ask for something less. In fact, it’s always best to just ask for the appointment and not specify how long you need. Chances are you don’t know, because each appointment is different.

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