Here's Doug's story: "I went to a senior's home in response to a card she'd filled out requesting a review of her financial situation. She was a widow, so I suggested that she have one of her sons present. She did not like that idea. I suggested her pastor so she could have a caregiver with her. She refused that, as well. The meeting went well, and I returned to my office to research some choices for her.
"On the second visit, she had coffee and cake for me. She even asked me to look at a bad electrical fixture. I scheduled our third, and hopefully final, meeting.
I put hours of work into her case, even contacting the VA to try to help her with trust documents. The lawyer who sets up living trusts for my clients had already done her review for free.
"A few days later, I returned to her home and was met by a special police unit for organized crime! It turned out she had Alzheimer's and had forgotten she had sent the card in. All she could remember was that I was coming over. Apparently, she had been conned in the past by some guy from New York who sold her husband a bad investment, so she was mad at the world and paranoid -- and she'd called the police. The police were sure they were about to nail a big con artist. I pulled out my appointment book, corporate literature, and proof that I was a legitimate, licensed rep.
"After verifying that I was for real, the police gave me a 'clean bill of health' to conduct business with her. I refused since she had not followed my earlier requests to have someone sit in on our meeting. My emotions went from shock to frustration to anger. Having been through the Certified Senior Advisor program, I understood that one symptom of Alzheimer's is paranoia. My disgust that I had invested so much into helping her investment situation, combined with my embarrassment that the police had been ready to cart me off to jail, helped me to say no to working with this woman.
"Anyway, I learned that in the future I will refuse to meet with single seniors if a child, relative, or trusted friend is not with that client."
The Moral: Doug's lesson is about qualifying and disqualifying prospects. If you do business with people who can provide both money and headaches, you'd better be prepared to deal with bigger aspirin bills, troublesome clients, even defense attorneys. Bad customers can imprison us with aggravation and their need for extra attention. Decide exactly whom you want to work with and stick to your decision. You'll be glad you set standards that will help you select your ideal client.
Sales from the Dark Side is compiled by speaker and trainer Dan Seidman. For more tales, visit www.salesautopsy.com.
