gosuccessbusiness As a sales professional, you’ve undoubtedly encountered “tire kickers” – prospects who seem interested in your product or service, but ultimately don’t make a purchase decision. These prospects waste your time and resources without generating any real leads. In this blog post, we’ll share eight tips from sales pros on how to weed out tire kickers and spend your time more effectively.
- Understand Their Motivation
The first step in weeding out tire kickers is understanding their motivation. Why are they interested in your product or service? Are they serious about making a purchase decision? Or are they just browsing for information? By taking the time to understand their motivation, you can separate genuine prospects from tire kickers.
- Ask Probing Questions
Probing questions are a great way to assess a prospect’s interest level. Ask questions like “What specific problem are you trying to solve with our product?” or “What’s your budget for this project?” If they avoid answering these questions or provide vague responses, it’s likely they’re a tire kicker.
- Watch Their Body Language
Body language can provide valuable insights into a person’s interest level. Pay attention to posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures to determine if they’re genuinely interested in your product or service. Tire kickers often display avoidance behavior or negative body language.
- Listen for KeyPhrases
Key phrases like “I’m just curious,” “I’m not sure,” or “I need more information” are often telltale signs of a tire kicker. Listen for these phrases and use them as an opportunity to further probe their interest level.
- Time Their Response
The time it takes for a prospect to respond to your questions or offers can give you a clue about their interest level. Tire kickers often delay their response or avoid responding altogether. By contrast, genuine prospects are usually quick to respond and engage with you further.
- Test Their Commitment
Testing a prospect’s commitment is a great way to weed out tire kickers. For example, you can ask them if they’re willing to sign a letter of intent or make a small deposit to show their seriousness about the project. If they’re unwilling to take these actions, it’s likely they’re a tire kicker.
- Follow Up Consistently
Following up with prospects consistently demonstrates your commitment to them. However, if you follow up repeatedly and receive no response or minimal interest, it’s time to move on. Tire kickers often take advantage of salespeople’s follow-up efforts and waste their time.
- Trust Your Gut Instinct
Finally, trust your gut instinct. If a prospect gives you a bad feeling after speaking with them, it’s likely they’re a tire kicker. Don’t force yourself to work with prospects who don’t align with your values or goals. Your time is too valuable to waste on tire kickers.
In summary, weeding out tire kickers is essential to improving your sales performance. By understanding their motivation, asking probing questions, watching their body language, listening for key phrases, timing their response, testing their commitment, following up consistently, and trusting your gut instinct, you can separate genuine prospects from tire kickers and spend your time more effectively.