Before you reach out to a prospect, do you take the time to research the company to determine their likelihood of buying? Not every prospect in your target market is a good one. Go after quality, not quantity. It’s crucial that you research the company and acquire as much information as possible about their decision makers, finances, and current situation and perspectives on energy-related solutions. Then ask yourself the following four questions:
- Do they really have a need?
- Do they have a desire?
- Do they have the means?
- Do they have the authority?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then you need to figure out if and how you could change it to “yes.” Some of these objections could be filled in, like spackling a wall with a dent in it. If they don’t have the means to purchase, you could certainly bring financing to the table. If they don't have the authority, you could help them capture and retain the attention (and ultimately the approval) of all the people who do have the authority. If they don’t have the desire, you could kindle the desire by linking the project to non-utility-cost financial or non-financial benefits that they might find more motivating than utility-cost financial savings or rebates. If they didn’t originally have an expressed need for change, by the time you’ve planted the seed of desire and helped them to understand the significant benefits of making the change, an implied need will become an expressed one.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more from our “Questions Series.”
