5 Early Warning Signs Your Prospects Aren’t Interested
Sales is a numbers game, so if a high volume of appointments isn’t turning into a high sales volume, something is off. No, you can’t expect most meetings to turn into a sale, but you need to recognize when meetings are a waste of time. And what if you can prevent time-wasting appointments from the beginning? You can, and the way to do it is to pick up on early warning signs your prospects aren’t interested.
Let’s talk about the hints people drop when they’re not interested. In the end, we’ll go over how to deal when you notice them.
The Two Major Verbal Warning Signs
Warning Sign #1 – Non-Committal Language
If your prospect uses phrases like “I should be available” or “We might be able to,” that should stand out to you.
It’s especially important when you’re setting appointments or deadlines. “Should” or “Might” aren’t commitments. They don’t mean “I will,” and they certainly don’t mean “Yes.” When someone uses these words with you, they may not be feeling very committal. You need to pick up on these cues. This person may not be sure how to tell you “No,” or may not want to be impolite. They also may not be convinced that they should make a commitment to you.
Find a diplomatic way to find out why they’re being wishy-washy. Even though it might seem you’re putting them on the spot, they might be grateful that you gave them the chance to say “no” and avoid unwanted follow-ups.
This friendly exchange will also allow you to avoid wasting time, no-shows, or ghosting, and it can uncover hidden objections.
Warning Sign #2 – Heavily Price-Focused Questions
Your prospect may have budgetary concerns and genuinely want to save your time and theirs. However, if the conversation centers around pricing, that is a red flag.
It’s especially telling if they don’t care to learn about your service or company and just want to get to the bottom line. That is, unless you don’t mind your product being commoditized.
You might also get prospects that want a written quote without having a meeting. They may be shopping around for the lowest rates.
If you convince them to meet with you, be wary. They may understand that they need to go through the motions to get pricing. Try to vet this out during your meeting to avoid spending excessive amounts of time on a proposal that’s not likely to turn into a sale.
The Three Major Behavioral Warning Signs
Warning Sign #3 – Appointment No-Shows
You’ve fine-tuned your cold-calling process, and now, it’s easy to get appointments with prospects. Congratulations!
Your sales should be rocking, but what if they’re not? Getting meetings is fantastic, but if they aren’t showing up, something is wrong. One of the harshest warning signs your prospects aren’t interested is a no-show. Now, life does happen, and there’s the possibility that they missed your meeting due to a flat tire or dropping their laptop in the pool. And either one of those would be very legit reasons for their no-show.
But it’s more likely that the real reason is that they didn’t have enough interest from the start, or maybe they changed their mind.
To prevent appointment no-shows, pre-qualify the lead and build value around their attending. You’ll also need to have an effective appointment reminder system in place.
Warning Sign #4 – Unwillingness to Share Information
From the start, if the prospect doesn’t want to share necessary contact information like:
- First and Last Name
- Direct Phone Number
…they are not interested. How do you know? Because by not sharing basic information, they limit your ability to follow up with them. Why would they want to do that? Because they’re not that interested.
Ensuring you have necessary information ties into setting quality appointments and all steps of the sales process. If you’re missing crucial pieces of information about your client, then you are not in control and will not be able to help them.
Warning Sign #5 – Ambiguity
If they can’t tell you what the next steps are, one of two things is happening.
- They don’t want to tell you, and this falls under the unwillingness to share information behavior.
- They may not actually know, which is causing them to be indecisive.
This lack of clarity should stop you in your tracks. Without understanding your prospects’ needs or process, you can’t guide them toward the right solution.
It’s also important to know when prospects are just shopping around. They may seem ambiguous because they’re just figuring out what their needs are and aren’t ready to buy yet.
Another way final decision-makers create ambiguity is by passing the buck. They may tell you that an executive assistant or lower-level management will be involved in the final decision and therefore be your contact person.
This may be the case, but you need to ensure that you don’t leave this conversation without understanding their decision-making dynamics, or you risk getting blown off by the third party or lost in the shuffle
In any relationship where there is a goal to accomplish, you don’t want ambiguity. When you detect it, you need to address it as early as possible. This way, you and the other party can move on, whether it’s together or in different directions.
Warning Signs Your Prospects Aren’t Interested: What to Do?
If the warning signs are verbal, like in the examples of uncertainty or price-focused language, you must pause your pitch. Rather than convincing them why your product or service is best for them, you need to stop and ask questions.
When you sense your prospect isn’t interested, politely and directly bring it up early on. Don’t drag on with your process, and don’t waste your time hoping things will change. Examples of addressing verbal warning signs from potential clients are:
“Mike, I noticed you’ve asked about the price several times. Our services are priced between $6,000 to $18,000. Would that range align with what you’re looking to spend?”
“Thanks, Jesse. You’re saying you should be able to meet with us this coming Friday. Would you be able to confirm if we agree on two or three o’clock?”
Posing questions like these should open the dialogue to tell you if there are any doubts, issues, etc.
If you don’t feel reassured by their answer, you may need to probe further or develop a plan that will prevent anyone from wasting time. This might mean suggesting they take more time to evaluate their schedule/needs/budgets and contact you again when they have clarity.
Behavioral warning signs from your prospects also need to be addressed. If the behavior appears when you’re outside of live interaction (for example, appointment no-shows), immediately review your internal process to see if it’s your approach that’s causing the behavior.
If the warning sign surfaces during a conversation with your prospects, you can address it in a friendly way. You may start by saying something like, “Jamie, I’m noticing your hesitation when it comes to explaining the next steps of your process. I understand every company does things differently. However, I need to understand where you stand with this initiative to develop the most appropriate proposal for you and your company. Can we talk about this a bit more?”
By Saving Your Prospect the Hassle, You’re Earning Respect
You’ll also have shown that you’re not only there for your benefit, but that you have a genuine interest in helping. That’s the kind of consideration people don’t forget, and you’ll reap the reward for it!
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