The 60 Second Sale

Chapter 12Qualified Prospects Become Quality Clients

60 Second Summary

Most sales executives think a deal is “closed” at the end of the sales process. That's not true. In relationship‐based selling, making a deal means opening a door. Anytime you talk about working together, or exchanging something of value for financial compensation, you must agree on certain rules of engagement. When the prospective client agrees to these rules, that's the “close.”

The process that follows does three things:

1. Removes ambiguity from the business relationship
2. Makes the prospective client comfortable
3. Improves the likelihood you will do business with the prospective client (helps you make more deals)

What's in This Chapter for You?

You won't waste any more time in terrible meetings with prospective clients who have no money. The qualifying process is critical to your success as a relationship‐based business leader because it saves you time and makes you money.

There is nothing more frustrating than sitting down with someone, having a great business meeting, and leaving the room thinking, hoping, and wishing that person would invest in a relationship with you.

The key concept you will discover in this chapter is a process to qualify everyone in advance of a business meeting. This means when you sit across from a prospect, you know he has the money to pay you, a problem you can solve, and the ability to make a decision. In other words, you're sitting across from someone who is qualified to be ...