Every business needs leads, also known as prospects. Prospects are people who may be interested in purchasing a product or joining your affiliate program or business opportunity.
The problem for the online marketer is identifying who is a serious prospect from someone who may simply be wasting your time.
Let’s take a look at some key ways to identify a TRUE prospect.
Before making a purchase most of us ask and want answers to our questions so we can be confident in making our purchase.
This is certainly reasonable and expected behaviour from your prospects. Afterall you want people to know what they are buying and to be a happy customer once they make their decision to purchase.
Serious prospects ask intelligent questions like these:
What is the upfront cost? Are there any hidden or ongoing costs?
Are there any Special Offers on right now?
Is there any installation or setup required by me?
Do I require any special skills?
How much money does the average person make in this opportunity?
How long have you been in business?
How much time is involved in learning this business?
Is there any guarantee?
Do you have any referrals or customer testimonials?
What kind of help or support or training will I receive?
Do you accept PayPal as well as credit card as payment?
How long will it take for me to get my services/product/package.
These are all reasonable, intelligent questions. You can learn a lot about a person and their potential by the questions they ask.
Positive, forward thinking people ask about the costs, the logistics of the purchase, the time commitment. Serious prospects understand that any legitimate money-making business requires some type of investment, a commitment of time, a period of learning, strength and determination of character as well as self responsibility. Healthy skepticism is one thing, negativity and close mindedness is completely a different matter. Successful people are positive thinkers, they are willing to listen and learn. They realize results come from one’s own hard work and practice, they appreciate that a business requires a commitment and dogged determination.
NON Serious prospects ask questions like these:
Can I make at least a thousand dollars in a week? I really need the money right now.
Is this easy, or is there a lot of work involved?
I don’t have a credit card and Paypal shut off my account, is there any other way I can pay?
Is this all automated money-making, push button kind of stuff?
I don’t have a lot of time to devote to this, is it going to take up a lot of my time to learn this stuff?
I’ve tried everything to make money online and not made a dime, how do I know this will work?
Is this a scam?
I don’t have any money so I want to just do free programs and make as much money as I can as quick as I can..
If this doesn’t work right away can I quit and get my money back?
These kind of questions from the non-serious prospect say it all. This kind of person is negative and close minded. They’ve pooped in the soup before it’s even cooked. These kinds of questions suggest a lack of understanding and unrealistic attitude about what it takes to start, build and maintain a legitimate online business. A negative attitude BEFORE they even learn more or get started on the basics, is the kiss of death.
A person without even minimum funds to get started is not a serious prospect. It’s not at all realistic to think you can make significant online income if you are not prepared to take some time to learn, commit yourself, invest some money in building your business, and take responsibility for your own success. Not everyone has what it takes to grow a successful online business.
By all means ANSWER your prospect’s questions, you want to earn trust and build a business relationship but importantly pay attention to the TYPE OF QUESTIONS they ask to help you identify the serious who are worth more of your time, then the non serious who may simply be wasting your time.
The Author:
Sandi Hunter, is Co-Founder and President of Worldprofit Inc. Started in 1994, Worldprofit has helped people worldwide grow their own online business with comprehensive training, support and resources from newbies to more seasoned affiliate marketers.
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