Kiona

Head of Business Development

Dealing with a prospect you want to fire/dont want to sign

We all deal with difficult personalities in the sales process that we cant wait to hand off to success managers. But, when you are a small company and you feel that a client may not be worth it, what is the best way to say goodbye while remaining professional?

😎 Sales Skills

😤 Conflict Resolution

16 comments

Sort by:

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Tell them respectfully you aren't a fit right now but you will follow up with them in 6-12 months.

Blackwargreymon

Politicker

MDR

This is a good question. I usually will just tell them that they probably aren't the best fit and give some excuse as to why.

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

Are you talking prospect or current client that's already using your services?

Kiona

Opinionated

Head of Business Development

prospect

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

Like others have said, saying "I'll be honest with you, I don't feel that we're the right partner for you as I don't think we'll be able to meet your expectations" or whatever verbiage makes sense. It's a classy move to refer them to a competitor so it looks like you actually care about them.

paddy

WR Officer

Director of Business Development

This is a good question. I usually will just tell them that they probably aren't the best fit and give some excuse as to why. You can try saying that you really are looking out for them and don't want them to pay a lot of money when they just "aren't quite there yet". If they're going to end up costing you more money in onboarding/success then they aren't worth the headache.

paddy

WR Officer

Director of Business Development

But also make sure you have some more suitable people you can refer them to. Even if it's a competitor, it's worth it.

Chep

WR Officer

Bitcoin Adoption Specialist

Thank them for their time, but tell them you don't believe they will be a good fit. Be upfront and honest. Some customers seem to want to sign on and then complain about everything to the point you are wasting so much time it's not worth their money. Better to just be upfront and not do Business than give in to make an extra dollar.

JuicyKlay

Celebrated Contributor

Tell them you don't think it's going the partnership is going to be a good fit but you appreciate all of the time. You don't have to go in to detail.

Clashingsoulsspell

Politicker

ISR

Like others have said, saying "I'll be honest with you, I don't feel that we're the right partner for you as I don't think we'll be able to meet your expectations" or whatever verbiage makes sense.

Tres

Politicker

Account Executive

If you walk away for a valid reason, people will respect that. They may be upset at first, but over time it'll prove to be the right move

BulkPony

Tycoon

Enterprise Account Executive

Several years ago I was dealing with a huge company that had a terrible procurement and contracting process. While they were a huge company, the revenue they were bringing to our company was tiny. After dealing with their procurement and legal teams for several weeks I told my contact that we should part ways as it simply wasn't working. He literally told me "no, that isn't an option, we're moving forward with you."

Finally got the deal wrapped up and never heard from them again. Definitely was not worth the time and effort.

Salespreuner

Big Shot

Regional Sales Director

Being honest in saying that , we ain't a great fit for your real need. Thanks

MR.StretchISR

Politicker

ISR

Depends on how they are comped, but I think a gift is appropriate for big deals. Bottle of champagne/wine, gift card, something like that would be best practice.

Mr.Floaty

Politicker

BDR

In my role sales cycles are fast and not a ton of assistance is needed but when I do, I be sure to thank them internally every chance I get!

Cyberjarre

Politicker

BDR

Send a gift at some point in the year

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

Press Careers

If you are hired as a contract sales rep by a Bravado customer, we may ask you to prove access to the employee email account provided to you by that customer. This data will be shared with customers to track your sales productivity; customers can use this data to confirm you meet the minimum activity requirements to pay out your ramp stipend and commission.

Kiona

Dealing with a prospect you want to fire/dont want to sign

16 comments

Related posts

When you offer the prospect everything they want and won't buy?

How do you get around someone saying they can sign off on this knowing they can’t

How do you all handle a situation where a prospect has a contract approved and is ready for signature, but one of their family members just passed away? Want to be extremely sensitive to the situation...feel there's never a "right" time to reach out and never want to be salesy...