A new blog offers “advice for increasing the odds that the clients you sit down with will want to sign on with you“. Interestingly enough, one of the comments urges us to sometimes walk away from the new prospect.

Superficially, this is a direct contradiction to what we are taught at 101 studies in commerce. That is to say: If somebody offers you money for your service or product, take the cash and run to the bank…….no?

This week, I was mentoring one of my own clients in manufacturing, challenging him to revisit several of his own customers, where there had been negligible communication for too long. My prospect protested that he would be wasting his time as his contacts were simply too small for him.

Similarly, another client of mine was confused when I had encouraged her to stop chasing prospects, who demanded that she work for a minimal service fee. Facing her qualms that she was concerned about earning a brand as somebody who is uncaring and elitist, I explained that the opposite is true. She had to earn a proper living so that she could help so many others.

And many of us will know of that potential client who keeps rechecking info, demanding further and further price changes, never seemingly coming to a decision. That is the person who is often saying: ‘Even if  I close with you, I will be too much of a pain and bother for you to manage me successfully’. In other words, a lot of work for no profit.

There are many more other such examples. The client, potential or existing, is a waste of time and effort. For large companies, many of such issues can be absorbed. There is that bit extra manpower.

However, for small companies, there is far more at stake. They are eager for each extra dose of revenue, but they do not have the resources to ‘invest” (waste?) on the duds. It is a fine line to walk, knowing when to pass on a seemingly interesting opportunity.

And how to make that judgement call? That is a separate blog in itself. Note: The better decision makers are not just the lucky ones. They are able to combine knowledge, experience and a solid understanding of communication skills, ensuring in advance that a potential customer is what he appears to be.