Lately, as most of us have noticed, there has been quite a surge in LinkedIn connection requests. With a lot of businesses feeling the pinch from all the challenges we are currently facing, this is quite understandable. However, with such a surge in LinkedIn connection requests, comes along this bombardment of selling offers. Almost everyone out there is trying to sell something.

To a certain extent, this is actually good and only shows persistence in keeping our businesses alive. But, we have to be careful here. We still have to remember that sales is an art and still requires a lot of peoples' skills that should go along with all the sales techniques out there. We also have to remember that there's still this "Qualifying" requirement which is one of the major components in the Sales Process, that needs to be always taken into consideration when we approach a prospect. And in those very turbulent times, we are currently facing, this "Qualifying" requirement is more than ever important. Believe it or not, I have been approached to purchase most everything you can think of...from earthmoving equipment to slabs of granite, to cryptocurrency mining operations, to some weird technology application, to COVID-19 magical remedies, and to all kinds of shit that does not do me or my business any good...at least not the way I see it...yet.

"Qualifying" a prospect is a critical step when it comes to selling. In very simplistic terms, Google defines Sales qualification as "the act of evaluating potential prospects to determine whether they possess the characteristics that make them a good fit for your product or service. In simpler terms – qualifying a lead or prospect means determining whether or not they are worth your time." So, to start off, and since we're all taking advantage of what this beautiful LinkedIn platform can offer us, all we need to do first and foremost, is to simply go over the profile of that new connection we just connected with, learn more about what they're involved with, what they do in life, and try to figure out whether our products or services might add value to them. Hey, if there's any potential there, go for it. But remember to always approach your prospect in a genuinely pleasant way. The last thing you want to be perceived as is that typical arrogant, pushy, self-centered salesperson that everyone hates to deal with.

Have a blessed morning everyone.