Why sales people sell to the wrong people?

This morning I received a piece of spam with that title. To be honest, it sparked my interest to open this mail. I was disappointed in their thoughts. They were not even worth me putting down. However I then began to have my own thoughts on the matter.

I don't think that most sales people want to sell to the wrong people. I believe it is comfort. Lets face it, selling to C level people can be intimidating! However this is where real success can be had. Assuming that most sales people are selling to the wrong people, you automatically have an advantage.

Beyond comfort and intimidation, I believe it comes to asking. I come back to the three basics

1. Time frame
2. Decision maker
3. Budget.

Without these three things, there is no reason to move forward. I have continually been shocked when I ask if we have these three things identified. If we don't, or I have in the past accepted a not so sure answer, there is trouble to be found. The relationship is poor, we don't understand the customer and we are either proposing the wrong solution or simply providing a "Competitive Bid"

COMPETITIVE BID. These words hurt my ears. There is almost no value for the customer or us to do this process. That what this is, a process. Not sales.

Think back to the last sales cycle that you lost. Did you really understand the three basics? You may have and still lost, but experience tells me that more than not, this is where we failed.