Let me ask you a question or two:

Is every client you’re working with someone you wish you could duplicate?

Are they profitable, finding value in your solution, and do you look forward to your next conversation with them?

If you didn’t answer a resounding YES to those questions – maybe it’s because they aren’t the right clients for you… and if you’d found that out sooner, you may not only have saved yourself some headache, but had more time to spend on the right ones.

Qualifying Is Important for Everyone Involved 

In selling efforts, qualifying is important for everyone involved.

Your buyer is qualifying you from the start to determine if they will give you time, attention, trust needed during the sales conversations, and eventually commit to doing business with you.

You need to qualify too, to see if the buyer is a good “fit” for your product and/or services and if they’re the type of person you want to work with. The earlier you can make initial determinations of “fit” the sooner you can allot the right amount of resources to them.

Qualifying Doesn’t Have to be Hard

Qualifying doesn’t have to be hard – it’s simply ensuring the specific qualities or characteristics of your buyer are a good fit for what you offer and how you work.

For example: If the buyer isn’t really a person who will buy what you offer; but is someone looking for comparative data to use with their current provider, free advice, or they just have a lot of time on their hands and like to learn whatever they can with no interest in doing anything…you shouldn’t spend resources – including your time- with them.

But What about Referrals? 

You may think – “But they could be a great referral source.”

While that is true in theory, consider this: ill-fit clients often refer more ill-fit clients!

I strongly encourage you to be more selective. And identify those qualities and characteristics that are a good fit.

Ill-fit clients early on remain ill-fit clients later on, and firing clients isn’t as easy as you may think.

You Criteria Should Evolve with Your Business

In the early stages of your business or your career – when you need to drive revenue, build credibility and seek testimonials – you may have “light” criteria for qualifying potential clients. That’s good – just don’t have zero criteria.

As you grow, tighten your qualification criteria. But if you start with the “anyone who needs my help” approach, you will use time and resources working with misfits that keep you from the KEY actions you need to focus on for best fits.