I recently spoke to a vendor about something she was advertising, and after showing interest she closed by saying she would get back to me with more information, “but I hope you don’t go AWOL”. I find that final comment unnecessary, something that shouldn’t be said to someone likely to pay for your services.

While I don’t subscribe to such comments, I understand where this entrepreneur is coming from.
It’s frustrating when you put so much energy into closing deals, doing everything to impress and convince prospects and they still do not buy from you. The dilemma of every entrepreneur/business is to perfect the process of finding the right market. From my experience, this happens faster when you’re flexible enough to know that you’ll need to go through a phase where you try to sell to the “wrong” market/people. The ability to quickly learn and move forward from this point determines how quickly you get to the promised land.

Because entrepreneurs are often more optimistic than necessary, we are quick to forget that first-time sales will always be tougher than repeat sales or referrals. This has little to do with your products or services and more to do with prospects trying to figure out if they should trust you, and your brand, and give you all their money. Entrepreneurs should always remember that business negotiations should never be personal. A prospect who decides to buy from another vendor shouldn’t be seen as an enemy, rather, if we get the opportunity, we should ask why a prospect didn’t buy from us, there is so much we can learn from this.

I have not seen anyone more laughable than an entrepreneur selling bespoke software.
Prospects tend to have very high tastes but limited budgets. They have seen how a particular thing is perfectly implemented on a multi-million dollar software platform, not minding how long it took for that platform to get to where it is, or how much research they had to do to build it to fit.

They simply send you a URL telling you they want the same, but when you mention how much it costs to build, they quickly remember they are just starting and cannot afford such. From my experience, some will speak to you about lowering the budget or even allowing them to break the payment into installments, making it easier for them to pay.

Then some will keep speaking to different vendors until they find someone willing to build within their budget. Also, some will outright suspend the project until they can afford it.

Finally, there are those unable to make up their minds on what they want or what to pay.

Everyone in these categories has the potential to return to you to purchase, but their return will largely depend on how you make them feel while discussing with you. The prospects who talk you into lowering the budget or breaking their payment so it can be easier for them are the easiest to deal with. They have already chosen you as their preferred vendor, they only need you to make a few adjustments for them. I often yield to such requests especially when the budget they are asking for won’t break my back.

Prospects who want to talk to other vendors are also very likely to return. Either because no one spoke to them about their project as you did or because the vendor they eventually chose didn’t deliver or delivered a poor solution. In the software business, it’s normal to hear stories of how customers paid for solutions that they’re unable to use, I have inherited a few of such projects and I’ve had to build from scratch and redesign everything.

The prospects who suspend their project until they’re financially capable are also very likely to return to you, especially if you have been respectful while discussing their inability to pay you at the initial meeting. They’ll return to you also because you have been able to convince them that you know your stuff and you are competent.

The final category can be very frustrating, dealing with people who are unable to make up their minds. Nonetheless, managing this set of people can also be rewarding.

In all these four categories, no one will return to you if you have been condescending or arrogant.
My experience lately is that most people would rather buy from a vendor with a good attitude, even if that vendor is not the most skilled. Again, attitude over aptitude!

Of course, there are people abundantly blessed with being rude, especially those who think their single patronage is your lifeline to staying in business or first-time entrepreneurs who think their idea is the real deal and they are the next big deal.  Such people will always come your way, you can hardly avoid them. You have to learn to ignore as much as you can and walk away just before your breaking point. Remember to stay professional in all dealings.

Let me close by reminding you, dear entrepreneur, that before you can sell a product or service, you have to first sell yourself, by selling your attitude, competence, and experience. Your most rewarding customers will be more interested in you (your personality, brand, and integrity) than in your products or services.