It is easy to fall into the habit of believing that everyone is a potential client. Some business owners will even say that they want to obtain ALL of the business out there … that everyone is a prospective client. This is a dangerous mindset.

Business growth isn’t about selling to everyone; it is about selling to every right one – that is, everyone who is a “qualified” prospect.

When you try to sell to everyone your efforts are too broad. You aren’t focused and you soon are faced with failures, because you are wasting time trying to sell something without understanding the value in other people’s eyes – or even whether they are truly a good fit for your product or service.  In short, you aren’t qualifying companies/individuals in the field.

Qualifying – that is, effective prospecting and information gathering – leads you to the clients you should have.

Qualifying prospects includes 4 steps …more at A Dirt-Simple System for Qualifying Sales Prospects | Small Business Trends.

Flickr photo credit: Lougan Manzke