- Are you giving unpaid consulting time to your clients?

Under the garb of finding suppliers, many customers are likely to ask you to quote -  only to get themselves more educated , to compare if their current arrangements are competitive, and to fish for anything new. Although it is difficult to completely avoid it, you may at least try to train your salesperson to "qualify" a prospect and gain his commitment  before submitting a proposal.  Because if you qualify a prospect, submit the proposal and then try to close;  you will land up doing unpaid consulting.

Know "real" prospects. Discard false ones. 

False prospects waste your time; real prospects get you business.

What is the difference ? A  good prospects is not only qualified by you but whose commitment has been obtained by you before spending time on developing a proposal and giving a demonstration. Only then you are in control;  otherwise the prospect is using you to get some free advice. 

As a sales manager ...

• Dont accept "We have been given a chance to quote" but look for "the prospect has agreed to talk to us and answer our questions before we quote"
• In fact the real purpose of the introductory sales call is (1) to get an agreement from the buyer to ask questions (2) to establish a buyer-centered purpose (most important) around which future dialogues will hover (3) communicate who you are and why you are there.
• A buyer's RFP (Request for a proposal) is not a "progress signal" unless the buyer also agrees to take some action.
• Dont accept  "I'm talking to the decision maker" but look for "I have understood the decision making criteria and the process." 
• Dont accept "We need to be aggressive in our pricing" but look for "They're willing to pay our price, and we don't have to match the incumbent."
• Dont accept "It looks good" but look for "We have a clear commitment if our solution fits the budget we discussed."

Recognize a true prospect !

• He expresses reasons to change his business relationships 
• He understands lost opportunity of not doing business with you
• He has indicated his budget and it seems adequate
• You understand participants, criteria, timing and process of prospect's evaluation & decision process
• You have set clear agreements as to what happens if you offer a solution that addresses the prospect's pains and is within their investment expectations

If a prospect gains attributes over time, you're working on a pipeline. Do not measure the validity of a pipeline by activity, and do not equate busy with being productive. If a motive to change (what I call a gap) is not discovered in the first conversation, just say no and walk away because such a customer will not buy.