I just got back from taking Bella for a walk. She’s my crazy dog on walks. She saw a dog in a car once and now she must think there is a dog in every car! That means when a car drives by, she goes nuts. She lunges out and tries to chase, track down, and take a hunk out of the fender. She expends a ton of energy and BARK in a fruitless effort. She’s on a leash and there’s no way she will ever catch the car. Yet she persists….
There are times you are barking down the wrong car or up the wrong tree. You expend energy and effort for a fruitless cause. I’m talking to all of you that have prospects on your list that you forever “chase” in the hopes that they will finally give in and buy from you. Here’s the problem, you have an outlier or two that does and it’s like throwing the dog a bone. You think everyone will finally toss that thing. Not so much. Outliers are called this for a reason…because they rarely happen.
As you approach 2015, take a hard look at your prospect list and eliminate those that you know in your heart have zero chance of investing in you. Those that are under 25% should be moved to a smaller energy effort. Focus your barking on people and organizations in the upper half of likelihood. If they’ve been on your prospect list for 6 years, they aren’t “buying you.” These upper echelon people must be legitimate prospects or else you’re wasting your time.
Final thought If you need more of the upper 50%, then keep asking for referrals. Then you have a better chance of actually catching that racing car and biting off an end of the fender!
© 2014 Dan Weedin. All rights reserved
