As I’ve noted in "Basic selling skills", one of the key steps in any sales model involves finding a fit between your services and the client’s needs. Once you’ve qualified a lead, you need to work on developing a proposal that will make the client hire you.
During the "finding a fit" stage, you should meet or teleconference with the prospective client. You should review information about the prospect and ask questions — lots of questions. Find out the prospect’s current challenges and needs. Work on building a good rapport and establishing credibility.
Focus on determining whether you and the client could work together. Sometimes, you may not have the right background or the client may present professional or ethical quandaries. Wherever possible, refer the prospect to others who can help — by keeping the relationship professional, you may find the prospect refers you to others better suited to the work you do.
If there’s a fit between you and the prospect, the next step involves making a proposal.
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