They gave you good installation support last time which you said

You can bet that the competitor who wins the deal, knows just what to put into his proposal before he sends it out.Qualify Better And Close More SalesYou need to get very bearing grease clear on what is most important to your prospect. You do this by asking the following questions when you first interview the prospect:- Why are you planning to purchase this new computer network now?

- What is most important to you in a new computer network? - Why is this important now? You also need to know who the likely competition is that is currently being favored (there is almost always someone with the inside track). One way to ascertain this is by inquiring about similar or related purchases made in the past. Find out which vendors they bought from and why they were awarded the contract.Ask if any of their past vendors are bidding for this deal. Ask why wouldn't they buy from those vendor(s) bidding on this deal if they bought from them in the past.Ask the following question about each past vendor bidding on the deal separately to determine who is being favored.

Don't just ask "why don't you buy from one of those companies?" Instead ask "Why don't you buy from ABC company? They gave you good installation support last time which you said was very important to you".By asking about preferences for their current/past vendors, you will find out if there is a real opportunity for you or if they just are gathering bids to document that they have performed a competitive evaluation.Unless you can find a compelling reason why they would switch to a "new" vendor, your odds of closing are going to be very low.How well do their current vendors meet the "what's most important" to the prospect criteria?After you've thoroughly discussed the vendors that they have current business relationships, you can easily ask about any other new vendors that they are considering. They'll likely open up to you on this now because you greased the conversation by getting them to talk about their current vendors first.If they are reluctant to answer questions about other vendors, then tell them you are selective about who you give bids to.

If you know whom else they are evaluating, then you will better know if you can help them and should bid on it. The lesson here is don't do a proposal unless you can PROVE that you offer an advantage in meeting their key criteria. Being me-too is not enough because it is likely that there are already vendors they do business with that they prefer and know better than you.By rigorously qualifying your prospects, your closing ratio and total sales will increase significantly. You'll be happier also because not only will your bank acount be fatter, but you'll be working with people who want to work with you.? 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM.