Jan
26
With most of the crazy and wily foxes described above, you can do business and make a little money. But it’s extremely important to recognize the type of small business owner you’re dealing with as early as possible. Why? You can cut to the chase quicker.
Remember, you’re operating in a world of thin margins and higher volume. You can’t dilly-daily around with these crazy foxes. You need to evaluate them as quickly as possible. With experience, you should be able to categorize these small business owners after a short phone conversation. Occasionally, it may require a face-to- face meeting. But, besides learning about them and their business, you should first attempt to associate them with one of the above seven types. Once you’ve figured them out, you can immediately position yourself to hit their hot buttons.
Unfortunately, there’s no list of questions you can rattle off to get the answers you need. You can’t just ask someone on the phone whether they completed high school or not. The answer may not even be relevant. One customer may have dropped out of boarding school when he was sixteen, but he still could be a major shareholder in a billion-dollar company founded by his great-grandfather. Figuring out what type of fox you’re dealing with will take some subjective evaluation. At first, you may find it necessary to actually meet the person before you decide. It’s only by looking at their appearance and their office, and chatting about their home life, that you’re going to be able to get a clear picture. Unfortunately this takes more time, and time is what we’re trying to save here. Consider it an investment. If you get really good, you can get the same kind of feel from a twenty-minute phone conversation.