Listening for the Red Flags When You Are on the Phone

I’ve dedicated this week to blogging about how much time we waste selling to people who have no power. I’ve received emails asking me about the warning signs. When we work in a non-visual medium, it can be difficult to identify when one lacks power. When you are face-to-face around a conference table, you can immediately see who holds the power and influence. Mainly, it’s by the way others turn to them before they speak or their body language and commitment to the meeting. But when you are on the phone, you can listen for red flags that indicate you may be speaking with someone who lacks power, otherwise known as a No-Po. Here are five clues to listen for:

1. They really like your product/service and really get it. They know how it fits in and how they would implement it.

2. They ask lots of questions–most of them are really good questions and most require additional legwork on your part.

3. The additional legwork is usually about you helping them to make a more convincing argument about why your product/service is necessary.

4. They schedule meetings that get rescheduled at the last minute because something more important took priority.

5. When you ask them pointed questions, they answer in a definitive manner–so much so that they need to convince themselves.