I remember when I started my business back in 2009, I was hungry for any potential opportunity that crossed my path. I remember calling and emailing prospects multiple times and providing several proposals. It didn’t take long to realize that I was spinning my wheels.

I was not having honest conversations with potential prospects and it impacted my productivity.

For example, I spent half a day putting together a proposal for a prospect with an outline of the training, only to discover he was not ready to make a decision. This happened on more than one occasion.

My lack of courage in not having honest conversations and not asking the right questions of my prospects and clients, cost me many hours of productivity early in my career.

Now, instead of dropping everything when a client says, “Just send me something,” I talk through a verbal agreement and ask important questions. I want to know, are they just being polite or are they genuinely interested in working together?

There are two areas where most of us lack courage in our conversations.

  1. Money talk: Early in my career it was easier for me to send a proposal with a dollar amount rather than discussing it on the phone. When you are not comfortable talking about money with your clients, you can find yourself in an odd situation where you can lose a client’s trust. And if you are constantly getting beat up on your price, you probably are not demonstrating your value.
  2. Asking questions: It can be uncomfortable to ask the question, “How soon are you looking to make a decision?” Many sales professionals think that because they have a good rapport with their clients, they don’t need to ask questions. Making assumptions is not the same as making the deal.

by Eric Papp
Time Management Speaker

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